tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125235771647587162024-03-13T03:35:26.168-04:00Philly to LA on FootI'm an ultramarathoner who ran 2,736 miles in 3 years—the equivalent of a drive from Philadelphia to LA.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.comBlogger264125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-17339934350001041842013-07-21T14:47:00.002-04:002013-07-21T14:47:31.467-04:00Race Report: Mount Washington Road Race<div>
My girlfriend (GF) and I ran just one hill on Saturday, June 15. That's the upside. The downside is that the hill was 7.6 miles long, and had an elevation of 6,288 feet. And was a mountain. </div>
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We ran the <a href="http://mountwashingtonroadrace.com/">Mount Washington Road Race</a>, the 53rd annual run up the Auto Road of the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard. There would be no relief until we reached the top. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL4M52rtAzdYbGKtvf3C8H8XDm4uvZbbdb7eVEjhM2m1Fc3kR4bEdKVnc-Zp3pRhtstU-21n8CuZsmZ0lZfQq8w3DAGagp7UO_kBc197mRIcz9Phi0QQ64Cz-KJpt-yCF8TcxUYjYH6E/s1600/2013-06-14+18.24.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL4M52rtAzdYbGKtvf3C8H8XDm4uvZbbdb7eVEjhM2m1Fc3kR4bEdKVnc-Zp3pRhtstU-21n8CuZsmZ0lZfQq8w3DAGagp7UO_kBc197mRIcz9Phi0QQ64Cz-KJpt-yCF8TcxUYjYH6E/s320/2013-06-14+18.24.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The starting line</td></tr>
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In prior years at times of me being in better shape, I had signed up for the lottery for this race. You see, running up a mountain is actually something that a lot of people want to do. So many, actually, that not everyone who wants to run up it can do so. </div>
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Each year, I signed up for the lottery and didn't get picked. So we would go to a bar, have some beer, and talk about how great we would have done. This year, however, we would be talking about it after we completed it. </div>
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<b>Training</b><br />
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When we found out that we were in, quite a bit of fear entered my brain. GF was much more excited than me about it, and I knew that I had to change my attitude about it. I tried. I really did. </div>
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So we did training runs on other mountains. And we did hill runs, and longer runs. But we knew that we could never really prepare for what this race was going to be like. </div>
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I knew a couple of things before I ever toed the line for this race.<br />
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<ol>
<li>This would be a one-time only kinda thing. </li>
<li>"Race" really wouldn't mean "race" for me.</li>
<li>My sole goal was to finish.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCMuQ7Pt_Zjjbx2JVcbzsDmY3C_v4TWdJmv9-rUcd-bY5cz8_6kGVFy7CwVeT_1eo4d45zZL8nBoSnfDImDv8kaNj_vrS_fH7ckPt5i-6-vrnroeONNFBpsGBMrxXsaAJFhzmFR2n1Xo/s1600/2013-06-14+18.25.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCMuQ7Pt_Zjjbx2JVcbzsDmY3C_v4TWdJmv9-rUcd-bY5cz8_6kGVFy7CwVeT_1eo4d45zZL8nBoSnfDImDv8kaNj_vrS_fH7ckPt5i-6-vrnroeONNFBpsGBMrxXsaAJFhzmFR2n1Xo/s320/2013-06-14+18.25.22.jpg" width="320" /></a>I was correct on all three points. The second that I got picked in the lottery was the first second that I had a fear of doing this and a regret for even signing up for the lottery. In years past, I would have been a bit trepidacious, but nothing like this year. But I knew that I wanted to do this thing and complete so that I could say that I did it, and I could tell myself that I would never have to do it again.</div>
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I knew that I didn't have the best attitude about the race. I think if I had been in better shape (like previous years when I didn't get picked), I would have been a lot more excited about it. GF had a much better attitude, and she was really looking forward to it.<br />
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<b>Night before</b><br />
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The night before the race we stayed at a house with friends in Jackson (about 20 minutes away). We picked up our race packets and started to get an idea of what we had gotten ourselves into. We ate a very bland meal of baked chicken and salad, avoided alcohol completely, and drank a TON of water. We didn't want anything to make running up the hill any more difficult for us.<br />
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Race morning we woke up as rested as we could have been. We were meeting GF's mother and sister there (they were kind enough to drive up and then drive us back down!). There was some chaos meeting up with them, but ultimately they made their way up the mountain and we made our way into a bunch of nervous circles and waiting for the port-a-potty.<br />
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<b>The actual race</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGmrl8bHvn5aVcgZLyTlo-q-Tqq9bueAd_W1qxbUP_pHBuqFatZBIbPfUR0CEMBsUrHgstYUV_VwcSvgmco018qW2fFfr2SbjD6TmegiqcXHAgBcN1LGjVyB47_MFhFwsSAP1AJ3lb7w/s1600/2013-06-15+10.41.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGmrl8bHvn5aVcgZLyTlo-q-Tqq9bueAd_W1qxbUP_pHBuqFatZBIbPfUR0CEMBsUrHgstYUV_VwcSvgmco018qW2fFfr2SbjD6TmegiqcXHAgBcN1LGjVyB47_MFhFwsSAP1AJ3lb7w/s320/2013-06-15+10.41.48.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around mile 6. Note the ski trails in the distance.</td></tr>
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We started at the very back of the pack. We knew we weren't going to set any records that day, so we didn't want to get in anyone's way. GF and I had decided to run the entire thing together. She's a great runner, especially on the hills. She had done more training, but I tended to be a little bit faster and have more endurance. The perfect combination!<br />
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It really was great throughout the race because we were constantly checking on the other person. How are you? Do you need anything? Anything hurting? Need to slow down? Etcetera. Etcetera.<br />
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The first couple of miles were somewhat reasonable for us. It's 7.6 miles with absolutely no relief as far as the mountain goes. You're going up the entire time, and it's up the auto road. The first couple of miles were covered by trees, so that gave us a little relief from the sun. We tried to "run" the first couple of miles as much as we could. We ended up doing a somewhat fast walk, more than anything.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8rdkk54zGq5kWAQXvc3AeMqZRvXjEgaYxi21Q6B7tcRSbdc97a_PWkudcwsGvaLHmB43DVcToG-H5jrHYDAg2BEIJBRVCYzz6P5w6kbCy0cYQQ-r83K09QteEU5C15E8HtH7hasyc20/s1600/2013-06-15+12.03.09-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8rdkk54zGq5kWAQXvc3AeMqZRvXjEgaYxi21Q6B7tcRSbdc97a_PWkudcwsGvaLHmB43DVcToG-H5jrHYDAg2BEIJBRVCYzz6P5w6kbCy0cYQQ-r83K09QteEU5C15E8HtH7hasyc20/s320/2013-06-15+12.03.09-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top. 6,288 feet above sea level.</td></tr>
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As we start to get out of the tree line, the sun started to hit us, but the wind really hit us! It was beautiful to look at all of the mountains, but it got windier by the step. By the time we got to mile 4, our "run" had been reduced to a moderately fast walk. We were averaging between 15 and 20-minute miles, which was fine for me. Luckily, I brought my yellow windbreaker with me. I didn't need it at all in the first couple of miles, but I was happy I had it when the wind started to whip through us.<br />
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By mile 5, we were really ready to be done. We couldn't see any relief, and the mountain was getting steeper and steeper as we went. It was a total ascent to 6,288 feet, but we started around 1,000 feet; so a mile in total elevation. We were exhausted, and our legs were starting to feel like dead weights.<br />
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We finally got to the point where we could hear the announcements at the end. It was so unbelievable just to see the Mile 7 sign, but we knew that we still had to complete the last .6 miles, which were a 22% grade. That sucked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAzyQhOxMczFSnT7ipggYqd8pf27lZDDG3Z0VngZZUTkBg6rQmwce-Y8L4dK3awihilduAKV-5aXCDoYfQ43zFskLddI97eA98zXOXOQNsKqfjmFHINNwm-Rep2u-PhIiA5uXNiNvDwI/s1600/2013-06-15+11.41.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAzyQhOxMczFSnT7ipggYqd8pf27lZDDG3Z0VngZZUTkBg6rQmwce-Y8L4dK3awihilduAKV-5aXCDoYfQ43zFskLddI97eA98zXOXOQNsKqfjmFHINNwm-Rep2u-PhIiA5uXNiNvDwI/s320/2013-06-15+11.41.41.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About .1 miles from the finish. We were beyond exhausted at <br />this point. Note the unhappiness on our faces.</td></tr>
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We finally rounded the corner, held hands (I know: groan!), and did our best "run" to cross the finish line. We finished in 2:36:21, a 20:43 pace. We just wanted to finish under the upper limit of 3:02, and we did that with plenty of time to spare. The last couple of miles killed our time, and knocked it from around 15-minute miles to closer to 20-22 minute miles.<br />
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We took some pictures, grabbed a blanket, shoved as much food as we could down our throats, and then we had to head back down because they were opening the auto road again!<br />
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All in all, I'm beyond glad that we did this race. I'm proud to say that I did it, but I am never going to do it again!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the finish. With the winds whipping like they were, these weren't a "nice to have."</td></tr>
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Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-78568673880590878862013-05-08T17:40:00.002-04:002013-07-21T14:36:03.189-04:00Preparing for the Mount Washington Road RaceIn early April, I ran <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ascutney">Mt. Ascutney</a> in Windsor, Vermont with my girlfriend and two writers from <a href="http://www.farnorthendurance.com/">Far North Endurance</a>. Ascutney is about the same percentage of incline, but it's about half the distance and half the elevation. Frankly, that sucked.<br />
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Road Race in June, I have started to realize how ridiculous this whole thing is going to be, and how high 4,700 feet really is.<br />
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Two weekends ago, I ran the auto road of Mount Kearsarge. That was about the same distance as Ascutney, but the elevation and incline weren't as bad, although it had its moments.<br />
