Running in the Woods

Evening Routine

2012-02-14T18:44:00.003-05:00

Work days are tough for running. I have been doing a lot of precepting of new nurses. This makes things take longer at work and this in turn, makes for a long work day. Scout and I have developed an evening routine for most work nights.

I get home and answer a few emails that have come in on my drive home, plug in all my work electronics to charge for the next day on the road, connect to the remote server at work and start exporting the day's work. While all this is happening, I am changing into my running clothes in my office chair in front of my desk (multi tasking). Next, I load Scout into the car for the short drive to the safety complex since he is no fun to run with on a leash and he can't be trusted on the road without one. Finally, we are off and running!

We have been having to run by head lamp again lately. We run the icy snowmobile trails, I wear Yack Trax and Scout wears his cowbell (so I can locate him in the dark). The snowmobile trails are hard and icy right now. They make for fast running, as long as I can keep my feet under me! We've been adding on a little distance each time we go out.

Tonight, I was very happy to see that the elementary school kids have been out in droves in their snow shoes. Hundreds of little penguin feet have made a hard packed trail around the perimeter of the elementary school fields. Each loop is a third of a mile. I know this from my Type A Runner Personality days. I actually measured it out with the phys ed teacher so I could run accurate mile repeats on the grass. What a nerd I used to be! Anyway, that 1/3 mile loop allows me to lengthen my run without venturing from the familiar trails near home after dark.

Some nights I just don't have a run in me. I figure that's OK, my body and mind need a rest now and then. But the nights I do get myself out there on the trail are wonderful. Plus, Scout is a lot less hyper after he's had his running fix.

Ice is Nice...

2012-02-07T18:51:00.002-05:00

as long as you have the correct traction on your feet. Stabilicers were my device of choice for many years. They are heavy but rugged, and they really grip. I had one pair that lasted me for at least ten years. I even used them instead of my crampons for icy hikes on pretty steep terrain without any problems. I finally lost them somewhere this year. They are probably in one of my numerous packs and they'll probably show up some day. I use my screw shoes for certain conditions and I love them. But some times I just need something more.

This season I tried some no name cheapos. I went through two pair of these, they worked but the rubber that held them together broke. In the past I have tried the Katona Microspikes (too micro for my needs and they tended to fall off my feet) and the original Yacktrax (good traction, but fell off at inconvenient moments). When my second pair of cheapo no-names broke a few weeks ago, I was in a desperate situation. The trails were sheer ice and I was in a small town in Vermont without many shopping options. The one sporting goods store around had one option for traction devices, so that's how I ended up with another pair of Yacktrax.

The more expensive Yacktrax models now have a strap that goes over the top of the shoe so that's what I bought. I'm very happy with them! They did fall off once during a run in absolutely atrocious conditions, but the straps prevented them from being lost. They just kind of rolled off my heel and flopped around on the bottom of my foot for a few miles while I mused out loud, "hmmm, these seemed to be giving me good traction a while ago, now I'm slipping all over the place. And the trail feels all bumpy and funny" It hasn't happened since.

Training Update: Tonight I ran on the packed snow and ice of the Ossipee River Trails. Last night I ran hills on pavement. I have also gotten in a 3 mile treadmill hill climb at 10% grade at an embarrassing 12 minute per mile pace. I had a few trail runs on soft slush since my last post. This past weekend I cross country skied on some rugged terrain out in East Burke and then snowshoed the same terrain the next day. I'm getting out there and putting in some good fun hard work. Oh, and I haven't needed my headlamp in about a week! Days are getting longer!

Days One and Two of Vermont 100 Training

2012-01-31T16:45:00.003-05:00

I've had a wonderful four months of just running for the love of running. I've had some of my highest mileage weeks ever in October, November, and December over wonderfully hilly singletrack. This past month has seen some fun times in the woods, but with less mileage due to my return to full time work. Now with the coming of February it's time for me to utter that evil word... training.

I have signed up to run my fifth Vermont 100, and want to be in good shape for a decent run there. That's the only "race" I have my sights on, although I might jump into a few of my favorite shorter trail races this Spring. I know I have at least one more sub 24 hour hundred miler left in this weary body. So I have to stop my mindless meandering and get a little focused with my running...just a little focused, mind you.

I recall the days of laboriously charting out training plans to the last mile and the exact minute-per-mile. Those were the days of keeping meticulous records of all my training runs including every detail from miles, speed, grade, terrain, heart rate, shoes worn, how many times I stopped to pee, and what I ate and drank. I vaguely remember things like interval work, tempo runs, and hill repeats. Those were also the days of 3 hour marathons and 38 minute 10K's. That was an era of 7 hour 50 milers and 4 hour 50K's. Well let's get something straight right here and now... this is a different era! I'm almost 50. I now have a well balanced happy life with many interests besides running. So when I say training, I mean doing a little more than just sight seeing when I'm out running the trails. I mean getting out to run regularly and putting in an honest effort each time. And that's about all I mean, so maybe I should come up with a better word than "training". I'll work on that.

Monday, Jan 30: 4 fast miles on icy trails with Scout early in the morning.
Tuesday, Jan 31: 10 miles on hilly snowmobile trails alone. Poor conditions, powder on top of a thick crust. Kept breaking through with every step. Good resistance training. Averaged 12 minute miles, and that was working hard!

Tracks seen on the Osippe River Trails Yesterday

2012-01-26T16:58:00.005-05:00

Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)

Human (Homo sapien)

Horse (Equus caballus)

White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus)

Snow Shoe Hare (Lepus americanus)

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus caroliniensis)

Common Racoon (Procyon lotor)

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias tamias)

Domestic Dog (Canis lupis familiaris)

Trail Runner (Templi pedester)

New Woods to Explore!

2012-01-15T19:45:00.003-05:00

Saturday I ran through unbroken snow in my Dion running snowshoes over extremely hilly terrain with Scout. It was in the teens, very comfortable since I was working hard. We left from camp and headed into the woods with the goal of seeing where the trail went. The "trail" that starts at the corner of our drive is an old tote road, by the looks of it. It had about a foot of fresh snow on it and made for some excellent snowshoe running. I promised myself I would do an out and back to avoid the embarrassment of coming out in someone's back yard twenty miles from camp and having to call Kevin for a ride. That is the sort of thing that happens to me when I explore new trails. I hate to turn back. I just have to see what's around the next bend.

We ran mostly downhill for a few miles before hitting an intersection. I turned right and went up and down some ridiculously steep short hills before hitting a major snowmobile trail. I didn't know how Scout would behave around snowmobiles, as he had never seen one before, so I turned and tried the other direction. We went several miles, steadily downhill. Our camp is near the top of a small mountain, so running from camp always involves hills. I tell myself it's good for me! When I realized the trail was not leveling off but continuing to descend indefinitely, I decided it was time to turn back while I still had enough strength to climb back to camp. Running back up was a killer! By the time we made it back I was huffing and puffing like a 2-pack-a-day asthmatic.

The next day temperatures had plummeted below zero. I was going to cross country ski, but decided I would stay warmer on snowshoes. This time Kevin joined me and Scout. I wanted to show him the trail so he could give me some input about where I was headed and how I could turn this into some sort of long loop. Kevin has an uncanny sense of our position on the map no matter how many twists and turns we make in the woods. Using direction, topography, distant landmarks, and intuition he can usually give a pretty accurate account of our position. After checking out the intersection, he felt the left downhill option (that Scout and I started but turned around on Saturday) would probably work for some sort of long loop. He thinks it will join up with a snowmobile trail that comes out near the bottom of a dirt road I am familiar with and that will eventually take me back up the hill to camp. I'll try it next time I am feeling energetic and adventurous.

Ice and Hills

2012-01-08T20:09:00.003-05:00

We just got back from another fun weekend in Vermont. The snow in Burke is pretty sparse, so there was no cross country skiing or snowshoeing. The mountain is open, but Kevin is a little particular about open trails and snow conditions, so he didn't want to snowboard, either. We managed to have a fun time anyway.

Saturday, we took a brisk hike on the trails. I had planned to run, but even with spikes it was way too icy! There was about an inch of solid, clear, smooth ice covered by a couple of inches of powdery snow. Even walking was treacherous. I had to slide down some of the steeper hills on my butt.

Sunday we went to get some building supplies for finishing the trim work on the camp. I had Kevin drop me off 5 miles from camp on the way back. Running to camp from town is all uphill... steep, steady, slippery uphill. To make matters worse, a friendly black lab joined me with about three miles to go. I turned and brought him back home when I realized he wasn't going to go back on his own. That meant running back down the hill. It looked like he was going to stay so I headed back up again, only to hear him clomping along behind me about a half mile later. I turned around and started back down the hill and soon he ran off ahead, going toward his home. I turned and ran back up. As I neared my turn with a mile and a half of the steepest climbing ahead, Good Old Blackie caught up to me again. I ran up the icy dirt road, scolding him between gasps for oxygen, "you are a very bad dog. You should not be chasing runners. You are going to be in big trouble when you get home." He just jogged along beside me with his tail wagging and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. When I got to camp, Kevin came out and told my new dog friend to "go home". Blackie turned and trotted back down the hill. Apparently, Kevin has more clout with dogs than I do. It was a good solid hill workout. And the doggy distraction probably helped keep me from thinking about how hard it was.

Icy Hilly Single Track

2012-01-02T19:38:00.003-05:00

After working all weekend, I was happy to have today off to celebrate the new year with Kevin and Scout. We drove out to North Conway and traveled the rogue mountain bike trail that runs around the back side of Rattlesnake Mountain. Kevin walked and I ran over the hilly terrain. I get up ahead for a while, then turn and run back until I find Kevin again, then do it all over again. It's a fun way to get miles and hills in. Scout runs a bit with me, then gets worried that we are leaving Kevin too far behind and stops to wait while I go on. Then when I turn around and meet him coming back, he gets all excited and joins me running back for Kevin.

