It was a cold and rainy weekend in Maine and in Vermont, so we decided to stay home for a change.I had a very nice run in the rain at the Leavitt Plantation single track on Sunday. Scout had run into something and bruised his shoulder a few weeks back, so we had him on anti-inflamatories with no running for several days, and then light running for a few more days. Kevin took him out with the mountain bike Friday evening and reported that he did fine, so I took him with me Sunday. He ran the trails with great enthusiasm and no limping afterwards, so I think he's back to one hundred percent.
We stayed on the more solid, higher trails for Sunday's run. Running in mud is fun, but since Kevin got me started doing trail work with him, I have a new appreciation for staying off the trails when they are muddy. Funny how a little manual labor can change a person's habits! The trails we ran on Sunday had some standing water in spots, but the ground beneath it was solid. I was soaked through to the skin within about a minute. But as long as I kept moving, I stayed warm. It is nice to feel my legs getting stronger and faster each time out there. There are some good hard climbs, but I don't have to walk any of them at this point. I also try to get a little time in on the gravel roads, as there are plenty of them on the Vermont 100 course.
After I went home and dried off, I headed back out into the woods to help Kevin clean up the Woodchuck and White Tail Trails on the Ossipee River. I was already exhausted when I got there, but managed to help out some. It was fun seeing and hearing the river so high and so fast. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some flooding around here in the next few days.
I have Friday off from work and will head back out for a six hour run without Scout. Most participants in a hundred miler lead up to their race with other shorter Ultras. I just don't like to race! Hopefully I am doing enough training to make up for the lack of racing. Time will tell.
Hi Laurel,
ReplyDeleteI am an ultrarunner that lives in Mass. and I have relatives in the Sebago area. I was wondering if you had some sort of map that you have made that could direct me to a good parking spot and some of the trails to give me a starting point at Leavitt Plantation. I plan on running there for 3-4 hours this Sunday morning early.
Thank you,
Jesse Veinotte
It's all top secret. But I will try to f0rward you a homemade map first thing tomorrow. Cliff makes a living out of guided mountain bike tours, so he doesn't like to share.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I figured. I actually went to one of his camps as a teenager. You can send it to jveinotte80 at hotmail dot com if you want.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I read your blog often and enjoy your training logs and trail descriptions. I've found a lot of trails to run in the area because of it.
Thank you,
Jesse