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As it relates to Mount Washington, I was lucky enough to be interviewed for their piece on preparing for the Mount Washington Road Race. Be sure to read the actual experts' stories first, well before you read what mostly sounds like unbridled fear from me.<br />
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It's now just over a month away, and it's getting closer by the day. I'm torn between being excited for it to happen and petrified that it's going to happen. I'm sure it will be fine and we'll finish (which is the only goal), but I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when it's done (both good and bad). But I can imagine how good the beer is going to taste.<br />
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Far North Endurance is a blog dedicated to trail running in the northeast. The founders realized that there wasn't a spot for interested trail runners to go, and no one was focusing on the runners themselves. With the feats that some of these trail runners have completed, they should be getting a lot more notoriety. Enter the fine folks at Far North Endurance.<br />
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<a href="http://www.farnorthendurance.com/mount-washington-road-race/">Preparing for Mount Washington (Far North Endurance</a>)Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-72670802398631485152013-04-12T22:02:00.001-04:002013-04-12T22:02:26.505-04:00My summer/fall race schedule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBoWs-6m0pe_hmVUbGgcyPtXXz-BvQtFFPMQFt-XpCQjEXZVwUA4ZcD0hQtkm02MdPjCkShcMjczI8czyvdSb7jG10GBtFv52suDZJyTZWEQs-Qz8zK7T9fwrkLOVZYApTFJaLqJRmcg/s1600/carsLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBoWs-6m0pe_hmVUbGgcyPtXXz-BvQtFFPMQFt-XpCQjEXZVwUA4ZcD0hQtkm02MdPjCkShcMjczI8czyvdSb7jG10GBtFv52suDZJyTZWEQs-Qz8zK7T9fwrkLOVZYApTFJaLqJRmcg/s320/carsLogo.jpg" width="320" /></a>Unlike <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2012/04/my-race-schedule-for-summer.html">last year</a>, I'm mainly staying off the trails this year. Last year, I did the Western New Hampshire Trail Series. While I loved the races, they were quite a distance away. I was frequently traveling one or two hours to get to a race, and by the time I got home, I had blown most of my Saturday.<br />
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Not the case this year. I'm doing the <a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/">Capital Area Race Series</a> (CARS), which is a series of seven races around the Concord, NH area (where I live). Some of the races are as close as 15 minutes away, and the farthest one is 30 minutes away. I'll finish the race and still be home by 11--just how I like it. Plus, I get to run it with my girlfriend a bunch of friends, which is fun. The races are usually only 5K's, so a lot less effort is required than the trail runs last year.<br />
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I've also added a couple of races outside of the CARS series, only one of which is overly ridiculous. And I added a half marathon, so that's at least something with a little bit of distance to get my training going.<br />
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<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/Pages/Gilmanton5KRoadRace.aspx">Gilmanton 5K road race</a> (March 30)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/Pages/SEA5KRoadRaceandFitnessWalk.aspx">SEA 5K road race</a> (April 6)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/Pages/NHTIDeltaDental5KRoadRace.aspx">NHTI Delta Dental road race</a> (April 19)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/Pages/GrapponeAutomotivesCanterburyShakerVillageXC5k.aspx">Canterbury Shaker Village XC 5K</a> (May 11)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.harpoon5miler.com/">Harpoon 5-miler</a> (May 19)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/Pages/OvertheRiverandThroughtheWoodsRunfortheAnimals.aspx">Over the River and Through the Woods</a> (June 1)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2013/03/running-up-mountain-literally.html">Mt. Washington Road Race</a> (June 15)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/Pages/BillLuti5Miler.aspx">Bill Luti 5-miler</a> (July 20)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/Pages/CanterburyWoodchuck.aspx">Canterbury Woodchuck Classic 5K</a> (July 27)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.elijahsrace.com/">Covered Bridges Half-Marathon</a> (September 1)</li>
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I'm definitely happy to be staying closer to home and that I'm getting at least one crazy race in (the 7.5 mile run up a mountain). I think I'm going to pick the bike up a bit more this year, especially if I can coax some people to join me.</div>
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And away we go!</div>
Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-26361514674015083152013-03-21T19:15:00.001-04:002013-03-21T19:15:52.913-04:00Running up a mountain (literally)Well, if I was looking for motivation to kick my training up several notches, I found it. I am running up Mount Washington in June. For fun. Really.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNunJZZdp91HNSZwX3C7dssPJSr0dfSVSK7wbrujyYuBARrDw8xd0vTssPFUqP941kzH3IGnkNMq6zyQbarviVWRD9H7z1Tlc9syuFGYEflbMlTMhWB6MU679Eu79pqa0ux9whtUgBInk/s1600/mwrr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNunJZZdp91HNSZwX3C7dssPJSr0dfSVSK7wbrujyYuBARrDw8xd0vTssPFUqP941kzH3IGnkNMq6zyQbarviVWRD9H7z1Tlc9syuFGYEflbMlTMhWB6MU679Eu79pqa0ux9whtUgBInk/s1600/mwrr.jpg" /></a>The organizers bill this as the race with only one hill. Ha, I get it. I see what you did there. It is only one hill, but that hill is a 7.6 mile run up a mountain with a 10-13% incline the whole way. The course rises 4,650 feet from start to finish.<br />
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For years, I've actually wanted to run this race. Really. The <a href="http://www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com/">Mount Washington Road Race</a> is supposed to be the race to do, whether it's just to say that you did it or because you want to win it. I fall into the former category and definitely into the category of just finish it so you can say you did it and you never have to do it again.<br />
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In years past, I have signed up for the lottery only to be turned away. But not this year. I'm running with a number of people from <a href="http://www.farnorthendurance.com/">Far North</a>, which is a thrill because they are some serious runners and all around awesome people.<br />
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If I sound a little concerned, I am. I've got three months and bunch of hill work in my future, and I'm hoping that I can make it happen. I don't want to DNF and I'm feeling somewhat confident that I can at least do 15-minute miles, which means that I'll finish in around 1:45. I actually just want to finish it before the time limit of (oddly) 3 hours and 2 minutes.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-49232434661841176872012-12-03T07:00:00.000-05:002012-12-03T10:52:49.630-05:00Injuries only in my headI have recently started to feel aches and pains when I know that I have to go out for a run.<br />
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Sometimes I feel the pains when I wake up at 5:30 am to go for a cold run in a New Hampshire winter. Sometimes I feel the pains the night before when I decide when to set my alarm. Sometimes I feel the pains after I've decided not to run because of the pain. Those post-non-run pains allow me to justify not having run earlier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWitaewfUeNg9dlYuVg4FwbFchH5OJXSendM4eulC9WJkA7S2D-ShOWUSl0eUZCdPFTtXPwE25cUaYujuyyTopZdFT04mQ81k9uTjNnzEoBe69EXaNdy-gR1xPlVvL_1Z2YRwCJJkfmGA/s1600/psychosomatic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWitaewfUeNg9dlYuVg4FwbFchH5OJXSendM4eulC9WJkA7S2D-ShOWUSl0eUZCdPFTtXPwE25cUaYujuyyTopZdFT04mQ81k9uTjNnzEoBe69EXaNdy-gR1xPlVvL_1Z2YRwCJJkfmGA/s200/psychosomatic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The crazy thing is that I know that the pain isn't real, or at least I'm 99% sure that it's not real. They're knee and foot pains and sometimes they even amplify into limps and aches during the day.<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure the pains aren't real because when I finally push myself to get out and run, I feel totally fine. The foot, knee, and back pain is gone. Or, more correctly, they were never there to begin with.<br />
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It's a phenomenon known as <a href="http://stress.about.com/od/stressmanagementglossary/g/psychosomatic.htm">psychosomatic injuries</a>. In other words, though my injuries or aches feel very real physically, they're caused by my brain creating them or making them worse.<br />
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I've been running for the last 7 years or so. I think what's happening is that running is becoming a chore for me. I know that it's the quickest and most efficient way to burn calories and it doesn't require me going to the gym. So, at least in the last year, that's why I've been running. I've been running not because I love it as much as I used to, but because it's the easiest way to burn calories.<br />
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But this isn't the first time this has happened to me. I've been able to get out of it by trying to stay out of my head. I've tried to make some games out of running (hence the run from Philadelphia to Los Angeles over 3 years), and all of those things seem to have worked. So, now, I just have to do it again.<br />
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And until I'm feeling like I can run and never stop, I'll still get myself out the door and put one foot in front of the other. That's how I started and that's how I'll keep going.<br />
<br />Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-77508071838372718122012-11-11T12:49:00.000-05:002012-11-11T12:49:02.490-05:00Race Report: Rails to Entrails 5KI ran the Rails to Entrails 5K on October 21 in New Boston, NH. New Boston is a sleepy little suburb of Manchester, so it took us just under an hour to get there on a somewhat temperate Sunday morning.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUZ-IrHMf5ZRki1E799xCRP-QBWtZdUArxk_Tjdpud6eIQl9u-P9B8VUvtQX60FXjbFxqu8i0kCLXmGbbHC6N-Pa5uoNIeTwnEctwXS8QO-gaZACAztPSGgTub6lhwo9W5ThvnODN_l8/s1600/2012-10-21+15.41.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUZ-IrHMf5ZRki1E799xCRP-QBWtZdUArxk_Tjdpud6eIQl9u-P9B8VUvtQX60FXjbFxqu8i0kCLXmGbbHC6N-Pa5uoNIeTwnEctwXS8QO-gaZACAztPSGgTub6lhwo9W5ThvnODN_l8/s200/2012-10-21+15.41.47.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm in the grey shirt and blue shorts.</td></tr>
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This was the first year that they had this race. It was designed to raise money for the rail trail in the town, and so that we could also experience the trail itself. Let me tell you: this was a serious workout for a 5K!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-92Qt4jJbqCUmBANW_rpj1RtGLIE941EXesVYU7Feq6WXDuHzqvM5_7MD9Em6NhjJLky54O1JNCysLNtwLHxEJNPEZWkLpnIkmLDVjdcGJSWfUcUXk1Ti2t30tBN97L_-zX4GhpG3Jp8/s1600/2012-10-21+15.42.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-92Qt4jJbqCUmBANW_rpj1RtGLIE941EXesVYU7Feq6WXDuHzqvM5_7MD9Em6NhjJLky54O1JNCysLNtwLHxEJNPEZWkLpnIkmLDVjdcGJSWfUcUXk1Ti2t30tBN97L_-zX4GhpG3Jp8/s200/2012-10-21+15.42.12.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