Hilly stuff out there! And today it was very icy, too. I wore my Brooks Adrenalines, which I never cared for until Kevin studded them with screws. They work great on ice. Coming back, a mountain biker passed us and Scout looked at him moving fast over the ice, looked at me moving slow over the ice, and made his decision. He took off with the cyclist with his tail wagging. I took chase. Luckily, the cyclist stopped on the trail and waited for me, otherwise I'd still be out there chasing them. Bad dog.

We wrapped up our day at The Moat with a few beers and some good food. Its been another great day in the woods with my honey and my (bad) dog.

Looking Back on the Week and the Year

2011-12-30T16:44:00.003-05:00

This past week has given me some great trail runs. Wonderful winter trail conditions continue here in southern Maine. I hear plenty of trail runners lamenting the lack of snow but I don't get it. What's to complain about when the trails are rock hard and fast? What's not to love about the scritch scratch of screw shoes on icy frozen dirt? Snowshoe running is fun, but for me it's only for when conditions demand it. Then again, if we get a freak storm and it snows a foot tonight, I'll be singing the praises of running in snowshoes in my Blog. I'll also be posting about joyous gliding through the woods on cross country skis. Snow, no snow... it's a win-win situation.

This was my first week back to work and it's been extremely busy. I've had to do my first two evening headlamp trail runs of the winter because of my work schedule. (I enjoyed them immensely). My other runs were a bit rushed and shortened. Scout has only gotten in two trail runs and a jog around the Kezar Falls streets this week. (I think being so well rested has made him a faster runner. He sure made me work hard today). The house is definitely less tidy, we ran out of cream for coffee, the laundry is over-flowing, and I haven't shaved my legs in a week. But I am starting to find balance again. I am settling back into a good routine.

I will be working this New Year weekend, but will make time to reflect on what a happy and wonderful year 2011 has been. Many of us could whine and complain about the economy, injuries, illnesses, personal finances, losses, relationships, injustices, prejudices, and evils. Or we could count our blessings! I have a loving husband, two great kids, a fun puppy, two cool cats, a comfortable house, my health, a job, the woods, the rivers, and the mountains. Also, I have the use of my right arm back. And think of all the good things ahead! Happy New Year! Have fun and be safe. Count your blessings.

Prime Trail Days

2011-12-22T16:18:00.006-05:00

I'm still getting in good mileage with lots of medium and long runs at a modest to medium effort. The weather and trail conditions are spectacular! This has been a good base building period for me. Today I ran about 8 miles on the hilly single track in Parsonsfield with Scout. I've had a cold this past week and my runs have fluctuated between wonderful and terrible. I don't know how my energy is going to be until I start running. I set out each day anyway, run when I can, and walk when I have to. I don't let it bring me down, it's just a cold.

Today I was able to run the first (mostly) uphill mile without any problems so I knew we had a good run ahead of us. With a sunny sky and temperatures in the mid 40s, I was surprised to find patches of ice here and there. Scout likes to dash off ahead of me, so I can spot the icy patches whenever I come to them. He slips and falls, then skids across the icy patches on his side or butt at full speed, sweeping all the leaves off the trail so I can see the ice. He's a good trail friend.

My P90X strengthening program is going well. That is to say, I can't take a deep breath without my chest muscles hurting, I can't cough or laugh without my abs killing me, I can't brush my hair without feeling the burn in my triceps, and I can't walk up and down the stairs without my quads throbbing. In a few short weeks I'll be getting into shape and missing those aches and pains. I'll find myself wondering if I'm working out hard enough since it doesn't hurt anymore.

So my endurance training is going well and my strength work is kicking in. But I'm still lacking in the speed department. I keep threatening myself with speed work. I'm just waiting for the mood to hit. If it doesn't come to me on it's own, I'll start the first of January. The very words, repeats, intervals, tempo runs, threshold runs, and progression runs give me a queasy uneasy feeling. I'll probably have nightmares tonight now that I have put them in writing.

Double Workout Days

2011-12-20T16:57:00.003-05:00

Since injuring my shoulder in July and then finally having rotator cuff repair surgery on it in September, I haven't been able to do any upper body training in almost six months. This is the first time since college that I haven't worked out. It's starting to show! So I re-started P90X a few days ago. With this program, you do the exercises along with a video of four ridiculously fit and energetic people doing the workouts with you. They make me jealous, so I work harder to prove something to myself. It's a weird concept, but it has worked well for me in the past! Sure, the trainer, Tony Horton, is annoyingly corny. Plus the music on the videos sounds like something out of a porn movie. But the workouts are very effective. I considered shaking things up a little by switching to "P90X 2" or "Insanity", but today I looked online for costumer reviews of the original P90X and found over seven thousand positive reviews and about eleven reviews that claimed they followed the program exactly and it didn't work for them. So I decided to stick with something I know works. My abdominal muscles, upper arms, chest, and shoulder blades are delightfully sore and tender today. It's already working!

In addition to the strength work outs, I have been running trails almost every day. I guess my explorations of the Leavitt Plantation trails are not going un-noticed. Yesterday I found thin string stretched across the trail in various places. It was difficult to see until I ran into it, breaking it each time. This string wasn't there last week. I think the mad trail builder is on to me. He must have suspected someone is using his trails and put the string across to find out for sure. As I mentioned in past posts, the land is open for public use so I really don't think there is any reason I shouldn't be using these awesome trails. If the guy would accept volunteer trail work or even a trail pass fee I would probably be willing, because I know building and maintaining trails is hard and time consuming. But he doesn't operate that way. He only offers guided mountain bike rides for a fee. So I'll keep running around out there until we run into each other and talk things over one of these days.

I've also been out on the Ossipee River Trails regularly. This afternoon I put in a quick four miles with Scout. I did the P90X Plyometric workout earlier in the day, which is a killer. Plus I have a cold. So I had a little trouble getting myself out for the run, but once I got going it was great. I need to start working on picking up the pace of my runs. I am just so darned relaxed and happy out there, I forget to put a little work into it now and then.

I'll be returning to work the day after Christmas and the runs and workouts will be harder to fit in, but I'm hoping I can keep it going through the winter.

Just for the Joy of Running

2011-12-15T16:51:00.002-05:00

This morning I woke to icy roads and a cold rain. It took me all morning to get motivated to go out and run. I finally left the house around noon. I ran the Ossipee River Trails with Scout. I've been putting in a lot of miles on the Leavitt Plantation trails lately so it was nice to be back on our own local trails.

Today I found out that I have been getting into good running shape without intending to. All those miles of exploring Parsonsfield over very hilly terrain has done wonders. I never even thought of it as training. That is how running is meant to be for me. It is an opportunity to enjoy the feeling of moving fast through the woods, to see, smell, and hear the Forest, to feel the trail beneath me, and to wonder what's around the next bend. It's the same for me with mountain biking. It sure doesn't feel like a work out or training. It brings me back to the way we all played as children. We played hard and stayed fit, but we never thought of it as exercise!

I know a lot of runners like the rewards of training. They want to see their times improve. They want to race to prove they are working hard enough. I have four big U-haul boxes full of a life time's worth of trophies, so I can't deny that this was what running was for me for a very long time. I might get back to that some day, or I might not. But for me right now, running is a joyous celebration, as is cross country skiing and mountain biking.

Today we ran all the Trails out there for a total of about 6 miles of single track. It was wet and slippery, but we ran fast and smooth. And we had a lot of fun!

Bending the Map

2011-12-12T21:11:00.003-05:00

I am still having an incredibly good time running in the Parsonsfield woods! There are rumored to be over thirty miles of single track mountain biking trail in the area and I have found about half of it. The exploration and mapping of the area is becoming an addiction. I am thinking about calling in sick for physical therapy tomorrow so I can check out a new trail head I found today. That's how bad it is.

This kind of trail running is doing wonders for my weekly mileage. I don't ever run for less than two and a half hours out there. I just have to see what's around the next bend. I wore Scout out completely today.

Sadly, my map making skills are a bit limited. I came out of a very long stretch of single track onto a tote road today. I knew just where I was, in my mind. But why was the pond on my right The map showed it on my left?! I ran down the road a ways, turned and went up the road, turned and went back down. I repeated this over and over, trying to figure things out. Scout thought it was a ton of fun, running back and forth like that. When a person tries to make the map work to fit what he thinks things should be like, it's called "bending the map," and this always leads to disaster. The first rule to wilderness navigation is to trust your map. Yet here I was, an hour before dark (sound familiar?), and my map wasn't fitting with what my brain was telling me.

Finally I decided to go with my gut...but for only fifteen minutes. If I wasn't somewhere I recognized within that fifteen minutes I would re-trace my steps back over the twisty turning single track and hope to be out of the deep woods before full dark. Well, my gut was right. Within ten minutes I was out on a recognizable dirt road. For once, bending the map worked. On the drive home, I figured out that I had been mistaken when I drew the map in the first place. The tote road I came out on was on the opposite side of the pond as I had mapped it.

I think the lesson is to stay calm and stay disciplined. The fifteen minute limit I allowed myself to locate my position was reasonable and if it hadn't panned out, I had allowed myself enough time to retrace my steps. Also, as much as I would like to have trusted my "map," I have to admit that it is a home made map and it might not be 100 percent accurate. Was I scared? No, I had a plan and I knew I'd get back home one way or another. Will I be out there again tomorrow? You bet!

