February Vacation

I've been a Strava junkie as of late, but I don't want my meager blog to die just yet.  I've been rolling along, building some fitness.  I know the key is going to be hanging on through the long track season which starts in mid March.  If I can conquer that demon, I will be able to run year round.  The last 7 years, I have had very dismal track seasons of personal running.  I usually only run 10 miles or so per week during a 15 week period.  I always feel like I'm starting from scratch once summer rolls around.  This year, I plan on running early in the morning in order to keep my fitness going in the right direction.  It won't be easy, but this feels like the year that I will make it happen.  I figured I'd better put it in writing to remind myself on those dark, dreary days when the sun has yet to rise and the couch and coffee feel too comfy.  If/when I make it through track with some consistency, I have some fun goals to attack this summer.  I would like to erase some prs that I set from ages 18-22 before I fell off the running bandwagon thanks to a crazy life in my 20s.  Here are my old prs.

mile:  4:54 age 22
5k:  17:44 age 18 ( I ran around this time on three separate occasions)
4 mile: 23:48 - age 19
5 mile:  30:15 age 20 (xc)
10k:  no real pr
10 mile:  no real pr
half marathon:  no real pr
Pisgah 23k:  2:05:xx age 29
marathon:  3:33:08 age 20
Pisgah 50k:  6:29:xx age 36

I will try to find some 5ks - 10ks this spring to work on getting fitter and staying motivated.  I won't hit any lifelong prs this spring, but by the end of summer things could start going my way.  I figure I'm in 21:00 minute 5k shape and I might be right around 6 minutes for the mile.  I would like to head over to a snow free track next week and try a mile time trial to know for certain.  That's all for now.  Happy running everyone.

ps - I've been flare free in the Crohn's department thanks to Remicade every 8weeks for the last 2 years.  I still hate taking it, and believe that one day I will say FUCK Crohn's and be meds and flare free for life!  This disease has played its part in setting back my fitness.  It's handed me some pretty low moments.  I won't forget the feeling of waiting in a hospital bed with fingers crossed that expensive chemicals will save my colon and normal way of life.  This memory will propel me out the door on those early mornings.  I'll say it again - FUCK YOU Crohn's!!!

School starts back up

I hit 24 miles. Disappointed after 40 last week.

8/14 - 8/20

I hit 40 miles for the week. It's been a while since I've done that. Feeling pretty good!

Big 40

I hit a milestone bday this week and racked up 3 zeroes.  Got 26 miles for the week. The highlight was a 9 miler on my birthday with my brothers on the Monadnock Sunapee Greenway. I was hoping for more mileage, but it is what it is.

August 2017

I snuck a quick trip down to rhody with the family. I ended up with a couple zeros, a Remicade treatment, and 24 miles. The highlight was 5 miles on the yellow dot in Burlingame. Made me want to run Little Rhody. This could be the year. Doubtful that next week will be a good mileage total with 40th birthday party. I'll be happy to hit mid 20s.

Summer 2017 continues

I love summer!

Week 3 - 25
Week 4 - 35
Week 5 - 33

Fitness is coming around.  I'd like to hit 40s soon.

Summer

I'm getting back in a small groove. I hit mid 20s for mileage the last two weeks and should hit mid 30s this week.

Feeling pretty good!

March 7 the March 13

Monday 3/7:  lifted upper + goblet squats. Saw my track roster and now I'm excited for the season to begin.
Dusk:  Took the kids outside and did a bunch of track drills.

Tuesday 3/8:  6 with Greg from Kilburn up to the ridge.

March begins

Mon - Thurs: goose egg. Parenting and lethargy trumped my running.

Friday: indoor soccer

Saturday 3/5: 7 with Greg in Pisgah. We ran icy trails around Baker pond and the ridge trail.

Sunday 3/6: 7 with 4 athletes on Depot/HRT loop. Nice day. Felt a little stiff from yesterday.

Last week of FEBRUARY

Currently on meds for another crohn's flare-up.

Sat:  Ran 4 miles in Pisgah.  I went up Reservoir Rd to the parking lot at a very easy pace. It was a beautiful day. The trails have icy sections, but about 75% dirt.