There were several heats going every half hour until the afternoon. The runners (or "fresh meat") were given three flags (think flag football) to wear and for the zombies to try to grab as you ran by them. And a lot of those zombies took their job very seriously. If you lost all three of your flags, you were undead and could continue through the course.<br />
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There were a lot of obstacles through the course. There were sand mounds to climb and descend. There were tires to run through and metal tubes to crawl through. The course was also extremely muddy. Intentionally so. There were several parts where there was no other way to get by than to go through a ton of mud.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq_Q89rynG6jLzh9P7sNlbLGi9j4W75lVpgL-9SGCsnkxm5ggGg6WsCmeStIUy9n446EmBygmT2qKMQUCGuQv9iHXmMLsjIqqB2x2WSsrgL5R2psWYBuhUD3c2xArju5z3ijNMPhSu_g/s1600/thruMud.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq_Q89rynG6jLzh9P7sNlbLGi9j4W75lVpgL-9SGCsnkxm5ggGg6WsCmeStIUy9n446EmBygmT2qKMQUCGuQv9iHXmMLsjIqqB2x2WSsrgL5R2psWYBuhUD3c2xArju5z3ijNMPhSu_g/s200/thruMud.JPG" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just escaped a zombie's grasp.</td></tr>
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There were also some serious hills. There first mile or so was mostly flat with a little uphill here and there. But miles 2 and 3 were almost completely uphill. And this wasn't one of those uphills where you slow your run down. This was essentially a hike up the hill.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCROMZ9H8_Artfh7CuZY0C7T0NG-yCitw62zbghipvjOFaTu3imYjPcx8eaX4q2QnyZNgrMC8bcknaSdvPUCibNdQKP_yKGdA0GkBBKk6FAAd36QbGSgJ5AFaUtAmF0X9w4m6aaESVyE/s1600/2012-10-21+15.42.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCROMZ9H8_Artfh7CuZY0C7T0NG-yCitw62zbghipvjOFaTu3imYjPcx8eaX4q2QnyZNgrMC8bcknaSdvPUCibNdQKP_yKGdA0GkBBKk6FAAd36QbGSgJ5AFaUtAmF0X9w4m6aaESVyE/s200/2012-10-21+15.42.16.jpg" width="200" /></a>A 5K isn't a long distance and certainly isn't one that I have difficult doing. But, I never anticipated how winded I could get from having to sprint and slow down so many times in order to avoid the zombies. I guess it's not all that different from the fartleks that people do when they're training.<br />
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The obstacles required a bit of energy, too, so I was quite tired when I finally finished the race. I was far from speedy (47:51 -- a 15:24/mile pace), but that was OK because I had a lot of fun and I got a good workout.<br />
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I'm not sure that I would run this again. I don't tend to get into the obstacle races or getting super muddy when I run. I'm not sure if that makes me more of a purist, but it certainly makes me cleaner by the end.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6jva7lwuMGjM0dUCFXVZ8t-eMEA4tEn4NbXI0b4cSYXLEMX4v-1ydEYexjBzL5eZYSMTFWJUsHwMwnNIfm8SgPXunY5AsUNkwalH7JL8rQGcKVBtcd7JXS9bsjv74Pat1b-FsJp3KzE/s1600/downSlide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6jva7lwuMGjM0dUCFXVZ8t-eMEA4tEn4NbXI0b4cSYXLEMX4v-1ydEYexjBzL5eZYSMTFWJUsHwMwnNIfm8SgPXunY5AsUNkwalH7JL8rQGcKVBtcd7JXS9bsjv74Pat1b-FsJp3KzE/s320/downSlide.JPG" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final slide to the end</td></tr>
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Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-15611625025966868812012-10-01T07:00:00.000-04:002012-10-01T07:00:09.891-04:00Race Report: Lost A Lot Trail Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9D8BMSQ_2eg4UNCmT5xV6RTD7IosolsOHkzBZJncT757O7Yope3A2AuIgmdziInic-2U-ircSP-vKuZdjojUqMtg-wj3HA-xE1SQnY0PpxmkJmjAhTWhF9YLmpXCgWaFz-gVth7Zy1gU/s1600/wnhts.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9D8BMSQ_2eg4UNCmT5xV6RTD7IosolsOHkzBZJncT757O7Yope3A2AuIgmdziInic-2U-ircSP-vKuZdjojUqMtg-wj3HA-xE1SQnY0PpxmkJmjAhTWhF9YLmpXCgWaFz-gVth7Zy1gU/s1600/wnhts.gif" /></a></div>
I ran the <a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=24">Lost a Lot Trail Race</a> (the final in the Western NH Trail Running Series) on September 22. Let me tell you: this was seriously technical. It wasn't as bad as the Exeter Trail Race, but it was still quite tough.<br />
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About 80 of us (a pretty standard number in this series) gathered on a gravel road close to the start. There was the standard pre-race announcements, and the race director simply said "GO!" and we were off.<br />
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The course is designed to be 7 miles, which is the longest of the trail series. They all it "Lost a Lot" partly because the trail head is called "Boston Lot," but it was also because the course was seriously tricky. The race director had put about 200 arrows around the course to lessen the likelihood that we'd get lost.<br />
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This course is fairly unique in that once you start to get going, the trail marks a very sharp left or right turn. So, it was never all that easy to speed up. That turned out not to be a problem because there were a TON of roots and rocks and branches all throughout the course. I tripped a half dozen times, but I never fell. I did, however, turn both ankles a couple times. One was so severe that I thought I had torn something. Thankfully just a little residual soreness the next day and not swollen at all (he says, wiping his brow).<br />
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Though the race director said that there weren't many hills, there sure seemed to be a lot to me. The total gain of 900 feet that he quoted didn't seem anywhere close to right--it felt like at least double that!<br />
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I kept a moderate pace throughout the race. Because the majority of the track was single track, it wasn't easy to pass people. I blew by a few people at the beginning and a few more near the middle. I think I only had one or two people pass me throughout the race, but that may be a factor of my back-of-the-pack start more than any sort of speed.<br />
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Mile 5 to 6 was a full uphill hike. I tried to run from time to time up that hill, but didn't end up being all that successful. Mile 6 to the end was almost a complete downhill. The race ended up being 7.25 miles. I ended up finishing in a rather plodding 1:39:58 (still in top 25%).<br />
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All in all, it was a tough race, but a beautiful course. If I do the trail series again next year (which I expect to do), I'll definitely plan to do this race again.<br />
<br />Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-91466450232301890442012-09-23T13:18:00.001-04:002012-09-23T13:18:28.088-04:00Race Report: Farnum Five.5The <a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=23">Farnum Five.5</a> is the second to last race in the <a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/">Western NH Trail Running Series</a>. We ran through a beautiful set of trails in Lebanon, NH. We were told that the locals were unhappy that we had this race because now people will know about the trails. From what my friends said, they can go for a long run on these trails and never see another person.<br />
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This course was wide open with lots of open path and very little single track running. About 50 people, most of who were local and did this trail as part of a normal run, joined me for what was one of the best runs of the series.<br />
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The course itself was somewhat hilly, with an incredibly nasty hill as you start the second mile. It was one of those hills that only the elite of the elite run and that meant only a few people on the course. I believe it was at least a 500-foot climb, which isn't exactly welcomed that early in the race.<br />
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Overall, the course was extremely well maintained. It was one of the least technical of the entire series (meaning less rocks, roots, etc.). It was well marked and it tended to move fairly quickly. I'd definitely do this race again next year.<br />
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I was far from blazing through the course at a final time of 1:08:17, but I stayed in a 12-13 minute/mile pace, which is acceptable to me for these types of races. I'm never sure-footed enough to blaze through these types of courses.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-89548199783785994412012-07-09T08:00:00.000-04:002012-07-09T08:00:08.661-04:00Race Report: All Out Trail RunUnlike the <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2012/07/race-report-exeter-trail-race.html">Exeter trail race</a>, this was so much better. This race is the first one in a series of the <a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/">Western New Hampshire Trail Series</a>. If the rest of these races is anything like this one, I'm sold.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9D8BMSQ_2eg4UNCmT5xV6RTD7IosolsOHkzBZJncT757O7Yope3A2AuIgmdziInic-2U-ircSP-vKuZdjojUqMtg-wj3HA-xE1SQnY0PpxmkJmjAhTWhF9YLmpXCgWaFz-gVth7Zy1gU/s1600/wnhts.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9D8BMSQ_2eg4UNCmT5xV6RTD7IosolsOHkzBZJncT757O7Yope3A2AuIgmdziInic-2U-ircSP-vKuZdjojUqMtg-wj3HA-xE1SQnY0PpxmkJmjAhTWhF9YLmpXCgWaFz-gVth7Zy1gU/s1600/wnhts.gif" /></a></div>
I originally decided to do the series because it gave me a chance to see parts of New Hampshire that I hadn't seen before. I have lived here for 5 years now (wow!), but I really haven't ventured out as much as I should have. This series gave me a great excuse.<br />
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With the series, you pay one price for all of the races and then you can go to as many as you want. There are a few that I won't be doing due to my schedule or because the races are too "technical" or I've done them before and hated them. At any rate, I'm doing five or so of the series and I'm really enjoying myself.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=21">All Out Trail Race</a> was in Claremont, very close to the Vermont border. I had to navigate through some very small, but pretty, towns on the way there. It took me almost 90 minutes from my house, but I made it with plenty of time to spare.<br />
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I took my fuel belt, and I was really glad that I did because there was no water on the course. The race is billed as a 5-mile trail run. I met friends there who had done the previous race and they said that the course was nowhere as technical as Exeter. Thank goodness.<br />