Cartography 101

2011-12-08T17:47:00.004-05:00

I've been taking advantage of the snowless trails. I have been out in the Parsonsfield woods or the Ossipee River Trails every chance I get. I bring Scout with me every other day. On Wednesday I ran alone and retraced my route from the day before. What do you know, I found Scout's cow bell! I have made myself a fairly good map of the area from my explorations. You might wonder why I don't just track it all on my Garmen and print out a map from that. Well I tried that, but there is so much out there and the trails are so winding and twisting that it didn't work well. Also, for a map like that to be useful at all, there have to be landmarks or roads to use as a reference. So I printed a Google map of the area, which just includes the surrounding roads, and drew in the trails and tote roads myself. After many exploratory runs and several attempts at map making, I feel like I can safely navigate around the area now!

Today I postponed my long run with Mary. First, I've been running long every day this week and I felt like I needed an easy recovery run today. Second, it was Scout's day for a run and suburbia isn't his idea of running, he is a trail dog! And third, I had a few trails left to map out in Parsonsfield and wanted to do it today. So we ran a very easy paced 5 miles. It was cold and windy. Branches were snapping and cracking all around us. I kept thinking I heard someone talking, but finally realized it was the trees squeaking and whining as they rubbed against each other. Wow, was it blustery!

Tomorrow I'll get my long run in with Mary in the North Yarmouth area. I'll be returning to work at the end of the month so my mileage will probably slip back a little at that point. For now I'm going to run like crazy while the trails are still clear and I have all day free to do it!

More Exploring

2011-12-06T18:53:00.004-05:00

Today I spent two and a half hours exploring the labyrinth of unofficial, unmarked, and unmapped trails in the Leavitt Plantation. There is so much more for me to find. I hope I can get out there a lot more before the snow falls. Once the single track and more remote tote roads are covered for the winter, there is no way I will be able to stay on trail. There is always snow shoeing and skiing to look forward to, but right now this rambling through the woods is a blast!

It felt like the temperature was probably in the mid fifties when I set out with Scout at about 1:30 this afternoon. It was cloudy and we got showered on a few times, but it felt great. The trails and roads we ran today were extremely hilly and fun. There were a few wet areas, but nothing bad. I did manage to get a little misplaced near the end of our run. We had already been out over two hours and Scout was tired. We were within a mile of the car when I spotted a single track trail off to my right. There was no resisting, I had to see where it went. It was very long and winding and hilly. It just kept going and going and turning and twisting. I became totally disoriented, but had to see it through to the end.

Finally I came out on a narrow tote road, but I didn't know which way to head down the road. Just then I noticed that Scout had lost his cow bell and his orange vest. I have a hard time keeping track of him without both of those things. He is hard to see in the woods because of his color and the vest makes him very easy to spot. The bell let's me run on ahead when he stops to explore, and still be able to know he is nearby. We back tracked a short way back on the trail we had just come off of and I did find his vest, but no bell.

By now I was starting to worry a little that it would get dark before I could find my way out. Scout seemed to feel we should turn right on the tote road. His guess was as good as mine so I went with it. In a few miles we were back on familiar trail! Scout amazes me with the way he can find his way around in the woods. Maybe he can teach me a few things! Scout was exhausted during the home stretch, and I felt a little guilty about taking him on such a long outing, but we made it back to the car right at dusk. He napped all the way home and will sleep good tonight. I'll leave him home tomorrow when I go back out there. It's addictive!

Weekend Ramblings

2011-12-04T16:30:00.003-05:00

Saturday, Kevin and I drove down to Merrimack, New Hampshire for a mountain bike ride and pot luck dinner holiday celebration hosted by Kevin's friend, John. Sixteen of us showed up to ride the nice single track of Horse Hill. I had been on the trails a few times in the past, once for for a snow shoe race and a few times for trail runs, but I didn't remember much about them. Kevin had ridden there a couple of times in the past. He tells me that John and Matt have made enormous improvements and the riding is much better now than it was last time he rode there. All I know is that it was a lot of fun and great riding!

John, who is an incredibly speedy mountain bike racer, had his girlfriend, Kathy (just as speedy as John) take him out for a six mile run before the ride so he would be able to restrain himself to ride with some of his slower friends. It must have worked, because John rode sweep all afternoon. Before this, all I had ever seen of John on the trail is the back of his shirt in the first few seconds of a ride. I settled near the back of the pack and was quite happy there. Honestly, it was a little difficult for me to keep up with even the rear of the pack so I had to work pretty hard. That made it very fun for me. We had a nice little party afterwards with great food and a few cold beers. It was a really nice day.

Sunday found both Kevin and I feeling a little under the weather from too much holiday cheer. We shouldn't have continued the day's celebration when we got back home. So we weren't up to mountain biking, but went for a long meandering walk on the Parsonsfield trails. Even walking, I managed to fall and bang up my knee. Good thing I didn't try to bike! I got in a few miles of running near the end of our walk. Kevin and Scout returned on the road and I ran the winding single track, thinking we'd all get back around the same time. As I was running down the last steep slope toward the road, I could see Kevin driving the truck up the road to meet me at the trail head. I arrived at the passenger door at the exact moment Kevin brought the truck to a halt. Talk about perfect timing!

Lions and Coyotes and Bears, Oh My!

2011-12-01T08:02:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, I pulled the car into the little remote pull off where I have been parking to gain access to the tote roads and trails of the Leavitt Plantation. Scout was sitting in the passenger seat beside me. Normally, he would be ready to get out to run the minute I stopped the car. This time he just sat with his head forward, snout against the windshield, staring down the trail intently. His body was shaking all over. He was letting out a long low growl with every exhalation. I'd never heard him growl like that before and never seen him scared of anything. I looked where Scout was looking, but saw nothing. I left the key in the ignition and the doors locked, and sat waiting for whatever had him so upset to come into view. We sat there for perhaps five minutes. I didn't see anything. Scout continued shaking, growling, and staring throughout this wait.

He likely smelled a coyote or black bear. I have seen lots of sign from both in the area. There are also moose. Whatever it was, I wasn't about to get out of the car! You couldn't have forced me to get out. I am not afraid of wildlife. I've seen plenty of bears, coyotes, and moose in the woods. But there was something about Scout's behavior that sent a shiver up my spine. I always listen to my intuition, and my intuition said to get out of there. I backed out and drove away. I parked at another access about a mile down the road. As soon as I pulled in, Scout started wagging his tail and ringing his cowbell. He was ready to go! We had a wonderful two hour run over the trails.

I woke up at about two o'clock this morning from a nightmare about a greasy haired mountain man with fangs and a big bloody knife. He had been hiding and waiting for me on the tote road where I had originally parked. In my dream, Scout opted to wait in the car (coward) and I had gone down the trail alone despite his warnings. After awakening, I lay for a long time thinking about how much I enjoy the woods and wondering why I would risk mountain man attack, bear mauling, and moose trampling to pursue this passion. All I could come up with is that it's in my blood. I can't help it.

I know a lot of women who are afraid to venture into the woods alone. I also know a lot of men and women who think I am crazy to do so. Not in an admirable sort of way, like "you must be crazy to run ultra marathons!" It is more of a "you are an irresponsible idiot for venturing out into the woods alone, you crazy bitch" sort of way. All I can say is that being alone in the woods feels right and makes me happy. I haven't met a single greasy haired mountain man with fangs in the woods, but I did meet a weirdo in leisure clothes who spooked me on the Jewel Trail once. I kept my distance and warned women heading up the trail that he seemed weird and out of place. He was probably harmless. I have been leery of a couple of black bears who seemed too comfortable around me (one on the Lower Nanamocomuck and another in Virginia,) and I had a bull moose make a bluff charge at me once (there was no incontinence, so I think the whole thing about sh*ting yourself is a myth.) Those were three times out of hundreds of wildlife encounters, and I reacted correctly each time and was unharmed. So after spending thousands of days in the woods alone, I can name four incidents in which I felt a little threatened. I've had many many more close calls running on the roads!

My friend, Mary has an unreasonable fear of meeting a mountain lion on the New England trails. I tease her about it and she teases back, saying I will change my tune if I ever get attacked by one while I'm out running. I promise her that if it ever happens I will use my last dying moment to scratch into the dirt with my finger, "Mary was right." Laying awake this morning I decided that I would add to that if I had time, "...but it was worth it!"

Good P.T. and Run Today

2011-11-29T17:06:00.003-05:00

I had a pretty good physical therapy session for my left shoulder this morning! You may remember I posted a few weeks back about how poor I felt the quality of my physical therapy was. Well, after discussing it, my therapist has agreed to cut back to only once a week visits with daily exercises at home. He has also stepped back and is allowing the sports trainer to work with me instead of doing it himself. This is a much more effective strategy for me. It is not what my surgeon ordered. He wants me at P.T. 3-4 times a week, so I imagine I have been reported as a non-compliant patient. I am gaining strength and mobility like crazy now that I am not wasting all my time being babied at the physical therapy center, so I wear the label proudly.

Today there was a small woman at PT who was probably about eighty. She is being treated for lower back pain. The PT joked with her that if she did what he asked, she'd be ready for the Olympics in no time. She replied that she was already ready. She went on to describe a life of participating in and coaching basketball, softball, equestrian, and swimming. She had been to the Senior Games at the national level many times. "So tell me what to do and I'll do it. I'm an athlete." She demanded respect from the young therapists and she got it. This was her first session there and she wasted no time setting things straight. It made me wonder what had taken me so long to take charge of my therapy!

After PT I drove the short distance to the Route 35 parking area in Standish for access to the Sebago to the Sea Trail . This area between Otter Pond and Sebago Lake is about 5 miles, mostly dirt. There are numerous options for more double track, snowmobile trails, and single track in this stretch. It all depends on how adventurous you are feeling and how much you mind getting lost. (If that's not your thing, just stick to the trails on the map, which you can find on the above link.)