PM: went on a nature hike with Brady. We brought binoculars to see the eagles along the CT River. I saw an immature by the nest. We also saw common mergansers, red tailed Hawks, and a lone Raven . fun day. Feeling ready to get in a good groove.

Sun: 7 Depot,HRT loop w/2 athletes. Nice morning. Felt decent. Ready for a nap.

11/9 - 11/15

Monday 11/9:  I lifted after school today - upper x2.  My back is tight!  Hopefully lifting will help.  I probably won't be able to run tomorrow with meetings.

Tuesday:  meetings

Wednesday: 3.5 at Brattleboro track. 1 mile of sprint float sprint. Didn't feel great. Freezing cold rainy day plus a head cold.

Thursday - Saturday: 0. Cold is raging plus lazy.

Sunday: 6 w/ crew. Felt sluggish.

Less than 10 for the week. Cold was a motivation killer. Fun bday party for Brady and Emma.

November and a little more time on my hands.

Cross country has winded down, so I'm able to get out on my own now. I ran Wed (4), Sat (4), and Sunday (3).

I managed anywhere from 10 to 25 miles per week during the season.  I'm just getting my health back after a Crohn's flare-up in mid October.  I'm hoping to lift at school 3 days per week and build my mileage back towards 40 in December. I love late fall running and I'm not feeling too shabby.

Summer 2015, week 8

8/10 - Monday:  4 miles on the HRT.  My back was a little tight in the early stages of this run.  It loosened up as I went along.  Nice negative split on this run.  17:45 first half, 15:20 second half.  Happy Anniversary Honey - 5 years!  We are heading to Boston on Friday night to celebrate.

pm:  Greg and I were able to get the canoe up to our secret spot for an encounter with some lunkers.  I got a really nice one in the 5 to 6 pound range after sunset.  Greg also landed a 5 pounder.  Good night!

Please forgive the photo of a photo.

All these fish we've been catching have been long and solid, but not hogs.  We'll have to make it a priority to get up there this fall when they stock up a little, and back in the spring when they are spawning.  We're quite addicted!

8/11 - Tuesday:  0.  Hung out with the family.  We went to the Southern Vermont Nature Museum on Hogback Mtn.  What a difference a year makes!  The kids loved it.

8/12 - Wednesday:  0.  We went to Spofford Lake with the kids for a swim.  Then I watched them all afternoon.  Too lazy to run in the evening.  I'm losing fitness!

8/13 - Thursday:  4 at Kilburn.  Gina dropped the kids off at daycare, so I went running.  I planned on going farther, but the reality of how out of shape I'm in hit me.  Yowzers.

Summer 2015, Week 7

8/3 - Monday:  0.  Went to Misquamicut Beach then drove home.

8/4 - Tuesday:  3.  I ran to my fishing spot and back.  Decent fishing - 6 bass and a pickerel.  Nothing big.

8/5 - Wednesday:  6 - Oxbow, Monument, Plain.  I ran at 2pm and suffered.  The weather was cool for summer - 80 degrees, but the open roads and sun exposure got to me.  I definitely was feeling dehydrated at the end of this one.

8/6 - Thursday:  3. Happy Birthday Jonny!  I ran up to the fishing hole today and back.  I caught 5 bass and a pickerel.  My fish were all bigger than Tuesday's fish.  I managed to land a 3 pounder.  I lost about 17 dollars in lures too.

8/7 - 8/9:  Had fun, but I didn't get any runs in.  I turned 38 on Sunday.  Happy Birthday to Greg!

Weakly total:  12

Summer 2015, Week 6

7/27 - Monday:  3 at night around school with a full belly.  I belched up dinner the entire run.  I ended with about 1200m of tempo effort.

7/28 - Tuesday: 5.5 around PTSA 5k route from home.  Legs were stale from 3 days in a row of quicker paced running.

pm:  3 miles at Kilburn + a splash in the pond.  I felt pretty decent on this one.  It was hot - 86 degrees.  Tomorrow will be in the mid 90s.  Blech!

7/29 - Wednesday:  5 on HRT.  I got out before the real heat hit.  My legs felt sluggish.

7/30 - Thursday:  1.5 at school w/athletes.