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A crowd of 50-75 people gathered and there were brief race announcements, and then we were off. We circled the parking lot and then headed into the woods. This was a somewhat technical course, but no rocks and considerably fewer roots. It was also much better marked with arrows on the ground and a few feet up on trees. I was never concerned that I was going to get lost during the course.<br />
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I spent a lot of the time behind a few people and I tended to run when they ran and walk when they did. It helped me to make sure that I wasn't getting lost and it kept me on a decent pace. I knew again that I wasn't going to have the speed of a road race, but I was pretty happy with how it was going.<br />
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There were a couple serious hills and there was one long mile-length hill at the end of the course. It was a gradual hill, but still a gradual hill that's a mile long at the end is never all that gradual to me. I finished and was happy to have completed the race within an hour.<br />
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I finished the race with a dead sprint with one of the women I was running with. As we got to the last turn, I asked if she wanted to sprint in. She agreed and we took off. I'm happy to say that I won that little sprint, but I think it's a good indicator to me that I left something on the course. Oh well.<br />
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The awards ceremony and raffle was cool. They were giving away breakfast sausage and bacon as prizes, and the race director was a lot of fun and super laid back. It was great to see a good small town race. I'll definitely be back and am looking forward to the next race in the series, the <a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=27">Wild Cat Wander</a>.<br />
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<b>Totals</b>:<br />
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Distance: 5.08 miles<br />
Time: 1:01:06<br />
Pace: 12:02/mile<br />
Calories burned: 693Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-49252220511600867472012-07-04T15:27:00.003-04:002012-07-04T15:27:40.267-04:00Race Report: Exeter Trail Race<i>I remain quite behind in my race reports. I actually ran this race on June 10, 2012</i>.<br />
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In summary: woah. I was unbelievably exhausted and lucky not to have gotten hurt. (<a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2007/08/shoulder-injury.html">Unlike this time</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVxDqZnBGMP_mM6O5af1wBe-vDGox29qyEgVXFw62uB3qwFrrFhOJz3ZQgHCqvwAVBXs-BienEUOBOewRDztDVegZ_0F3OytcqbqWKF_h23c5VVXNtx4pQi681wilP9slEPntXF6QMDU/s1600/exeterTrailRace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVxDqZnBGMP_mM6O5af1wBe-vDGox29qyEgVXFw62uB3qwFrrFhOJz3ZQgHCqvwAVBXs-BienEUOBOewRDztDVegZ_0F3OytcqbqWKF_h23c5VVXNtx4pQi681wilP9slEPntXF6QMDU/s320/exeterTrailRace.jpg" width="320" /></a>It's the most tired that I've been since my first marathon. That may be a function of my current fitness level or a function of the craziness of the course or both. I'd suggest both.<br />
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When I got back into my training this year, I started to up my mileage so that I was in the 10-mile range. I had completed a couple 10-mile runs in the dead heat, so I knew that I could do the distance (again--in the past, this wasn't an issue... ugh.).<br />
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There were two options for the <a href="http://www.acidoticracing.com/ExeterTrailRaces.html">Exeter trail race</a>: a 4.5-mile and a 10-mile race. Since my mileage has been <i>somewhat </i>decent of late, I wanted to do the 10-mile race. Besides, it was the same price, so why not get my money's worth out of it, right? Right?<br />
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Well, not really. The race was well attended with about 100 participants, a lot of whom were on the <a href="http://www.acidoticracing.com/index.html">Acidotic Racing</a> team. That should have clued me in that this was no normal race. In the description, they said that this was a very "technical" course. I now know what that means.<br />
<br />
We started and quickly got into a fast single file line into the woods. We were immediately dodging roots and rocks and trees, and not even 5 minutes into it, I knew this was going to be a nutty race. The pack thinned out pretty quickly, but I was still having a bit of a difficult time.<br />
<br />
I don't train on trails, so I'm not used to only being able to look down when I train. There aren't many big rocks on the sidewalks that I run on, so this was a new challenge. I found that I spent the entire race looking down to make sure that I didn't trip and then stopping from time to time to see if I could figure out where the heck I was going.<br />
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The trail wasn't decently marked in that there were a lot of markings. It was poorly marked in that most of the markings were pink flags at eye level. Or rather, it would be eye level if you were looking up. Eye level for me was the ground.<br />
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I knew that my pace would be slower for this, but I had no idea how slow it would be. I took my Garmin watch to give me an idea of where I was. I thought that it wouldn't be anywhere close to accurate since 99% of the race was in the woods. When I saw that I was only at 4 miles, I thought that the GPS had to be wrong and that I was certainly much farther. After all, it had almost been an hour. It turns out that my watch was incredibly accurate.<br />
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The race was filled with lots of hills and quite a bit more walking than I'd prefer. Some of the walking was to give myself a break. Other times I was walking because the course was too treacherous to safely navigate on the run. I wanted to live to see another race, and I wasn't about to take any more risks that I had to.<br />
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For the most part, I didn't have too many issues with the roots and rocks and trees. I was extremely careful (probably more careful than most). I did however hit my right foot on a rock so hard that I thought I broke my toe. I stopped and made sure that I could move it. Thankfully I could and I soldiered on.<br />
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After 2 hours, I was finally at the finish. I was exhausted, but very happy to have it over. Because of the course, I don't think that I'd do this race again. I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected, and I don't think that I could responsibly race it without putting myself at risk for an injury. Other trail races have been much better, so I think I'll still with less "technical" courses.<br />
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<b>Totals</b>:<br />
Miles: 10<br />
Time: 2:12:13<br />
Pace: 13:42/mile<br />
Calories burned: 1,212Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-62012568202819264442012-06-17T11:33:00.000-04:002012-06-17T11:33:05.472-04:00Race Report: Harpoon 5-miler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjp8UYohV-J3BVWu2vGgEhqlhO8EuRSEMH8W49w2n3WmFH5IDpkiJNdBJ8HWUBsBeiqZtd8f__3JapEmpwqrXSJfu2p5VI7w4cy-md3AcOSivAevucREOCPdNxNdwDIgcNswtNAa-QtdE/s1600/harpoon5miler.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjp8UYohV-J3BVWu2vGgEhqlhO8EuRSEMH8W49w2n3WmFH5IDpkiJNdBJ8HWUBsBeiqZtd8f__3JapEmpwqrXSJfu2p5VI7w4cy-md3AcOSivAevucREOCPdNxNdwDIgcNswtNAa-QtdE/s200/harpoon5miler.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
I'm now a bit behind on race reports, but I guess better late than never. I ran the Harpoon 5-miler in Boston on May 20. In years past, they did a first-come-first-served to sign up for the race. It was so popular that the race filled up in the first 20 minutes it was open.<br />
<br />
So they've finally gone to a lottery system. I got in last year but couldn't make it due to a scheduling conflict. This year I both made it and could run the race.<br />
<br />
When I first got there, the place was absolutely mobbed (though I had no idea how mobbed it was going to be later after the race). We had to show our IDs just to get into the festival to get our numbers. It was well organized, but still really nutty with the number of people around. I wisely decided to park close to the brewery so that I could drop stuff off pre-race.<br />
<br />
After all that, the race starts and ends at the Harpoon Brewery in the seaport area of Boston. They had a huge turnout again this year. The run itself was reasonably easy. Slight hills here and there, but it was generally just a tour around the seaport area of the town. We went through a couple parks and spent a lot of the run in the sun.<br />
<br />
There wasn't a single part of the race where people thinned out. I guess that's the way that it is with these shorter race. I kept around a 9-minute pace and finished just under 45 minutes. It was just a fun run for me--more training than anything else--and it gave me a good reason to get into Boston (only an hour drive for me).<br />
<br />
After the race, that's when the fun began. There was a HUGE spread of food (including bratwurst, pizza, pasta, etc.) and we each got 3 tickets for beer. I guess Harpoon was looking to make it either a calorie neutral or calorie deficient (depending on how you look at it) race. It was a mob scene afterward because it wasn't just the racers trying to get beer, but also the spectators and people who came just to hang out and have a beer.<br />
<br />
I got out of there in a decent time. Very good race. Very well run. Would try it again next year, if I can get in...Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-51267660333591975962012-04-15T15:54:00.001-04:002012-04-15T15:58:29.520-04:00My race schedule for the summerThe title of this post could very well be, "I don't know why I go to extremes" (with all apologies to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xgjtm4_M20&ob=av2e">Billy Joel</a>).<br />
<br />
Well, I guess there's something to be said for not starting small. I knew that I was getting back into race season, and, well, now I have 8 races scheduled. You'd think that it would make sense to start out slowly and work my way up to a few races. You'd be wrong. With few exceptions, I'm going the trail racing route this summer, and I absolutely can't wait.<br />
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<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW5ENQ0LUmdHMgMCX6XhJum7dusrp8-nFIsv3PS4Xy5l4q30N0R5KGsXs0UJkEP4sZFLx63ZQ1ju2ajkat5AZ4px9GDsH4Pc5r7Py_ocWJcF6FbwbWX47st7qKzhi51Nx8qGaVH1_EGA/s1600/trailRunning.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW5ENQ0LUmdHMgMCX6XhJum7dusrp8-nFIsv3PS4Xy5l4q30N0R5KGsXs0UJkEP4sZFLx63ZQ1ju2ajkat5AZ4px9GDsH4Pc5r7Py_ocWJcF6FbwbWX47st7qKzhi51Nx8qGaVH1_EGA/s1600/trailRunning.gif" /></a></div>
<div>
I signed up for the <a href="http://wnhtrs.com/">Western NH Trail Series</a> which is only $85 for the entire series. I'll run with some friends and I'll get to see parts of New Hampshire that I never have before.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