The temperature was right around 50 with a heavy over cast and an occasional drizzle. In other words, it was great running weather! I ran out to the lake on the main trail, working in my three miles of tempo. The point where the trail comes out to the lake is a beautiful secluded beach. I swam there a few times in the summer. It is very close to the Portland Water District boundary, but not within it so swimming is allowed. I skipped the swim today. I did some exploring on the way back and ended up with about a twelve mile run.

Fall Running Fun and Unsolicited Health Advice

2011-11-27T09:51:00.005-05:00

Running at this time of year can be challenging. Many runners have been racing frequently through the past 6 or 7 months and are just feeling tired and burnt out. Many are nursing injuries from months of intense training. Add cold weather, slippery trails, short daylight hours, hunters in the woods, and holiday and family obligations, and we can begin to see why so many of us have trouble keeping our weekly mileage up in the Fall.

I haven't raced since April. I have just had an entire month of very easy running followed by another month of gradual build up back to normal mileage following shoulder surgery. I'm still not working due to mobility and strength restrictions my surgeon has imposed on me. So here I am at a time of year when I am normally emotionally and physically worn out on running, feeling excited and energetic and raring to go! I am still not convinced I need to return to racing to fully enjoy my running and get the most out of it, but that might come. Either way, it's all good.

I have been spending a lot of time on the local Ossipee River trails, both in running shoes and on snow shoes. I have also been out exploring a new-to-me network of trails in Parsonsfield. This is the kind of running that originally lured me away from road racing and into the woods. Put me out on the trail alone (or with my dog) with a vague idea about where I am going and I find myself smiling and happy and at peace.

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I am going to have to work hard over the Winter to regain my upper body strength. I will start as soon as I am physically able. Now for a bit of unsolicited health advice. (It's my Blog and I can write what I want). Upper body and core strength is extremely important for peri-menopausal women, especially for runners as we tend to be of lighter build. Bone density loss and muscle mass loss are natural effects of hormonal changes that occur in women in their mid forties and beyond. Being of a light build to begin with intensifies these effects. These changes can lead to osteoporosis and arthritis. I know, every pound adds so many seconds to your 5K time and muscle adds pounds, but good health is so much more important than age group wins! There are a few skinny fifty-ish running women I know who are already showing postural changes. I have seen running photos posted on Facebook that are down right alarming. I would advise all light framed women runners in their forties and beyond to ask about bone density testing at their annual physicals and to regularly participate in strength workouts.

Parsonsfield Woods

2011-11-21T16:22:00.003-05:00

We got some great mountain biking in over the weekend. Saturday we rode the FOMBA trails for about two and a half hours. This took some leg work and I was pooped by the end of the day. Sunday we rode easy on the ATV trails in Parsonsfield to give Scout some exercise and some practice running with the bikes. He was a little excitable and unpredictable for the first few minutes, but he settled down and did great.

There are nice single track mountain bike trails in the Parsonsfield area very close to where we live. But things are a little complicated there. The land, the Leavitt Plantation , is conservation land, open to public recreational use. Before this became public, a local man started building mountain bike trails (with land owners permission) and running a business offering guided mountain bike rides. When the land became open for public use, things got a little weird. The man still doesn't want anyone using his trails unless they pay him for guided rides. I understand this, he has been making a living with this business for several years and doesn't want to start giving it away for free! But at the same time, if I'm out running and exploring on land open for public use and I happen to stumble upon some nice single track, I'm not able to resist. I think mountain biking on the trails would give me more pause, but foot travel seems okay. Still, I feel sneaky running there. Jeepers, I don't want to get involved in some political battle over trail rights!

Anyway, today I dressed up in my crazy blazy orange and ran for two and a half hours of double and single track trails. It's not easy to keep a low profile when you are glowing orange, but I hoped I wouldn't run into the trail builder. At first I wasn't feeling completely comfortable with the woods full of hunters and the possessive trail builder on the loose, but pretty soon I got lost in my own thoughts and started enjoying myself. I never saw or heard a soul. There are so many tote roads, single track trails, and ATV trails out there that I ran out of time before I ran out of trail. I hope to go back tomorrow to explore further.

Physical Therapy Rant

2011-11-18T08:24:00.002-05:00

Physical therapy is currently a big part of my life, and it is pure torture. Not in the sense that I am made to work incredibly hard with copious amounts of sweat and tears involved, but in the sense that it is the most boring and non-productive part of my day. I had been to this particular physical therapy center in the past and had a therapist who was creative and dynamic. He kept things interesting and challenging. All the clients in the gym were kept working hard and there was constant interaction between the Physical Therapists/PT assistants and the clients. The staff were all athletic and fit. I left there each day, feeling that I had made progress.

So when I had to chose some place to go for rehabilitation of my shoulder, I chose the same place. But times have changed there. The old staff has moved on and there is now a staff of young men in their twenties. Like their predecessors, they are also athletes...but of the arm chair variety. They talk (to each other) about professional sports teams, high school sports, statistics, coaches, sports products, and the TV sports schedule. They do this while hunched over their lap tops documenting on their client's progress. I understand electronic documentation. I'm a health care professional myself and have to spend a lot of time documenting on my lap top. Yet, I am able to do this in a manner that shows my patients that they are the center of my attention while I am with them. Documentation can be caught up on between patients.

How well has my therapist gotten to know me over the past month and a half? Well, he knows I mountain bike, since that was the cause of my injury. He doesn't know that I run or hike or work out with weights or cross country ski. This is important stuff to know if you are trying to help a person return to their baseline level of activity. He knows I am almost fifty (gasp) and he treats me like an old woman. He'll say (or send his assistant over to say), "bicep curls with two pound weights, 3 sets of 10." I have progressed to 10 pound weights at home and was easily doing thirty pound weights before the injury, but he won't listen to me about that. He'll say something like, "we all lose muscle mass as we age." Granted, almost all of their patients these days are elderly, mostly hip and knee replacements it appears, and most of them seem content to sit around waiting for their next exercise to be prescribed. It is the most sedentary, desolate, morgue-like "gym" I have ever been in! This is supposed to be a sports physical therapy center, and it used to be one! What the heck happened?

Yesterday I spoke up on my way out. I spoke loud enough that the row of boyish heads bent over laptops all looked up briefly. I said, "this is a big waste of my time. You people are not doing anything to help me. I can do all this at home by myself." This emboldened an elderly man lying on an exam table to speak up, "and I've been laying here with this ice pack on my knee for almost an hour!" I was hoping others would join in the protest and the gym would finally see some excitement. But the others kept shuffling around with their walkers or pulling on their resistance bands or squeezing their tennis balls between their knees. They didn't even seem to take notice. Most of them were probably sleeping through their therapy.

One of the staff responded. It wasn't my therapist, it was the young guy who strolls around picking up dirty towels and rounding up escaped exercise balls. He said, "You'll be able to do more as you get stronger. It will get better." He didn't sound very convincing. Nobody has checked my strength since the first visit, so how are they ever going to know when I "get stronger"? Heads bent back down to laptops. Nobody made a move to relieve the old guy of his ice pack.

So why do I continue to go? Because my surgeon insists that I complete 10 weeks of physical therapy before I can return to work. Maybe I should switch to a different PT center. My insurance is restrictive about where I can go, but there are other options. I hate to switch horses mid-stream, but it might be necessary. I will definitely give my input about the center to their parent company. I don't like to criticize any one's work in this day of job insecurity, but insurance, medicare, and patient's money is being spent in abundance on inferior services, and this isn't acceptable. Worse, my time is being wasted!

Enough of this, I have a physical therapy appointment to get to. I think I'll bring along a book today.

Bradbury Mountain Biking

2011-11-14T11:37:00.004-05:00

Bradbury mountain biking was a lot of fun yesterday! It was the first time I have ridden my bike on single track trail since my rotator cuff repair surgery. I still have almost no strength in my left arm and limited range of motion, which is normal for 7 weeks post op. I can't lift or pull at all.I wasn't sure how I'd do on the rocky, rooty Bradbury trails, but I was willing to give it a try. I brought along my running shoes, just in case I found the riding to be too difficult.

I was nervous and overly cautious for the first few miles. It isn't much fun riding without confidence and feeling fearful! But after those few warm up miles I began to figure out what I could and couldn't do, and began to find ways to maneuver the bike over small obstacles without pulling up with my left arm (basically by crashing and bulling my way through). We stayed away from the few areas which would require me to do big "step ups", like the technical portion of Bat Cave. Most of the other trails were very ridable for me, with a few places where I stepped off the bike rather than try something I might not have the arm strength to pull off. Within a half hour after starting, I had a huge smile on my face and was loving it! Boy, have I missed riding single track on the mountain bike with Kevin!

Back in the Saddle and Running the Green Hills Preserve

2011-11-08T08:32:00.004-05:00

I got back on the mountain bike this past weekend! It has taken this long just to get to this point where I can lift my left arm high enough to keep it on the handlebars comfortably. We started out by cautiously cruising the streets of Kezar Falls on Saturday. Then on Sunday we took the bikes and Scout out on the ATV trails in Parsonsfield. This isn't the same as riding single track, but the ATV trails are wide enough for me to go around obstacles instead of over. My shoulder still can't lift the front wheel or tolerate jolting, so technical riding is out of the question for now. Even so, I was thrilled to be back on the bike in the woods. What a beautiful and happy day that was!