7/31 - Friday:  0.  I watched the kids all morning then fished late into the night.  I caught 20 bass.  I didn't get anything bigger than 2.5 pounds.  George and Greg landed and hooked into some hogs.

8/1 - Saturday:  0.  I drove to Rhody.

8/2 - Sunday:  3.5 w/Pard in Burlingame.  Fun run despite full stomachs.

Weekly Total:  21.5

Summer 2015, week 5

7/20 - Monday:  Zero.  I did manage to go fishing with Greg at secret spot 1.  We caught some more monster bass.

7/21 - Tuesday:  6 in the morning on HRT and around school.  I didn't feel great.

pm - Greg and I grabbed the canoe from Stoddard to bring to Hinsdale for an assault on Secret Spot #1 later this week.  Before we left Stoddard, we went for a 30 min fishing trip on Highland Lake and caught a couple beautiful bass.  I've now caught 5 of my top 6 biggest lifetime bass in the last week and a half.  Clearly I didn't know how to fish for bass back in the day (and I probably still could use a few pointers).  Fun night.

Greg hoists a nice one.

Greg's lunker.  This is a photo of a photo if it seems blurry.

7/22 - Wednesday:  Zero.  I had a chore day today.  No time for running.

7/23 - Thursday:  8 around Kilburn counterclockwise in 1:07.  Slow time.  I felt pretty good in the beginning, but the wheels really fell off.  I've got to hydrate better.

7/24 - Friday:  0.  Very lazy day.  I should have run in the morning because I had the kids all afternoon and night.  This isn't going to be a very good week.

7/25 - Saturday:  Happy Birthday Mom!  I ran 4 today at tempo effort.  It was a nice morning to run.  I didn't feel great.  

7/26 - Sunday:  5.5 w/athlete in Pisgah.  We ran up to the Ridge from Kilburn.  It was socked in, so there were no views.  Hammered the last .7 back to the parking lot.


Weekly total:  23.5 - Not a good week - too many zeroes.
Summer total:  139.5

Summer 2015, week 4

7/13 - Monday:  5 on 119 from house.  I felt pretty decent.  I've been doing a lot of pushups lately and I've noticed that my back hasn't been nearly as tight the last week.  Maybe I can get out for a few miles this evening.  I need some mileage this week.

7/14 - Tuesday:  8 - Clockwise Kilburn.  I tried to break an hour and ended up fading and not really coming too close.  1:05+ - almost 1:06.  I did stop at 57 minutes for a swim.

7/15 - Wednesday:  3 - Charles Street Loop from house.  This was a great day.  After running Greg and I went to secret spot #1 and caught a few beautiful bass.  I caught a 3 pounder and Greg caught a nice 5 pounder - no joke.

7/16 - Thursday:  7 at Kilburn w/athletes.  Absolutely beautiful morning for a run.  58 degrees, crisp and sunny.  Feeling good.

7/17 - Friday:  6 miles HRT + downtown roads.  Another humidity free morning for running.  I felt pretty darn good today.  I lifted a little weights in the basement after my run.

7/18 - Saturday:  4 on HRT + other roads.  The humidity was back.  Decent run today.  Good week going.

7/19 - Sunday:  6 in the morning from the Pisgah Reservoir parking area.  It was another brutally humid run.  I may have had my slowest Spirit Breaker Hill ascent while running the entire way 7:10 from gate to gate.

pm - 1 mile w/athlete around school before thunderstorms cut it short.  We were hoping to get three miles.  He would have hit 50 miles for the week, but we decided to be prudent.  The 1 mile was enough for me to hit 40 for the week.  The humidity reminded me of summers past running in Ashaway.  Feel like my fitness is coming around.

Weekly total: 40
Summer total after 4 weeks - 116

Summer 2015, week 3

7/6 - Monday:  3 w/Greg.  We ran and swam at Kilburn.  Glad I got out as I had earlier conceded to getting a zero when I chose to mow the lawn instead of run.

7/7 - Tuesday:  0.  During my window to run, we had a lingering thunderstorm.  I decided that my legs could use a zero - sore calves.