From that series:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=21">All Out Trail Run</a> (6/23)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=27">Wicked Wildcat Wander</a> (7/7)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=26">Frenzy in the Forest</a> (7/21)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=23">Farnum Five.5</a> (9/15)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wnhtrs.com/index.php?nav=24">Lost a Lot Trail Race</a> (9/22)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
I'm also doing the <a href="http://www.acidoticracing.com/ExeterTrailRaces.html">Exeter Trail Series</a> (a 10-mile trail run) on 6/10, and the <a href="http://www.catamounttrail.org/news/the-north-face-race-to-the-top-of-vermont/">Race to the Top of Vermont</a> on 8/26. Oh, and I'm doing the <a href="http://www.harpoon5miler.com/">Harpoon 5-miler</a> on 5/20.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's going to be a full summer, but I'm ready to be racing again. I even did a nice little 6-mile trail run yesterday just slightly north of me. Six miles is longer than I have been running, but I seemed to do OK with it. I even managed to do a quick bike ride this morning because the weather is so gorgeous.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here we go!</div>Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-38661610796409978742012-03-30T18:21:00.000-04:002012-03-30T18:21:05.483-04:00Enjoying the beginning of race seasonAs you well know, motivation has been a bit of a struggle for me. Despite the extremely mild winter in New England (snow-wise), I ended up doing a lot of indoor riding on the trainer, and very little outdoor running. I'm happy to report that we've had nicer temperatures and that's gotten me out in the great outdoors.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxEYHeCJXVfL1Uy65fJo9rHFEH_6cxfcCcIR30nx76KgK2A4roKaT5QQ-Uzd-Ul5FT6zOkyst2a6u4UcOmO4WlSRhgy8h-1v80KRraSAvMVNHW8BADM5WgrC7qjkaIU-BJk0cHIYlX9k/s1600/shamrockshuffle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxEYHeCJXVfL1Uy65fJo9rHFEH_6cxfcCcIR30nx76KgK2A4roKaT5QQ-Uzd-Ul5FT6zOkyst2a6u4UcOmO4WlSRhgy8h-1v80KRraSAvMVNHW8BADM5WgrC7qjkaIU-BJk0cHIYlX9k/s200/shamrockshuffle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I also did what I haven't done for 2 1/2 years: I entered a race. I ran in the Shamrock Shuffle in Manchester, NH. It was an extraordinarily short race of just 2 miles, but it was a race nonetheless. It required me to be somewhere at a certain time, put on a race number, stand around in a huge group waiting for the start, and then actually running.<br />
<br />
It felt great.<br />
<br />
When you don't race, you forget about how good it feels to complete a race, even if you run regularly. And it did feel good. Mind you, I ran with a friend and didn't push myself. I easily finished the 2 miles in about 18 minutes. No land speed record by any account, but it was easy, and it reminded me that it wasn't a big deal.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow, I'm doing the <a href="http://www.capitalarearaceseries.com/Pages/Gilmanton5KRoadRace.aspx">Gilmanton 5K</a>. It's supposedly quite hilly, but I'm not all that concerned. As I was driving home, I just thought to myself: "Self: this is 3 miles. I can do this easily." That's a good feeling to feel that level of confidence, even if it's for something as short and achievable as 3.1 miles. I like what the feeling of race season is doing for me, and it's getting me motivated to increase the distance and the frequency.<br />
<br />
I've needed this.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-52658858211150089862011-11-13T14:08:00.001-05:002011-11-13T14:22:04.008-05:00Maintenance, motivation and a whole lot of mehIt's been 7 months since my last post (why does this sound like the beginning to a confession?). Between May and November, I'd love to tell you that there's been a bunch of news that I have needed to share, but just haven't had the time.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5XOqyUTalIzVP-EZPlF2dMAmu-Ubv1C2NXplv1yxZc51a5iTefsDygIK93bETxP4jYoPjIjoOhhRztrx0aWtIesQ0DojKLOPwSWI5Ve8YvDbUU8ZEdt83R49E7xVZQ5wOyWKKkLh6Vw/s1600/meh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5XOqyUTalIzVP-EZPlF2dMAmu-Ubv1C2NXplv1yxZc51a5iTefsDygIK93bETxP4jYoPjIjoOhhRztrx0aWtIesQ0DojKLOPwSWI5Ve8YvDbUU8ZEdt83R49E7xVZQ5wOyWKKkLh6Vw/s200/meh.jpg" width="200" /></a>The truth is, though, there's just not a lot of news to share. My job continues to be great and I love doing what I'm doing every day. Making the career change to lawyerhood has been incredibly fulfilling and fun, and I'm not looking back, even for a second.<br />
<br />
As for fitness, what's the opposite for progress? No, not Congress, despite the old joke. Regress. And that's what's been happening to my training. While I did go for a couple of longer 40+ mile bike rides over the summer, my training has trailed off significantly, and so has my mileage.<br />
<br />
When I was in law school, I was routinely running no less than 4 miles in the morning before class. Now, I'm running not much more (if any more) than 2 miles. So I'm putting in about 8-12 miles a week on the roads. Am I upset about it? Meh. Not really.<br />
<br />
I had tentatively planned to do a half-marathon in November with a friend of mine, but we just couldn't coordinate it and it never ended up happening. Meh, whatever.<br />
<br />
We're about to start another ugly New England winter. I've trained over the winter for a spring marathon, and I vowed never to do that again. Trudging through the snow and ice on the poorly-maintained roads is no way to train.<br />
<br />
But I know that I need to have some sort of goal out there. I'm not sure if a full marathon is for me, but if it is, I'd probably keep it local. There are two marathons in New Hampshire: the <a href="http://www.nhmarathon.com/">New Hampshire marathon</a> in Bristol, and the <a href="http://cityofmanchestermarathon.com/">City of Manchester Marathon</a> in, well, Manchester.<br />
<br />
Both of them are in the fall, so there's plenty of time for me to procrastinate, hem and haw about doing them, and then do a bunch of last minute training. I'm not positive I'll do another full, but if I do, I'll stay local to get there and back pretty quickly. If it doesn't happen, you got it: meh.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-12000806171082139872011-05-08T21:21:00.001-04:002011-05-08T21:22:17.208-04:00From 0-60 (miles)Not more than a few days ago, I talked about what I needed to do to <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2011/04/for-every-job-that-must-be-done.html">make exercise fun again</a>. Ask, and ye shall receive. Last Monday, I went on my first group bike ride with <a href="http://www.granitestatewheelmen.org/">Granite State Wheelmen</a>. Let me just tell you: I'm now addicted.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNr3iXhESK4ZKFx0G4nG_xBicsLlqLe-2UwdeqVZZc3AOtuQyLwNwjPw0F7g2RIe9faVPuU7OSdCFEohsPL4ciVMLH_WsS89uD-phZZRU85y9lzbg5Yaaj5_q6ja4H3yrLIS6onAP6PY/s1600/0-60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNr3iXhESK4ZKFx0G4nG_xBicsLlqLe-2UwdeqVZZc3AOtuQyLwNwjPw0F7g2RIe9faVPuU7OSdCFEohsPL4ciVMLH_WsS89uD-phZZRU85y9lzbg5Yaaj5_q6ja4H3yrLIS6onAP6PY/s200/0-60.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>There were only a few people at the meetup, which was only a mile and a half from my house. I got out of work at a decent time and got over there a little early. I rode with one guy while the two others took a slower pace. It was so fun to ride with someone else and have a little camaraderie again. He even told me about the <a href="http://www.granitestatewheelmen.org/Weekend/Icentury.htm">International Century ride</a> into Canada in July. I think I'll have to make that happen.<br />
<br />
The day before, I decided to do an easy 30-miler which my muscles forgot was supposed to be easy. I did it in about 1 hour, 40 minutes, which was a decent time. That next day I did another 28-mile ride to put me around 60 miles over two days.<br />
<br />
So there you have it. I go from trying to find some fun in my works out doing 60 miles over two days. I did another 25 miles today at a decent pace. With any luck, I'll get out of work early enough tomorrow to make it another 30 miles.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-31465448607412369672011-04-24T15:10:00.000-04:002011-04-24T15:10:04.123-04:00For every job that must be done...I realize that it's been more than 2 months since my last post. I say that and it sounds like I'm going to confession. Forgive me running shoes, for I haven't run. It's been 5 days since my last run.<br />
<br />
Work has kept me busy and the winter was brutally harsh, but spring has sprung. I'm starting to get outside in the mornings and in the evenings. Seeing the sun in the morning and afternoons has given me a renewed sense of purpose.<br />
<br />
I've been biking a bit outside, but not nearly enough at this point. That's what I've really loved doing. I'm also going to join the <a href="http://www.granitestatewheelmen.org/">Granite Street Wheelmen</a>, a local bike group which has rides in the evenings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMELyz5JGyiLGD7VWk54abmMDH_NzJIgCvn5oZgTSY-85shE0UOM4urnSPH63h0qhCJLP0ggtRDDgBIhCryCke6QiTp3vOTAgjSYD7xQfruPcIpt11x5X9cSO-Ag9Qwv5Ig84GA7z_Z3A/s1600/maryPoppins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMELyz5JGyiLGD7VWk54abmMDH_NzJIgCvn5oZgTSY-85shE0UOM4urnSPH63h0qhCJLP0ggtRDDgBIhCryCke6QiTp3vOTAgjSYD7xQfruPcIpt11x5X9cSO-Ag9Qwv5Ig84GA7z_Z3A/s200/maryPoppins.jpg" width="200" /></a>I'm still not training for anything, but, depending on my luck, I may have no choice. I signed up for the lottery for the <a href="http://www.nycmarathon.org/">New York City Marathon</a>. I'll find out later this week if I got in (unlikely). If so, then my training has to really kick into gear. That will mean a very active summer, which is probably better for my heart and waistline, anyway.<br />
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In some ways, I'm dreading the idea of running another marathon and going through a summer of training. I mean, well, marathon training is long and can be painful, and for me, it can be extraordinarily boring. But if that's what it is, then that's what it is.<br />
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As for the running, well, the title of this post describes my outlook. Mary Poppins said it best: "For every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap, the job's a game."<br />
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To be fair, she also said "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," so I'm not going with all of her words of wisdom.<br />