Monday I wanted to do a long trail run. Lately, I have been sticking to the trails near the Ossipee River for hunting season. This is a relatively narrow strip of land that abuts school property for a good portion of it. Hunting is illegal within 500 feet of a school, which leaves an even narrower strip for anyone wishing to hunt there. So hunters just don't go in there. I can run about 6 miles of single track and snowmobile trails in there, but for anything longer I have to start repeating trails. I wanted to go somewhere where I could travel!

With three accidental hunting shootings in three days here in Maine, I thought New Hampshire might be a better choice for my long run. I looked in my old battered White Mountain Guide to see what the authors might have to say regarding traveling through the woods during deer season. They advise that "hunters tend to avoid areas where it would be difficult to haul a deer out of." My own philosophy has always been that "hunters tend to avoid areas where it would be difficult to haul themselves into." With those thoughts in mind, I decided on the Green Hills Preserve of North Conway.

I started from the Chatham end of Hurricane Mountain Road and entered the single track at the high point of the road. I ran toward Pudding Pond, climbing all the peaks except Cranmore, which I forgot. This run took me up Hurricane Mountain Road from both ends, once at the start of my run and again at the end. I don't know what the grade of this road is, I would guess it's something between plenty and excessive. It's about 2 1/2 miles to the highest point from either end. I was out for about 4 and a half hours, and the only somewhat level running was in the Pudding Pond area. It was a very enjoyable run on a beautiful sunny warm day. I only saw three solo hikers and one mountain biker throughout the run, not a single hunter.

Stone Mountain

2011-11-01T09:58:00.004-04:00

Saturday, Kevin and I hiked up Stone Mountain, elevation 1620 feet. Over the years I have hiked and run over and around neighboring Burnt Meadow Mountain countless times and was always curious about the interesting peaks to the South. The first time Kevin hiked up Burnt Meadow Mt with me a few years ago, he spotted the beginnings of a new trail and pointed it out to me saying, "That's going to take us over to those other peaks when it's done." Now thanks to the work of the Friends of the Burnt Meadow Mountains and the Maine AMC, Stone Mountain is easily accessable to anyone with a little leg and lung power. It is a steep hike in places with interesting terrain along the way. There is a wonderful view from just over the summit.

The Friends of the Burnt Meadow Mountains will soon have its own web site. They have big plans as seen in this article in the Conway Daily Sun . Kevin and I are very excited about having a network of new trails nearby. We would gladly volunteer our time and efforts to help with this project.

Mt Cutler, A Rugged Little Hill

2011-10-27T08:11:00.002-04:00

Mount Cutler is a little mountain in Hiram Maine with an elevation of 1234 feet. I explored this area before and enjoyed the rugged terrain and beautiful views. Yesterday I drove the 10 miles or so to Hiram Village and headed out with Scout. The direct route up is extremely steep with drop offs and ledges, and I didn't want to take Scout over that as I don't know how good his puppy judgement is. Instead we ran down the snowmobile trail for a good long out and back, then started up the Saco Ridge Trail. This trail is blazed in red and leaves the snowmobile trail about a mile or so from the trail head parking. In the Spring I had trouble staying on this trail, but now it has been freshly blazed and appears to have been well traveled over the summer.

The mountain is small, only a hill really, but it is steep and rugged. I alternated running and walking up to the ridge. Along the way there is a little spur that cuts over to the Old Saco Ridge Trail that offers a very nice view of the Saco Valley and Hiram Village. I accidently continued on the Old Saco Trail and found myself going down a slippery slope that was so steep that Scout just wouldn't or couldn't stop! When we got down where it was a little more level I thought things out and realized we shouldn't be heading down already and the blazes had turned to blue. Oh well, we turned around and scrambled back up and found our turn.

Continueing over the red blazed trail we enjoyed views of the Hiram Hills, Baldwin, and the White Mountains. Snow covered Mount Washington was as clear as could be from several overlooks. The Saco Valley still has some nice folliage, very golden and yellow and glowing. All of the ridge is very runnable, but one must be careful because there are a few places where it is easy to loose the trail. One can easily find himself on a different hiking trail, an ATV trail, or in the middle of a bush whack and have to back track. I did this several times last time I was here.
Yesterday I did better.

Instead of completing the loop down the direct steep ledgy trail that we had avoided to begin with, I took the White Flag trail through a gentler, more wooded and longer route down. Strangely, the blazes abruptly changed from white to blue half way down, which caused me to stop and back track to where they changed, just to be sure i was still on the trail. I was, so I continued down.

This trail comes out on Hiram Hill Road, a little distance from the village where the trail head parking is. If you do this loop, and I highly reccomend it, turn right when you hit the paved Hiram Hill Rd and run about 1/4 mile down the road, looking for the rail road tracks on your right. Follow the tracks and they'll complete the loop taking you directly to your car.

The loop isn't longer than 4 or 5 miles at most, but you can easily get 10 or more miles in on the nicely groomed snowmobile trails that circle the mountain. Be prepared for some walking on the climb, no matter which trail you use. This mountain is known for its rugged steepness. And bring a camera (I left my new camera in the car), the views are incredible!

Mud, Sweat, and Gears at the KT

2011-10-24T16:53:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, Kevin and I had to make the 2 1/2 hour drive back up to East Burke, Vermont to meet with the guy selling us his cabin. We went early so we could spend some time on the Kingdom Trails (KT) first. I expected Kevin to take off on his bike while I ran the trails and we would meet up later. But when I told Kevin I wanted to run the trails nearer the mountain to see what they were like, he decided to escort me on the bike. These trails aren't as well maintained nor as well used as the other single track. They were very slippery due to wet leaves and mud. I was glad to be running and not riding!

We started out with about 5 miles of pretty steady climbing over greasy trails. With these types of conditions, I had an easy time keeping up with Kevin on his bike. It was good hard steady work for both of us and my legs were feeling it at the top. Honestly, if it wasn't for Kevin's company I would have walked some of the climb. After the steady climb, there were a lot of rolling hills. Mcgills fields were flatter and less muddy, but then we entered the woods again. We hit a lot of mud on the Frost Hill Trail. We later learned that this trail isn't maintained for biking any more. That would explain why it was completely churned up with moose prints and the bridges were rotted and dangerous for the bike. I was very careful with my footing, but managed to fall once anyway.

Since starting to run against the advise of my surgeon, I have continuously drilled into myself that "if I slip or trip I absolutely will not put out my left arm to catch myself!" And I guess this self brain washing worked, because when I went down I let my left arm dangle and flop wherever it wanted to go and I tried to stop myself with my right arm only. I landed mostly on my chest and abdomen, but my right arm did prevent my face from going into the mud. My left arm was sprawled comfortably at my side with my left hand under my hip. I knocked the wind out of myself, which always feels like Hell. I also bruised my left pinky finger. But that was it! I was pretty amazed that conditioning myself to protect my left shoulder worked even though I hadn't had time to give it any thought as I fell.

By the time we crossed the road and started the easier and flatter White School Trail to head back to town, we had already covered about 8 or 9 miles of mud and hills. I was supposed to incorporate 30 minutes at tempo pace on this run, but I started reasoning with myself. "Heck, all that mud and all that climbing has to equal more than thirty minutes of tempo." But now that the trail was not muddy and not technical and not steady climbing, Kevin was starting to ride out ahead and then stop and wait for me to catch up. I didn't want to make his ride completely void of fun, so I picked up the pace and soon found myself running my thirty (plus) minutes of tempo after all.

It really was a great work out. Misery loves company, but with Kevin's company there really wasn't much misery. Despite the messy conditions, hills, and a fall, I enjoyed it!

Cabin Fever

2011-10-22T10:12:00.003-04:00

Kevin and I spent the past week in Acadia National Park. We had planned the trip before I knew I needed surgery on my shoulder. We had originally hoped to do a lot of biking and hiking there. I am making excellent progress and hope to return to work this week or next, but biking and strenuous hiking are still out of the question. We camped at the Black Woods Campground and enjoyed wonderful Fall weather until Wednesday night and Thursday, when we had heavy rain. Our tent kept us perfectly dry and happy. We did some hiking, some sight seeing, and I ran the carriage trails while Kevin biked beside me. We also over-ate and over-drank in Bar Harbor a few times. It was a nice get away. I've been suffering from a terrible case of cabin fever since being on leave from work, so this was just what I needed!

Speaking of cabin fever, we are very happy to be in the process of purchasing a cabin in Burke, Vermont! We spend a lot of time there in North East Vermont. We love the mountain biking, Nordic skiing, snow boarding, snow shoeing, and trail running in the area. The cabin will make things much easier and nicer for us. We'll be driving there tomorrow to meet with the seller and take another look around. I'm trying not to get my heart set on it until the actual closing occurs, but I'm pretty darned excited. Hopefully Kevin will get a chance to mountain bike and I can run the trails while we are there tomorrow.

Yesterday I ran the local trails with Scout and Kevin. Kevin walks while I run, so we split up and re-join and criss-cross paths while we are out there. Scout gets a little confused and worried when we seperate. He wants us all to stick together in one happy dog pack, but he is getting used to it. I had him run a couple of miles with me and then handed him off to Kevin. Scout is doing really well on the trails and is a joy to run with. He still likes to throw in some good fast puppy sprints here and there. I do my best to go with him on these, but it's hard work.

While I love running the trails, I am really missing mountain biking. Whatever trail I am running on I find myself looking for the best line for the bike, picturing my wheels lifting over obstacles, and jumping off stumps and rocks while holding imaginary handlebars. It's been too long! I am starting to look at things in the trail and think to myself, "did I really used to ride my bike over that?" I sure hope that my skills and confidence come back to me fast when I can start riding again. And I sure hope I can get back on the bike before the snow falls!