7/8 - Wednesday:  6.  I ran in the evening from the school down Plain Rd to Fox Run.  I went in the development to get the right amount of time for a slow six miler.  I felt decent despite having just eaten a burger.  Interesting digression - when I went to light the grill today I noticed a mouse nest in the grill.  I quickly shut it off when I heard some of the nest ignite.  The momma mouse hopped up onto the surface of the grill.  Hopefully no babies were barbecued.  I don't think they were as there were no visible flames.  I ended up cooking the burgers inside.  I'll have to relocate the nest.  I don't mind killing mice, but burning them alive isn't my thing.

I also had the pleasure of running into my former athlete, Evan.  This was the second time this summer that I've crossed paths with him on a run.  He's been running 5 days a week.  His running has become his stress relief from a very busy schedule.  He's a chemistry major and is currently working for one of his professors on a new drug that is a promising cure for breast cancer.  He has to give a speech in San Diego at a huge chemical convention about the work they've been doing.  It made me proud to have gotten to coach him in basketball, cross country, and track and field.

7/9 - Thursday:  4 w/athletes at school in evening.  I felt good - ran nice and easy.  We had 5 athletes show up tonight.

7/10 and 7/11 - Fri/Sat:  0.  Headache on Friday led to a wimpy zero, and trip to Mass on Saturday.

7/12 - Sunday:  7 at Kilburn w/athletes.  Nice morning for a run - a little on the humid side.

pm - 1+ running from Sasquatch at Pisgah Reservoir in pm.  Great fishing w/Greg.

Weekly total - 21

Summer 2015, week 2

Monday - 6/29:  4 miles around school.  Parked at the boat landing and ran Stage/River/Main Street loop.  My legs felt tired today, and I didn't have much motivation to run.

Tuesday - 6/30:  0.  We took the kids to the Friendly Farm in Dublin.  They had fun chasing the ducks and chickens.  I rested as I felt a little PF in my right foot potentially coming on.  I usually get this when I have sore/tight calves.

Wednesday - 7/1:  4 from Greg's house to short Friedsam loop and back.  Humid run today.  I snuck out between rain showers.  My legs felt ok.  I wore my old shoes because I thought I would do a run in Pisgah today and I didn't want the new ones getting soaked.

Thursday - 7/2:  6 w/athletes at Kilburn.  Beautiful morning for running.  Ran with three members of the boys' team.  We all took a dip in the pond afterwards.  Felt very stiff (upper back) in the morning. Loosened up during the run.  Legs feel good.

Friday - 7/3:  0 today.  I went fishing in the morning with the intent of running after a few casts.  During my fishing, I had to wade through a lot of poison ivy, so I went home to wash my legs.  I never hit the roads after - oh well.

Saturday 7/4:  5 at the Four on the Fourth.  I ran 31:29.  I notice Jonny got hosed in the official results - they don't even have him listed.  He ran great, and Greg and Pard ran strong as well.  I wanted to break 32.  I went out with a coworker who eventually pulled away on the big climb after 2 miles.  I felt awful as usual on the last mile.  I'm not in any kind of fitness for racing.  My upper back was an issue during the run and still is now.

Sunday 7/5:  I am supposed to run with some athletes tonight at 6.  I'm hoping my upper back can handle it.

6pm:  4 on HRT.  Very easy pace.  Felt ok.  My upper back has been extremely stiff.  I need to lift weights.

Weekly total:  23

Summer total:  55

Summer Begins

6/22 - Monday:  0.  Last day of school.  I went golfing with a coworker afterwards.  I got a par on the first hole and got worse from there.

6/23 - Tuesday:  4 at Kilburn in the am.
                         
                           2 on Oxbow Rd pm.

6/24 - Wednesday:  4 from Boat Landing to the Town Hall and back.

6/25 - Thursday:  6 w/athletes at Kilburn.  Fun running with company.

                            3 w/athlete around school in pm.

6/26 - Friday:  0.  We went to check out couches and the YMCA.  We had a nice family day.

6/27 - Saturday:  4.5 on HRT.  Beautiful running weather for late June.  I ran at 10am and it was only around 67 degrees.
                           
                             2.5 around school in pm.  I felt decent tonight.  Third easy double of the week.

6/28 - Sunday:  6 w/athletes and Greg at Kilburn.  Rainy and cold morning (for June).  Felt good.


Weekly total:  32