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But I have been doing <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2008/08/stopping-postmans-syndrome.html">fartleks</a> and intervals, sprinting from tree to tree to try to make things enjoyable. I'm determined to make a game out of it, even if it kills me. Maybe I should just hum "Chim Chimminy Chimminy Chim Chim Chiree" as I bound down the streets. It worked for Dick Van Dyke.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-26852974661837301912011-02-08T10:57:00.001-05:002011-02-08T10:57:09.056-05:00My new trainer<div><p>Our New England winter has been a bit more brutal than usual and the snow fall has been significant. That, and my recent lack of interest in running, has led me to get a trainer--a bike trainer.</p>
<p>I've really been enjoying using the trainer in the morning before I go to work. I can catch up on the news (or more likely SportsCenter) while I get a good workout and work up a good sweat.</p>
<p>I have found only two problems with the trainer. Up until now, I've used my Garmin watch to track my runs/rides. But, while I'm indoors, that won't work, so I'll need to get something new. Second, I've been smelling burning rubber. I've adjusted the tension a bit which has cut down on the smell, but it hasn't completely gone away. Apparently that's a side effect of the trainers.</p>
<p>Either way, I'm happy to have a warm place to workout while I wait for New England to thaw. </p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/_mk8IL-mMr84/TVFn0E_CMoI/AAAAAAAAEcs/k9cSZDqnnks/2011-01-10_21-16-12_568.png' /></div>Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-7000997316013719942010-12-31T17:42:00.000-05:002010-12-31T17:42:49.418-05:00Year in ReviewAs I thought about what I wanted to write this morning, I figured this post would be about the professional/personal accomplishments and about the lack of running/fitness accomplishments. But I decided to calculate my mileage for the year and it wasn't as bad as I thought. All told, I've run 625 miles in 2010. It's not a lot of miles, and it's far from a record for me, but, well, it's much better than I thought.<br />
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There are two fitness accomplishments from this year that are worth reflecting on: making it to Los Angeles and completing a Century ride in one day.<br />
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<b>Making it to Los Angeles</b><br />
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As many of you know, the title of this blog is about my three-year quest to run the distance of Philadelphia, PA to Los Angeles, CA over the three years that I was in law school. I tracked my progress on maps as I "ran" across the country by running wherever I physically happened to be.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadeNp7Jwgf3oTyL33wdWkJfM87m0fUp-LUZGnKzCYmlb1qfVt7WQaXlSHBFjYKglfVdBVLsEQ3FyTtpUIWtsmJNvwhQjHc5kLvOg2T4tw6oX4iYXjqt8xnHze8DmOzlM9CqwXu2qeD1o/s1600/800px-Lax_sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadeNp7Jwgf3oTyL33wdWkJfM87m0fUp-LUZGnKzCYmlb1qfVt7WQaXlSHBFjYKglfVdBVLsEQ3FyTtpUIWtsmJNvwhQjHc5kLvOg2T4tw6oX4iYXjqt8xnHze8DmOzlM9CqwXu2qeD1o/s320/800px-Lax_sign.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
On April 30 of this year, I <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/05/reflections-on-end-of-2736-mile-journey.html">made the final run into Los Angeles</a> (Los Angeles International Airport to be exact). It was a long road of 2,736 miles over the last three years that allowed me to reach my goal. I wanted to complete it before I graduated from law school (more on that later) on May 15 of this year. And I made it by 15 days.<br />
<br />
Running across the country is a goal that I never, ever expected to complete. But knowing that it was out there helped me to stay motivated in some ugly New England winters and hot summers to run all the miles I needed. I ran with some great friends and I couldn't feel any luckier for being able to do it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHqBvM2oP2o9F8j9SPuQ_zVpFqnoR9tFaj3z3GLMkf4tCHF24vqOL2Pnussa_lNBw4nj5Q1NFT1_fs7Wu2cy4CIApIivy8y_Pt-xlCUw2LeXS28ikdvyr_p9hbNS91bNw3euk1bzb34E/s1600/meAtSAGStop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHqBvM2oP2o9F8j9SPuQ_zVpFqnoR9tFaj3z3GLMkf4tCHF24vqOL2Pnussa_lNBw4nj5Q1NFT1_fs7Wu2cy4CIApIivy8y_Pt-xlCUw2LeXS28ikdvyr_p9hbNS91bNw3euk1bzb34E/s320/meAtSAGStop.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<b>Century Ride</b><br />
<br />
I also did a 100-mile bike ride in 2009. It was the Seacoast Century Ride, but we ended up doing it over 2 days (the remaining 18 miles happened on day 2). This year, I completed the full 100 miles in one day, and in just about 5 minutes slow than the combined time for the year before. The ride this year <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/10/tri-state-century-ride-report.html">wasn't without a few problems</a>, but I was thrilled (and incredibly sore) to have completed it in one day.<br />
<br />
<b>What happened next?</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM0dPajiUCOhRZY5NekI3vfuyJZB-qnySsby9-kibhv3kFyYpqxIMcZ0AoFAiPZr1sWbZiCmSuWdQfOQR1YhpV8M0t2ZbkBfDwGxMIjqXTbjtQXg56HCNtS9sXaXPFYoW4eAS9l9GPxc/s1600/graph.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM0dPajiUCOhRZY5NekI3vfuyJZB-qnySsby9-kibhv3kFyYpqxIMcZ0AoFAiPZr1sWbZiCmSuWdQfOQR1YhpV8M0t2ZbkBfDwGxMIjqXTbjtQXg56HCNtS9sXaXPFYoW4eAS9l9GPxc/s320/graph.png" width="320" /></a>Well, as you can see from the graph, once I completed my final run from Philly to LA, my running dropped off significantly. Honestly, the remaining miles to get me to LA were a pain. I wasn't in pain, I just didn't want to run anymore. So finally, when I allowed myself to stop running, I did. And the miles haven't picked back up. Though I averaged just over 12 miles/week for the year, the majority of those miles occurred prior to April 30.<br />
<br />
I also picked up the mileage on my bike a bit. I biked 561 total miles in 2010, which isn't bad considering that I can only bike from late March to mid-September. I've very much enjoyed getting on the bike to break things up a bit. The only problem is that I don't burn nearly as many calories while biking as I do while running.<br />
<br />
<b>Professional/Personal</b><br />
<br />
Beyond fitness, 2010 has really been more about personal accomplishments than about fitness. After three years of law school, I finally graduated and <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/09/hitting-another-milestone.html">passed two bar exams</a>. That makes me eligible to practice law in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts (though I'm inactive in Massachusetts). I also got an awesome job as a criminal defense attorney at the <a href="http://www.nhpd.org/">New Hampshire Public Defenders</a>' program, which I absolutely love.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, after leaving my family and friends, not to mention a very good job, I am in my new career and I'm doing something that I love. It was an unbelievably difficult transition to make for me, but I wake up every morning thankful that I did it. I don't regret making the change, even if my bank account does. I never thought I would be, but I am a believer that sometimes you have to make the unprofitable decision to do what you want and need to do. It's not a philosophy that I've really ever bought into before, and I can't buy into it very often again, but I believe it. I am truly happy where I am doing what I'm doing.<br />
<br />
So Happy New Year, everyone. I can't wait to see what 2011 brings.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-30110065770969267192010-12-05T08:00:00.043-05:002010-12-05T08:00:02.807-05:00Longing for the "dizzy" feelingAs I've shared (<a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/11/mileage-motivation-and-my-next-race.html">several times</a>), I'm not in the training mode right now and haven't been for a while. You could call my miles "maintenance miles" if you were extremely generous and being bribed. I'm in the 3-mile range at this point, not because I can't do more, but because I don't want to do more.<br />
<br />
That said, I recently did a 5-mile run. In the past, that was just a warm-up for a much longer run. Heck, going up until my <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/04/i-made-it-to-la.html">final destination at LAX</a>, I was doing 7-mile runs 3 days a week. 5 miles would have been me wimping out. These days, 5 miles is a bit of a stretch.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRmAXA6WYbf1_nNxft9yQerWD3uzAnr70SFXhVfuED5LgmMAOvZFCTyMQOqYEMRtU5c2XreuDRupBfIA3cW-WVwi9Uq7x4yUn3Q2DDZry0Sm1rR49YvdxjCsYQ1y6gG0D7i0ER4tPES4/s1600/dizzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRmAXA6WYbf1_nNxft9yQerWD3uzAnr70SFXhVfuED5LgmMAOvZFCTyMQOqYEMRtU5c2XreuDRupBfIA3cW-WVwi9Uq7x4yUn3Q2DDZry0Sm1rR49YvdxjCsYQ1y6gG0D7i0ER4tPES4/s320/dizzy.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">I was debating between Dizzy Dean and Dizzy Gillespie,<br />
so I went with more recognizable choice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>But after I ran the 5 miles, I had this dizzy feeling that I used to get when I was putting in unbelievable mileage (which, for me, was 30-35 miles a week). It's like when you stand up and you know that you haven't put enough calories into your body. Your body is telling you that you have to eat. And when you're done eating, you still get that feeling, so you eat again until it goes away. This is one of those phenomenon that only runners would understand.<br />
<br />
I hadn't realized how much I missed that feeling until I got it again recently. It's an odd feeling to miss, of course, because it simply tells me that I'm not doing a good job at regulating my calories with my fitness. But it is a feeling that reminds me that I'm doing a lot of fitness.<br />
<br />
I'm still not 100% ready to go back into some intense training mode, but this recent dizzy spell did send me for a bit of a spin. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-84388707928676208652010-11-30T08:00:00.038-05:002010-11-30T08:00:14.288-05:00Using music to trigger a memoryA quick aside from my <s>regular</s> sparse running posts:<br />
<br />
I've been a fan of music for as long as I can remember. We always had it in the house growing up, so it was always a part of my life. Like a lot of you, I'm sure, when you hear a certain song, it takes you back to a particular moment (or time period) in your life. Maybe a first love, breakup, celebration, whatever.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9g0VSpQVSjWkh8eOFo_NSEPamYcd5kQGKnaMcGS6ie_z_vxQ3Wityxvzz7opy0wjmaSyT_L44Jqp_5oCcrUKGMCvJ4DjBogHVsL29ZYTixEeQc5squgQx5Iq3hUJWVmcPCN1GM0IiGPA/s1600/guitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9g0VSpQVSjWkh8eOFo_NSEPamYcd5kQGKnaMcGS6ie_z_vxQ3Wityxvzz7opy0wjmaSyT_L44Jqp_5oCcrUKGMCvJ4DjBogHVsL29ZYTixEeQc5squgQx5Iq3hUJWVmcPCN1GM0IiGPA/s1600/guitar.jpg" /></a>And, as you may have figured out by now, I'm a bit intense. And nostalgic. And a bit quirky. So, I decided to create a CD that I would listen to after I <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/09/hitting-another-milestone.html">passed the bar</a> so that anytime I would hear the song in the future, I would think of how amazing it felt to pass the bar. The song I played immediately after seeing my name of the "Pass List" was U2's "Beautiful Day." Now, every time I hear that song on the radio, I immediately think back to that morning, and how incredibly happy I was. Co-workers thought I was nuts for doing this kind of thing. They said I couldn't "force" a memory with a song. But, they're very wrong.<br />