Getting Back At It

2011-10-17T09:02:00.003-04:00

This past week I was permitted to start physical therapy on my left arm. This is the first time I have been allowed to actually move it since surgery, and it feels great (in a painful sort of way.) I will follow up with my surgeon next Monday, and ask about going back to work in some sort of limited capacity. I'm starting to go stir crazy at home.

My running is going well. I wrote up a little training plan to get me back to baseline and have been having no problem following it. I have been out on the trails every single day this past week. I'm starting to allow my left arm to swing, just a tiny bit, while I run. This seems to be helping to loosen up the bicep and forearm, which have both been having frequent painful spasms since the original injury. Yesterday I did some hill repeats, which was not as easy as usual with only one arm pumping and the other doing its tiny little whimpy swings. I managed three 100 meter repeats up the steep loose gravel hill. I have a lot of trouble getting my mountain bike up this hill, so running didn't feel so bad.

Scout is doing great with his trail running skills! We had a close call a few days ago when he met up with a leashed Pit Bull on the trail. Scout thinks every dog and every child wants to play with him, so when he sees one of them he charges over with his tail wagging. When he did this to the Pit Bull, the Pit Bull yanked the leash out of its owners hand and took off after Scout, snarling and growling. I though Scout was a goner! But Scout has been training with me, remember? So he was able to change directions and sprint for his life. He dashed past me, knocking my shin with his cowbell hard enough to draw blood, and spun around me in a tight circle. This slowed the pit bull down enough for its owner to catch up and grab her. I told you Scout was turning into a good runner!

Today, we leave for our vacation in Bar Harbor. We planned this trip before I knew I was going to need surgery. There won't be any cycling for me this year, but I can do some hikes and some runs on the carriage trails! We love Bar Harbor after the tourist season is over.

Cedar Mountain

2011-10-12T16:41:00.002-04:00

Well, now that I am officially not training for anything (thanks to my shoulder injury) I have gotten back to the basics, joyous tromping through the woods for the sake of having fun. Today Scout and I explored a little unmaintained Jeep road off of Merrill Hill Road that I've been eyeing for a while. It turned out to be a nice trail up to Cedar Mountain in North Parsonsfield. I lived in North Parsonsfield and ran the roads and trails around there for about 20 years, but for some reason, I never noticed this road until this past Summer during a run over Merrill Hill.

The climbing was steady and the footing solid. It really was fun running! I was just sorry that it ended after only 2 miles. The good thing was that instead of ending in a log yard, back lawn, or beaver bog (like many of my exploratory runs do) it ended at the ledgy top of Cedar Mountain, elevation 1223 feet. The top provided beautiful views to the Southeast. Scout and I turned around and ran back the same way. This is when I discovered that Scout is a downhill running fiend! He was sprinting and jumping and chasing his tail and crashing into trees and bushes all the way down the hill, all the while letting out his little growls and grumbles that he makes when he is happy. I only have the one functioning arm right now, so I had to be cautious and slow, but he never left me for long. He wears a cow bell in the woods and he never got so far ahead that I couldn't hear him.

When we got back to the car we crossed the road and ran up Merrill Hill and down again. All in all, a great hill work day. After checking the Google map, I think I should be able to find a way to connect this trail to one of the little jeep roads that come up the other side of Cedar Mountain from Middle Rd. I'll save that for another day.

The Numbers Are In!

2011-10-10T08:36:00.005-04:00

Anyone who knows me or follows my Blog knows that I'm not a "numbers person". I usually don't know exactly how far I've run or how long it took. I usually don't know what place I've come in for a race or my finish time. I can't reel off my PR's at various distances without looking them up. I don't know weekly mileage totals, my resting heart rate, or my exact weight. I don't even know my husband's cell phone number! But...the numbers are in for my second week post-op! Last week I ran 33 miles and walked 10 miles. This is better progress than I expected and I'm excited about it.

I did several 3-4 mile trail runs with Scout and a mid-week 6 mile road run with Mary. Friday, I met Brian and Tom for a preview of the new recreational trail from Biddeford to Kennebunk. Coincidentally, Brian's arm is in a plastic splint from a tennis injury. With my arm in a sling and strapped tightly to my side and Brian in his splint, walkers on the trail probably wondered when running became a contact sport. Both men had signed up for the out and back half marathon to be held on this trail next weekend. Neither was in top shape for various reasons so this was a trial run for them. The trail is very nice, both scenic and flat. The surface is packed crushed stone. I enjoyed the leisurely pace and good conversation. I think both Tom and Brian proved to themselves that fit or not, they can both finish the half marathon in good form. I'll be checking the results, so they'd better!

Saturday, Kevin and I drove to East Burke. It was a very busy mountain biking weekend there. They close the trails November first, so riders are taking advantage of the prime trail conditions while they can. I strapped my arm down, put my Nathan pack on, and started out. I ran the familiar trails in the opposite direction we usually ride. Most riders familiar with the trails ride the same direction we usually do, so I didn't meet many cyclists on the trail during the morning portion of my run. When I got to Heaven's Bench I looked for Kevin. I just figured he'd be near there around that time, I reached him by cell phone and he joined me within five minutes. Kevin biked with me and showed me some trails that I usually don't bike due to their very skinny and long bridges! It was fun to run them.

We parted ways and I crossed Darling Hill Road and started back toward the vehicle. These trails were a little congested with mountain bikers, but it is so easy to hear them coming and just step off the trail so they can pass. Not one of them seemed out of control or unable to avoid me if they had to. Throughout the day, many of them gave me praise and encouragement, "Now that's dedication!" "Way to get up that hill!" "Didn't we see you over on East Branch? I can't believe you're still running!" It kept me feeling strong.

With another mile or two to go, I met a Grandma on her commuter bike on the easy Bemis Trail. She had lost her grand kids and her way. We studied the map together and I showed her that she had to turn around and go the direction I was headed, the way she had just come. She came close to tears, "I'm not riding up and down all those hills again! I am not riding over those little bridges again and through all that mud!" I suggested an alternate plan, cut through a hay field and ride back on the road. I was happy to see her riding up the road and reaching the parking area at the exact same time I arrived on foot from the woods. She had a big smile on her face and waved to me. I felt glad that her day was getting better. The grand kids probably got Hell from her later.

Sunday, I was toast. I laced up and tried to do a short trail run, but it turned into a walk. That's OK. Sometimes I just need a walk in the woods. Kevin took his bike out and we worked on training the puppy to run with the bike. Scout did great! He doesn't have any fear of the bike and does a good job staying out of the way... for the most part. There was one scary moment when Kevin was riding over the narrow Clencher behind Scout and Scout suddenly stopped. I wasn't sure which one of them was going to tumble down the steep slope into the river. Luckily, Kevin was able to keep the trail and Scout rolled and slid a very short way down the slope before merrily trotting back up to the trail. No harm done.

After we got home, Scout reminded us that although he is big, he is still just a puppy. He grabbed my camera off my desk and chewed it into pieces when we weren't looking. Enjoy the photos on this post, they are the last ones from the camera!

North Yarmouth "Flats"

2011-10-05T16:43:00.004-04:00

I really hate to draw attention from the general public. I'm not loud, I don't dress with a lot of flare, I don't tell people at work what I do for fun, and I don't need compliments or flattery from anyone but my husband. I'd rather stand back and take it all in. OK, I admit it, I once got a lot of attention when I drank too much at the Tamarack Grill and got way too involved with a name-that-tune competition, at one point almost standing on my bar stool shouting incorrect answers, but that was a rare exception.

Today I took to the streets of North Yarmouth with my running friend, Mary. She has recently relocated there from North Conway. We could have headed over to nearby Bradbury Mountain or even closer, Pineland Farms, but she wanted to show me her new neighborhood. Plus, she's more of a road runner than a trail runner. So I willingly (reluctantly) strapped on my big black Velcro strap over my bulky sling and set out to run for the first time in public with my sling. People out running or walking their dogs or pushing baby strollers looked at me and shook their heads as if to say, "what an idiot." They were the same kind of looks I give people who I see out running in the middle of busy roads in heavy snow storms. Oh well, let them think I'm some kind of running fanatic, Mary and I know better.

At the start of our run, Mary announced, "we are not slow! We just have been running hilly and mountainous routes all this time! You'll be amazed how fast and how far we can run today on the flats of North Yarmouth!" I was not all that amazed and we didn't run all that fast or all that far. But we had a lot of fun.

Mary (a former Maine Marathon winner more than once) has a new scheme. She says, and I quote, "you and I are going to train like we used to and show up at the Maine Marathon next year and blow everyone away!" I looked at her skeptically and she continued, "we just have to find some desire... and some motivation... and some discipline...OK, so maybe we won't blow everyone away, but we can probably finish it." You know, I haven't run a marathon in a long time. Maybe I'm due!

Bear Brook Fun

2011-09-28T08:02:00.002-04:00

I did a walk/jog at Bradbury with Scout on Monday, while Kevin enjoyed some good, slippery mountain biking there. During this outing, I worked out some of the kinks involved with running trails with a painful and immobilized left arm. By Tuesday, I was ready for some serious trail running so we drove over to Bear Brook State Park.

Before starting out, I attached my upper arm, just below the shoulder, to my torso with a wide, padded, Velcro strap. Along with the big complicated sling that I have to wear all the time, this kept my left arm completely immobile. I tried jumping up and down in the parking area to be sure. It was as if my arm and torso were fused together. And what if I tripped? No way could I reach out with that left arm, I'd have to save myself with one arm or land on my face in the dirt. The shoulder was completely safe! Look, I do not want to have to go through this again, I'm being careful.

The published map of Bear Brook State Park that the park service hands out has been around since the seventies. It is obviously inaccurate and incomplete. I have heard from a very reliable source that a current and accurate map has been made and submitted, but for some reason never published and put into circulation. I guess that's government bureaucracy at work. Anyway, I've been on these trails lots of times on the bike and a few times on foot, but always as a follower. This day I was setting out on my own. I had Kevin go over the turns and land marks of the loop I wanted to make, then I had him draw up a crude map, just to play it safe. I was off!

Although my surgery was only on my shoulder, it has effected my overall well being to an unbelievable extent. I blame this on all the medications (toxins) that were introduced to my body... powerful IV antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, anti-histamines, anesthesia, amnesiacs, pain medications (including Fentanyl, Dilaudid, and Oxycodone), anti-emetics (I puked anyway)...all before even leaving the hospital. My head has been fuzzy ever since! I urinated every hour for about 36 hours after getting home as my body tried to rid itself of all that stuff. My sweat still smells like medicine 4 days later! Anyway, the point is that I can run fine, but still have to take walk breaks frequently in order to keep my vision focused and my head clear. But I found myself having a lot of fun and feeling extremely happy to be out in such a beautiful area on such a gorgeous day.

I ran down Little Bear, up part of Salt Lick to the sand pit, and onto Hemlock. Hemlock is a beauty of a trail, with lots of little climbs and descents. Just after crossing a little bridge at the bottom of a hill, I heard the whirring sound of a mountain biker coming downhill behind me at a fast pace. I recognized the sound of the bike before I could even see it through the trees and called out to Kevin, "hey, I know that bike." Kevin and I stopped for a minute to say hi, but then moved on at our own paces. I crossed the paved park road onto Pitch Pine, then Broken Boulder. I paused to look for the Bobcat Trail. Again I heard the familiar sound of Kevin's bike and asked without looking, "excuse me sir, is this Bobcat?" And he replied as he rode by, "what'd you say? You lost your bobcat?" and kept going. We met up several times throughout our journeys, although I was only running about 6 or 8 miles and Kevin was riding about three times as far.

I found my turn for Bobcat and had a nice long cruise back to Haye's Field. There, I set up my camp chair and sat in the shade waiting for Kevin for another hour or so, completely contented. I don't have to be one hundred percent fit and healthy to be happy. I just have to get outdoors and expend a little energy. I think I'm going to get through this recovery process just fine!

I commented on a fellow runner-mountain biker's Blog that a good way to learn the biking trails at Bear Brook is to attend NembaFest. I didn't want to plug on someone else's Blog so I'll do it here in case any of you mountain biking runners are interested. Nemba Fest is a completely non-competitive event so leave your race attitudes at home and go have some fun.

Full Circle?

2011-09-25T15:41:00.002-04:00

Instead of running the Virgil Crest 100 this weekend, I walked 3 miles on trails with several rest breaks. I had surgery on my left rotator cuff Friday and have been reduced to a vomiting, light-headed gimp with my left arm immobilized at my side. Does this upset me? No. I'm spending my down time thinking up fitness goals and adventure plans. The future is looking bright!

I plan to start a new round of P90X in November to build this left spaghetti arm back into shape (along with the rest of my skinny, hundred miler trained body.) I plan to get plenty of late Autumn/early Winter mountain biking in with Kevin this year. I plan to be back to 100% for cross country skiing this Winter. Winter trail running is some of my favorite running. Snow shoe running and winter hiking are wonderful. Also, Kevin and I are planning a Spring time mountain biking trip to the Fruita Trails in Colorado. And...I've been thinking about 5K's for next year!

Yes, 5K's. Thirty-something years ago I started out running track, then cross country, then 5K's, then 10K's, half marathons, and finally marathons. Next came a 50 miler, and finally a hundred miler. About 10 years ago I got stuck on Ultras. I haven't really raced any shorter distances since then. Ultras have been fun and I've enjoyed a modest amount of success at them over the years. But everyone is doing them now. They have become main stream, expensive, and (cringe) cool. They are the new Triathlon. The last thing I ever hope to be is cool. I'm all for disappearing into the woods and running for hours and hours. I just don't want to have to put my name in a lottery to do it, spend a small fortune if I do get picked, and then squeeze down the trail with hoards of other runners. I'll stick to my solo adventure runs and do a few long runs with small groups of friends. That's still fun.

The more I think back on the modest fees, same day sign-ups, small fields, low key events, and non-existent bragging rights I remember from small local 5K races, the more appealing they are to me. If I still have an 18 minute 5K in me, (OK, I'm a lot older, let's say a 22 minute 5K) I can finish running with plenty of time for a good long mountain bike ride or hike with Kevin. I can run 40 mile training weeks instead of 80. I can run and race, but be a lot more than just "a runner." 5K's, what a novel idea. I think I've come full circle.

Fast Twitch muscles, wake up, I know you're in there! I'm gonna need your help with this.

Little Feet on the Trail

2011-09-14T13:34:00.005-04:00

When Kevin and I first met, we talked a lot about all the time we both spent on the trails. I had a love for running, skiing, and hiking in the woods, and Kevin enjoyed mountain biking, snowshoeing, and hiking the trails. These conversations almost always evolved into talking about the trail, not the activity. Kevin was doing a lot of trail building and maintenance in the Southern New Hampshire area at the time. He told me, "trail work has become a passion all its own." For me the trails and the woods were often a bigger draw than the activity itself, but trail work? Hmmm, I guess I hadn't actually done a whole lot of that. Well, now after helping Kevin with his Ossipee River Trail project and seeing local people enjoy the trails and praise them and wonder who has done all the work there, I understand!

After Hurricane Irene went through, there was a lot of work that needed to be done on these trails. With a few re-routes, some chain saw work, and a lot of raking and clearing, Kevin had every single one of the trails in perfect condition within a week. I never even got a chance to get out there to lend a hand. He was driven to get the work done. It's his passion, remember?

On today's late morning trail run on the Ossipee River Trails, I was surprised to hear the excited chattering of young children as I ran down Black Forest. Unlike the popular River Run Trail, not many people have discovered Black Forest. We've seen a few mountain bike tire tracks that weren't ours, evidence that Horsey Sue has tried riding her horse through Black Forest (not a good trail for equestrians, by the way,) and the very occasional teen aged couple looking for a place for romance (again, not a good choice, it's pretty soggy out there.) People sightings on Black Forest remain a rare thing. Today, as I rounded a bend I came face to face with a single file line of second graders led by their school teacher. They were out on a nature hike, enjoying the beautiful Fall day. They enthusiastically pointed out mushrooms, chipmunks, and mud to each other. I stepped off the trail with a happy heart and let them pass.

I had a spring in my step and a smile on my face for the rest of my run. I loved the little sneaker prints in the damp soil. As I jumped over a big stump in the middle of the trail, I imagined the line of kids having fun hopping up onto it and then down off the other side, one by one. As I crossed the little plank bridge over a pretty babbling brook, I imagined the kids probably liked the sound of the water gurgling below. I wondered if they had been too noisy to hear the Spring water bubbling just below the soil and roots they were walking on for a good portion of the trail. As I came to the end of the trail I turned and looked back at the little sign, high up in an Oak Tree that reads "Black Forest." If any of them had noticed that, I'm sure they were intrigued. I can't wait to share all this with Kevin. I know it will make him happy.

Puppy Sprints, Trail Conditions, and Awesome Biking

2011-09-06T06:58:00.002-04:00

I haven't been just sitting around icing my shoulder while I wait for surgery, I've been running and riding the trails every chance I get! I can run 5 miles or so before my arm starts throbbing and it seems I can mountain bike all day without a problem... as long as I don't fall doing either one of those things.

The local Ossipee River Trails are seeing a lot of use these days! They are perfect for 5-6 mile runs. I've been running in the evenings, while Kevin walks our puppy, Scout on the trails. I catch up to them at the end and finish my work out with "puppy sprints." Growing pups aren't supposed to do long slow distance, it's not good for their bones and joints, but sprints are just what they need and crave. Scout and I run wildly down the trail for 20 or 50 or 100 yards, over and over again. He decides when to start running and doesn't give me much warning, then he decides when to stop and gives me even less warning. When the session is over, after 3 or 10 or 25 sprints (pups are unpredictable) he slows to walk and blocks the trail in front of me to signal that we're done.

The Ossipee River Trails were hit hard by Tropical Storm Irene. Kevin spent a lot of time and has River Run completely cleared. He has also removed all the big stuff with his chain saw from all the other trails. I'll get out there on my day off this week and start throwing branches and debris out of the trail. It seems funny to me, but "Horsey Sue" has been riding her horse up and down River Run over and over again since it is the only trail that is completely cleared. Wouldn't you think she'd leave the horse at home one day and get out on the trails and do a little work so she could get back onto the other trails quicker?

This past weekend Kevin and I rode both days on the Kingdom Trails in East Burke, Vermont. It was a little challenging getting there with parts 302 and parts of the Kanc closed, but we managed. The trails had seen a lot of flooding, but only a few were still closed and the ones that were open were in great shape. They really have a good thing going there. If you've never been, picture a quaint little town that revolves around mountain biking. On the weekends, the parking lots are full, people are riding mountain bikes up and down the streets, sprawled in the grass beside their bikes, changing clothes, loading and unloading bikes from car carriers... I was over whelmed when I first went there. But, once you get onto the beautiful flowing trails, you don't see many riders at all. With over a hundred miles of trails, there is plenty of elbow room. This past weekend, we talked about doing some of the lift assisted downhill riding at Burke Mountain, but ended up staying on the cross country trails. We just have so much fun on them!