<br />
I have those songs when I run, too. In the last couple of months, I haven't been taking my iPod because the battery died and I haven't wanted to shell out the bucks to get it fixed. So, from time to time, I'll take out another music player, but it's bulky and doesn't seem to set correctly in its case. So, for the most part, I have been going without. I wonder if that is <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/11/mileage-motivation-and-my-next-race.html">hurting my motivation</a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zd-NV4y2u8a9u6Bfq-8-WiMnzGlu8acJ8P0Xo8AmnJUf50Lc0XFn0q9GqfxC7nbSkhoAbQLaatZZhAHgZ0sG8RVVb1y8uegWAIE0ibKMuY1c1sowLIOAHP9Zktp2SSwA-t2MgPZu6Po/s1600/thekaratekid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zd-NV4y2u8a9u6Bfq-8-WiMnzGlu8acJ8P0Xo8AmnJUf50Lc0XFn0q9GqfxC7nbSkhoAbQLaatZZhAHgZ0sG8RVVb1y8uegWAIE0ibKMuY1c1sowLIOAHP9Zktp2SSwA-t2MgPZu6Po/s320/thekaratekid.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Anyway, in addition to the fun songs that I listened to on runs, there were some good inspirational songs. The two that really stick out in my mind are Joe Esposito's "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBktYJsJq-E">You're The Best</a>" (from the montage in Karate Kid), and "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky. Every time I hear those songs (which, truthfully, isn't that often), I immediately think about the Lehigh Valley Marathon and what it felt like to finish it. I intentionally played "Gonna Fly Now" on the morning of my law school graduation. In fact, I stopped when I was about 5 minutes from my house so that it would be the last song that I heard before I drove to graduation.<br />
<br />
I feel like there's got to be some sort of loony bin with my name on it with some of the odd things I do. I just hope they'll let Bono in from time to time.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-79991558479961921252010-11-25T21:11:00.000-05:002010-11-25T21:11:09.932-05:00Mileage, Motivation and my next raceIt feels like it's been quite a while since I have written, but, truth be told, on the running front, there's not much to report. On the personal side of things, however, life has been all sorts of excellent.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5kYmEoHLM2Tfag4PwakA5PZHcQHCIi8fHHfyympUzqcVv08q5YmTtLxtJcRMb6bu2MYww7M7fH0eKCWN-9ga-dOn3942korPGZ_TfoVqmUNgh6zYb2aCsvVHn10uZZfb0-akXqA_Ays/s1600/motivation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5kYmEoHLM2Tfag4PwakA5PZHcQHCIi8fHHfyympUzqcVv08q5YmTtLxtJcRMb6bu2MYww7M7fH0eKCWN-9ga-dOn3942korPGZ_TfoVqmUNgh6zYb2aCsvVHn10uZZfb0-akXqA_Ays/s320/motivation.jpg" width="320" /></a>As of this past Monday, I'm now a full-fledged member of both the New Hampshire and Massachusetts bars. After 3 long years in law school, I passed two bar exams and am finally and officially a lawyer. My job as a <a href="http://www.nhpd.org/">Public Defender</a> is challenging and interesting, and I'm loving every minute of it. The job is everything I had hoped it would be, and it means so much more to have given so much up to get to where I am.<br />
<br />
So, on the personal/professional side, I really have no complaints. I'm extremely happy with that part of my life and wouldn't change it for the world. The running side, however, is much more of a struggle.<br />
<br />
Recently, I started to have back problems after I ran. In the past, that was always because I needed new shoes. I went into the running store and they told me that I last got shoes in May. I thought that I had to have hit my 300 miles that I get on my shoes, especially because it's been so long. When I finally checked my mileage through Garmin, I was only at 158 miles. Since May! When I was on my virtual run from Philly to Los Angeles, I was going through running shoes like they were going out of style (though, frankly, they probably never were in style). Now I'm only 158 miles into shoes I bought in May. Oh, something has to change.<br />
<br />
My mileage has been quite low. I still run 3 to 4 times a week (more often, it's 3, rather than 4 times), and I'm only running for 3-4 miles at a time (more often, it's closer to 3 miles). So, my mileage has been low and I haven't been going on longer runs. It's not that I think I can't do it. I just have no motivation to keep going. I'm bored to death with running.<br />
<br />
I'm also getting into the coldest part of the year in New England, which means that it will be colder, snowier, icier and generally more treacherous to run in the winter. I did it remarkably well during law school, but my schedule is my rigid now, and my motivation is much lower.<br />
<br />
So, I have a couple of options that I'm trying to figure out in my head. I could join a gym, but I <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2008/09/no-treadmills-for-this-guy.html">absolutely detest gyms</a>. I hate treadmills, and I don't like the time that a gym adds to my workout. It's always easier to just walk out of my house and go for a run. But, I think I could use some weight training to go with the cardio work that I'm doing now. I'm also trying to avoid paying $30+ a month for a gym. But I'm starting to waver.<br />
<br />
I'm also thinking that I need to put a new goal out there so that I can start training. A co-worker is thinking about doing the <a href="http://www.gdtc.org/bostonprep/">Boston Prep 16-miler</a> at the end of January. Since she lives close, I could do some training runs with her. I'm seriously considering it, because it would give me some motivation to get better mileage in as I prep for the race.<br />
<br />
After I finally got to LA, my mileage dropped through the floor. I had been doing 20+ miles a week and that has fallen off. What's also fallen off is the number of calories I'm burning each week (down from 3,000 to about 1,000), which means that my waistline isn't quite as slim. Yet another problem.<br />
<br />
So, long story long, I need some motivation to get myself out the door and to start burning more calories. Much, much easier said than done.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-55076730774744169562010-10-22T12:06:00.001-04:002010-10-22T12:06:40.959-04:00Hitting the snooze button for a run<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qG7Yostd5Y2fK9_SHSqCo8jzKpXXV4ChM-sNAkFFgED_ITGLSN1Y9JZlK7bULIQIJtZFrqoK6k9D4lOlivxFDbvOmVyNzTmJhk2shR91t3F6MIUT1IeVXZfRFrX3LLZ7UMKAWiEkya4/s1600/snoozeButton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qG7Yostd5Y2fK9_SHSqCo8jzKpXXV4ChM-sNAkFFgED_ITGLSN1Y9JZlK7bULIQIJtZFrqoK6k9D4lOlivxFDbvOmVyNzTmJhk2shR91t3F6MIUT1IeVXZfRFrX3LLZ7UMKAWiEkya4/s200/snoozeButton.jpg" width="200" /></a>Today I did something that I haven't done in a very long time, maybe ever: I hit the snooze button on my alarm and decided not to go for my scheduled run this morning. I know that doesn't seem like a very extraordinary thing. For many people, it's quite common. But for those people who know me, this is anything but common.<br />
<br />
You see, I have this really odd internal set of rules that doesn't allow me to miss a workout. It's not like it makes sense at all. I'm certainly not training for anything at this point, and my runs have been in the 4-5 mile range--nothing all that significant. So, I could afford to skip a run every once in a while. But for me, I just never allow myself that luxury (well, <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/08/letting-run-go-every-once-in-while.html">almost never</a>). It just feels like cheating.<br />
<br />
Mind you, it's been cold up here in NH already. It's in the mid 20s at 5:45 AM when I wake up to run. That's not "cold" when compared to how NH will be as we get further into winter. In 2 months, I'll be wishing I had 20-degree temperatures. But it's still tough to leave a warm out and go out and run into the cold.<br />
<br />
The good news is that I've already run twice this week (back to back days, even), and I'm going to go for a run tomorrow morning, so I'll still get my minimum of 3 runs in for the week, so I gave myself a break on the early morning run this morning. But I was disappointed with how easy it was to skip the run. It's a habit that I can't get into.<br />
<br />
I guess it's a good thing my arbitrary internal rule system doesn't allow it very often.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-6375409267247180452010-10-02T13:03:00.000-04:002010-10-02T23:34:11.130-04:00Tri-State Century: Ride ReportLast weekend was a very successful weekend. I <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/09/hitting-another-milestone.html">passed the New Hampshire bar exam on Friday</a>, and I rode 100 miles across 3 states on Sunday. The 100-mile ride was the <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2009/09/gsw-seacoast-century-ride-ride-report.html">same one I did last year</a>: the GSW Tri-State Century ride.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFliyQ7Kgt31nlhyphenhyphenpNvGob1Nl3HpGFDZwI9D0ySkoAfRb2jJwsWcdMsQXlT_dEhPtvoq9U_NbcU2pPMlag9R7pE0wTFaWpocx1gj-yIneqENh5Vj0q8jUn4eBHMFMfDF9S9VXd0W2rC8/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFliyQ7Kgt31nlhyphenhyphenpNvGob1Nl3HpGFDZwI9D0ySkoAfRb2jJwsWcdMsQXlT_dEhPtvoq9U_NbcU2pPMlag9R7pE0wTFaWpocx1gj-yIneqENh5Vj0q8jUn4eBHMFMfDF9S9VXd0W2rC8/s320/IMG_0869.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nubble Lighthouse in Cape Neddick, ME</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Wow, it feels like it's been quite a while since I've written a race report. It has, actually. The last one I wrote was after <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2009/09/lehigh-valley-marathon-race-report.html">last year's marathon</a>. It feels good to be putting some results up on the blog rather than just infrequent chatter.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>We were up around 4:30 AM to get to Hampton Beach, NH for the start of the race. It was somewhat chilly, in the 60s, but not too bad. We started by going south into Newburyport, Massachusetts, and then came back into Hampton Beach to drop stuff at the car and to refuel for the day.</div><div><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHqBvM2oP2o9F8j9SPuQ_zVpFqnoR9tFaj3z3GLMkf4tCHF24vqOL2Pnussa_lNBw4nj5Q1NFT1_fs7Wu2cy4CIApIivy8y_Pt-xlCUw2LeXS28ikdvyr_p9hbNS91bNw3euk1bzb34E/s1600/meAtSAGStop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHqBvM2oP2o9F8j9SPuQ_zVpFqnoR9tFaj3z3GLMkf4tCHF24vqOL2Pnussa_lNBw4nj5Q1NFT1_fs7Wu2cy4CIApIivy8y_Pt-xlCUw2LeXS28ikdvyr_p9hbNS91bNw3euk1bzb34E/s320/meAtSAGStop.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the SAG stop</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>After tweaking a few things on my bicycle, we started the journey up to Nubble Lighthouse in Cape Neddick, Maine. We rode through Portsmouth and across the Maine border to finally turn around in Maine and then head back down to Hampton Beach. I rode with the same friend as last year.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So that we could keep a conversation going and so that I didn't get too far out in front of my friend, I rode rather closely behind her. It was a foot or two behind her, but it had to be about that close because I couldn't have heard her otherwise.</div><div><br />
</div><div>As you can imagine, riding that close to someone presents its own challenges. It all has to do with the other person slowing down. If I knew about the slow-down, I could adjust my speed. However, in Portsmouth, a family came out from the side street and she suddenly slowed her pace up a hill and I ran into her back tire. I went tumbling to the ground on my right side. I had some decent cuts on my leg and elbow and my hip has been bruised. I have just now been able to sleep on my right side. So, that was an adventure. She felt bad, but there wasn't much that could have been done. I'm not sure how to balance the riding close to the safety of more distance, but I clearly got the balance wrong up until that point. I decided that I'd keep at least 2 bike lengths between us for the balance of the day.</div><div><br />
</div><div>On the way back from Maine, I could tell that she was having problems, especially with the hills. Her hip had been bothering her, and she ultimately decided to stop at 67 miles (what I'll call a "Canadian Century"). She had the SAG folks pick her up and then I continued the remaining 33 miles.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The first 67 miles had taken us about 5 hours to do because I was riding behind her and just going at her pace. The general pace was between 10 and 12 miles per hour, sometimes less if we were on a hill. Once I started to ride by myself, my pace increased to about 16 miles per hour, sometimes as much as 22-25 mph, especially as it got closer to the end and I wanted to be done.</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx_-aoBV6WDHx-02T1Ne8hNsXbEtoXHJaiXEPf9LdsRVp3g9mC7BX-O1oI_j_UYxYW6iqzVtAZz5xnPU2oGj1oRJ2_gs1Fbfd_0S9mI4INnGZfbPmUxInd_3VErOAjn0kHUetHkqGmbo/s1600/IMG_0879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx_-aoBV6WDHx-02T1Ne8hNsXbEtoXHJaiXEPf9LdsRVp3g9mC7BX-O1oI_j_UYxYW6iqzVtAZz5xnPU2oGj1oRJ2_gs1Fbfd_0S9mI4INnGZfbPmUxInd_3VErOAjn0kHUetHkqGmbo/s320/IMG_0879.JPG" width="320" /></a>By mile 80, I was completely bored. I was alone, it was getting dark and there weren't any riders left on the road. (They were smart.) Of course I couldn't ride with my iPod in, so it was just me and my thoughts for the last 20 miles or so. It was at this point that I decided the quickest way to get these miles over with is to ride faster, much faster. So, I dialed up the gears on my bike (24th or 25th gear, I think) and decided to do the remainder of the ride as fast as I possibly could. At that point, I was going between 20 and 25 miles and I was freezing.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Because I didn't have enough mileage from a detour, I had to go past the final stopping area and continue back into Massachusetts to get the remaining 6 miles in to make it an even 100 miles. At that point, I wasn't about to end early and have less than 100 miles in. My friend drove to the end point and waited for me. I was playing mental games with myself. "OK, 5 miles left. I can bike 5 miles in my sleep. OK, now it's 4 miles and change. This will be over soon." And so it went.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I finally came up on 100 miles and I couldn't have been happier. I hadn't stopped in the 2 hours it took me to get back, so my electrolytes were low and my brain wasn't functioning as well. I felt like I was drunk and couldn't form sentences. Luckily, a small sandwich helped me to perk up.</div><div><br />
</div><div>All in all, despite the injuries and the cold, it was a good day. Last year, we did the first 82 miles on Saturday and the remaining 18 on Sunday. It was a century, sure, but it was over 2 days. This year I did it all in one day and it felt extra special that way.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Totals</b>:</div><div>Miles: 100</div><div>Time: 7:13:38</div><div>Ascent: 3,548 ft</div><div>Descent: 3,652 ft</div><div>Average pace: 13.8 mph or 4:20/mile</div><div>Calories burned: 6,064</div><div><br />
</div><div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.1</div>Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-77809554925338207562010-09-27T21:59:00.001-04:002010-09-27T22:00:07.575-04:00Hitting another milestone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGa_bUyZ_2iDyzpn-5oXH2IfagiT1d6DY05k2-QY0IPwFn0wIWoozKmnDNqY0hRWQChXKCX_xrwfl_FllGiO951Npt8iCporT0dFtchZNY1PuhDBKL2gwwbMJIHFGrawcL7fJA7l_p98/s1600/pass.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGa_bUyZ_2iDyzpn-5oXH2IfagiT1d6DY05k2-QY0IPwFn0wIWoozKmnDNqY0hRWQChXKCX_xrwfl_FllGiO951Npt8iCporT0dFtchZNY1PuhDBKL2gwwbMJIHFGrawcL7fJA7l_p98/s200/pass.gif" width="199" /></a></div>Well, it's official: I passed the New Hampshire bar! As I <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/08/end-of-bar-as-i-know-it-and-oddly-i.html">mentioned just after the exam</a>, I felt pretty good about it. It turns that I had good reason.<br />
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Needless to say, this was a gigantic relief for me. Not passing the bar would have meant that I couldn't have practiced a profession that I spent the last three years of law school trying to learn. While I guess I would have been employable somewhere, the prospects for those of us who don't pass the bar are slight, especially in a tough economy.<br />
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The bar was the single most difficult thing that I've ever had to go through. It was dramatically difficult and emotionally draining. I used running and biking to keep me somewhat sane, but that didn't always work. I took two bar exams: one for New Hampshire and one for Massachusetts. I'll find out about Massachusetts in late October, but New Hampshire was the state that I was concerned about because I'm currently practicing in that state, so I need to have passed the bar. Massachusetts will be the proverbial icing on the cake.<br />
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So what's next for me post-bar? Well, I'm working as a Public Defender. A Public Defender is a criminal defense attorney for people who can't afford an attorney. It was the job that I've wanted for the last two years, and I couldn't possibly be happier to have it.<br />
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Needless to say, 2010 has been a very, very good year for me. Graduating from law school, <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/05/reflections-on-end-of-2736-mile-journey.html">finishing the distance from Philadelphia to Los Angeles</a>, and now passing the bar. Frankly, it will go down as one of the best years of my life. Wow, it feels great to feel that way.<br />
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Still to come: the Century ride I did this weekend. Spoiler alert: I'm really sore. Really sore.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312523577164758716.post-35005741972619863782010-08-16T08:00:00.019-04:002010-08-16T08:00:07.642-04:00Motivation is just a plane ride awayThese past few weeks have been quite leisurely, thankfully. <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2010/08/end-of-bar-as-i-know-it-and-oddly-i.html">After the bar</a>, I needed some serious downtime and I got it.<br />
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I spent a week in my favorite city in the world, Seattle. Being in Seattle simply makes me happy. When I wake up in the morning, I smile and everywhere I walk, I smile. Seattle is my happy place and I make every possible effort to get out there as much as possible.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVsLgnT2baCtRZjeCsz37fWYWYFGoz2qNvvI5OKrzVqnsM5YfVoLrct6RwjrpIUi49n7LBfiIjj3yHzCYaqOpBRAfICIFQYStFKMEQp1cj4iT1HAMGqFMFf10e45gbYTIzd0DWpGTOA8/s1600/pikePlaceMarket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVsLgnT2baCtRZjeCsz37fWYWYFGoz2qNvvI5OKrzVqnsM5YfVoLrct6RwjrpIUi49n7LBfiIjj3yHzCYaqOpBRAfICIFQYStFKMEQp1cj4iT1HAMGqFMFf10e45gbYTIzd0DWpGTOA8/s1600/pikePlaceMarket.jpg" /></a><br />
I go to my <a href="http://www.docsgrill.com/">favorite bar</a>, and I enjoy an adult beverage or two and I look out at the marina and just let my thoughts go. Going to Seattle is really an act of mental cleansing and I make the most of it.<br />
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It also allows me to <a href="http://www.phillytolaonfoot.com/2008/08/running-as-tourist-to-see-new-sites.html">run around the city and explore</a> (though, frankly, I've seen most of the city by now). I went for a run one morning that took me to Safeco and Qwest fields (home of the Mariners and Seahawks, respectively) and I ended the run at Pike Place Market right in front of the guys who throw fish all over the place. The air was crisp and there wasn't much foot traffic so I just ran anywhere there was a walk signal. I felt like I could have run forever. And, if I hadn't had to check out of the hotel, I probably would have run another hour or more. It was just of those mornings. That morning, I remembered how much I loved to run.<br />
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I was also fortunate to stay with some friends in Green Lake, about a 15-minute ride from downtown Seattle. Green Lake is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Seattle. It's a little hippy-ish, which is fine with me. But the part I love is the 3-mile man-made lake with beautiful runnings paths around it.<br />
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We walked around the lake a couple of days and were able to choose between a gravel/dirt path and concrete. There were tons of bikers and people pushing running strollers, as well as a ton of runners. It was nice and cool as we strolled around the lake and the days were beautiful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1nJAfdejLvnUIL-gcTA92I0JHuIVJ2pv5uZY_XB0mQqAL2Hxtaa_VO18fxgWEntIGx5LOHEhZxvvQX976vLujtC2wR-E96jZVSSAjHH8cOwLE2c7BXEI8iNd02HptKI8W90P7wg8znE/s1600/safecoField.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1nJAfdejLvnUIL-gcTA92I0JHuIVJ2pv5uZY_XB0mQqAL2Hxtaa_VO18fxgWEntIGx5LOHEhZxvvQX976vLujtC2wR-E96jZVSSAjHH8cOwLE2c7BXEI8iNd02HptKI8W90P7wg8znE/s1600/safecoField.jpg" /></a>My second to last morning in Green Lake I decided to go for a run around the lake. From their place to Green Lake, around the lake, and back was about 4 miles, which was fine. Again, it was a little chilly and rainy but I couldn't have cared less. I kept a decent pace and stayed off of the concrete while I dodged others.<br />
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One of the things that I miss from New Hampshire is the lack of running paths in my area. Sure, you can drive to some, but they're not in my backyard and you can't walk or run to them. Having such a beautiful area so close to my house would be heaven.<br />
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Then again, if I want heaven, I may just have to visit Seattle again.Road Warriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06185561385105959496noreply@blogger.com1