Toward the end of our ride Sunday, the sky started getting dark and we could hear thunder in the distance. We started seeing lightening zig-zagging down onto the nearby mountains and the wind started picking up. We rode out of the woods and started heading up Darling Hill Road toward out vehicle...and so did everyone else. It was strange to see all these mountain bikers emerging from the woods and fields and dirt roads and head up the hill. I looked ahead and saw a line of bikes as far as the eye could see, and more and more were joining the line as we went. Kevin and i started picking up the pace a little because the storm was coming. We were merciless as we passed rider after rider. Kevin took off on me half way there. With an approaching storm, it's every man for himself! We made it back and got the bikes loaded just as the torrential down pour started. I jumped into the truck, but then decided I might as well wash off some of the mud. I got out and stood in the icy rain. It was coming down sideways because if the wind and it scrubbed me clean in no time. I didn't last long out there, but it felt great!

I have two more weeks before I have my surgery and will be out of commission for a while. I'll get all the biking and running in that I can in that time!

Pain in the A#!

2011-08-26T07:23:00.005-04:00

Arm, that is.

I've put in a few less-than-fascinating long runs since my last post, but they weren't the sort of runs that make for great blogging. My left upper chest hurt when I ran, which made for some unpleasant running. I'm a nurse, I couldn't help thinking, "left chest? It must be my heart!" I remember feeling that I couldn't get a good deep breath while doing the steeper climbs at MMD. Afterwards I noticed I felt "winded" and sore just running uphill easy or mountain biking up small hills. I went so far as to get my stethoscope out of my bag on one occasion, and attempt to listen to my own heart and lungs after a run. I felt kind of silly when I realized the guy in the next car was watching me. But everything sounded fine, so I correctly attributed it to my injuries from my mountain bike accident on July 10th. My left arm had also remained painful since then and was keeping me awake at night and making me cry out when I moved it in certain ways. Throughout the day and night I had been frequently shouting out, "OW-OW-OW." People were beginning to think I had Torrett's Syndrome.

After my thumb and forefinger became painful and tingling on the effected side during a long run, and stayed that way, I finally decided I needed to go see a doctor. The sports medicine people still had my record on file after almost ten years of no injuries worthy of medical attention (other than the broken neck...and they don't know about that one.) Dr. Bean looked through the record...stress fractures, plantar facciitis, muscle sprains and tears, herniated discs, tendinitis, etc...and mused that I must have given up running about ten years ago. I countered, "no, I'm just not that hard on myself anymore." Overuse injuries haven't been an issue for me in years, it's these darned traumatic injuries from biking. Sometimes I think my bike doesn't like me, what with the way it keeps throwing me off. Kevin's bike doesn't do that to him.

The diagnosis is a rotator cuff tear as seen by X-ray. I'll have an MRI on Monday to determine how extensive it is. I thought for sure the chest and the arm were two different injuries, but it seems the pain all comes from the same spot. Surgery will likely be necessary, but I will try to put it off until I can get some good Fall mountain biking in and attempt to run the Virgel Crest 100 at the end of September. I mentioned to Kevin that whether I had to have surgery before Virgel Crest or not, maybe I could run it with my arm in a sling. He said, "what if you trip?" Oh. I hadn't thought of that. I'd have to figure something out, maybe ace bandage my upper arm to my chest leaving the forearm free? I'll be sure to take photos if it comes to that.

Well, I've had a really great Summer and done a lot of fun stuff. Kevin and I both love the Fall, and no matter what I'm sure we'll have a great one. This weekend we are going back to the scene of the accident, The Kingdom Trails in East Burke, Vermont! I'll be careful. I promise!

Bradbury Mountain Biking

2011-08-07T10:51:00.003-04:00

Kevin and I had a wonderful mountain bike ride at Bradbury State Park yesterday. We started our ride around eleven o'clock, which is perfect for riding there during the weekend. The trail runners are all done and the sun has dried out the worse of the wet spots by then. There are always lots of mountain bikers in the parking lot, but once we get out on the single track, we don't see many. Most of the time we feel like we have the whole place to ourselves!

My left arm is still giving me problems from my crash on Kitchel 3 weeks ago. There is some sort of nerve involvement, I have pain and weakness in the bicep with numbness and pain going all the way down to my thumb and first finger. It seems to be getting better slowly on it's own. This made it a little more difficult for me to get my front wheel up and over things on the bike, but I managed!

We weren't all that blown away by the Bradbury trails the first time we rode there, they were wet and slippery and we didn't know the best directions to ride in or how to smoothly connect trails to make a nice long ride. But we absolutely love riding there now that we know our way around. There are a few tricky places that make me concentrate a little, ascending to bat cave, getting over the stone walls on Island Trail, navigating narrow curvy bridges, and powering up a few rooty rocky ascents. But it is all ridable and fun. I really enjoy trying things that are just a little too difficult for me to ride comfortably. Maybe that's why I keep getting hurt!

We hoped to ride at the Moat Single Track today, but it looks like it's going to be too wet out. We'll probably end up out on the local trails for some work on Kevin's latest project... Bootlegger Island Trail.

MMD Adventure 2011

2011-08-01T08:29:00.006-04:00

Friday evening Kevin and I met Bob N., Bob D., and Rich at Bob N's camp in Jackson for a delicious lasagna dinner and a brief nap before heading over to Barne's Field for the midnight start of the 2011 edition of the More and More Difficult Fun Run through the mountains of New Hampshire. The temperature for the start was comfortable with just a light drizzle. High sustained winds were forecast for the higher elevations starting in the morning, but it looked like we had smooth sailing ahead for the first nighttime portion of our journey. I figured I would just take it one section at a time and deal with what Mother Nature threw my way the best I could.

I ran and fast hiked through the night over the Imp Face, Middle Carter, South Carter, Mt Hight, Carter Dome, and down into Carter Notch in dense fog over extremely slippery rocks and roots. There was a couple running together that I would catch up to now and then, but mostly I was alone. I could only see a foot or two ahead of me through the fog and that was only if I held my headlight in my hand down as low as I could reach. It was sprinkling lightly at times, but it didn't matter because the fog alone was thick enough to soak me through anyway. Luckily the temperature was very mild. I was completely comfortable and content and moving well. I was very happy to be so alone and feel so at peace running through the night time fog. I felt like I was in a little envelope. It was completely still and quiet, except for the sound of my feet on the ground... and the occasional thump when I slipped and hit the ground hard.

I climbed steeply up to Wildcat Ridge and traveled the slippery trail over Wildcat A, B, C, and D as the sun came up. This stretch is always longer than I think it will be. I was happy to reach the ski trails and start down. At the bottom I met up with Patty and Sara and together, we ran to the event's only aid station. I gave Kevin a kiss, had a piece of ham and cheese and a piece of French Toast, refilled my Camelback and started up the Crew Cut Trail with the two women. Unfortunately, we missed the first turn and ended up doing a few extra miles here. With that little off course adventure and an official re-route this year to avoid the slippery Huntington's Ravine, both women came up with just under forty miles on their Garmens by the time all was said and done. So that's what I ended up running this year...a forty mile 50K. These things happen.

The climb up Tuckerman's was annoying as usual, with all the touristy hikers climbing up from the Visitor Center in their inappropriate footwear and chatty demeanors. I can't help it, I'm a bit of a trail snob. Anyway, it was an uneventful climb until we started up the Lion Head and hit the heavy fog again and the first of the strong winds. I've read enough accounts of Himalayan expeditions to know that wind can blow a person off a mountain. OK, maybe it's not so likely in the White Mountains, but I stayed low and hung on! It was brutal. I was still more or less with the other two women and we all reached the summit building together. They said they were going in to sit down and regroup. I stopped just inside the door and told them I was going to refill my water and continue alone. The last thing I wanted to do was sit down in a heated comfortable building. I would never be able to get myself back out into the icy cold Gale. I later learned that all the runners who had arrived before us were still hunkered down in the warm building. Some of them had been there for hours, hemming and hawing about continuing!

Sara and Patty stood here trying to tell me I couldn't or shouldn't go on alone, I wasn't thinking clearly, it wasn't safe, ... when suddenly my good friend Craig came out of nowhere, gave me a big hug, and said, "ready to go?" Craig, with his long white beard, pony tail, bruised and battered legs, and lean mean build is a man who knows the mountains, and it shows. Patty and Sara seemed to feel better about me moving on. I gave them a cheerful "See you down the trail," and headed out the door with Craig. He paused and said "hold on a minute. All the guys in front of you are still here worrying about the weather. I'm going back to tell them you're continuing." Crag had hiked up to participate in the Northern Presidential portion of the run, as his knees won't allow him to do the entire thing anymore. He had found all the front runners hunkered down and had been working on them for a while, but no one was budging. Well, as soon as they heard this little 48 year old woman was going to continue, three of them immediately got up and resumed their journey.

The wind was so strong that it seemed to be trying to rip my contact lenses out of my eyes. I had to cling to rocks in the strongest gusts, just to stay on my feet. We could only see from one cairn to the next through the fog. But through all this Craig and I bantered back and forth and forged ahead. Slowly and steadily we fought the wind over Mt Clay, Mt Jefferson, and Mt Adams. Mt Adams was the worse. The wind was scary strong at the summit. We didn't even pause at the top. I hunkered as low as I could, hugging the rocks, and practically crawled over the top.

Just over the top we came upon a young man with a red beard sitting serenely on a straw mat on the side of the mountain. He had a book beside him and a joint in his hand. He looked at Craig, with his long white beard billowing in the wind, and realized that his Guru had arrived. "I have a question for you," he began. Craig politely stopped and turned his attention to Red Beard. "I've been reading and thinking and trying to figure something out," he said, choosing his words carefully. The wind roared and the fog swirled around us. Red Beard continued,"If the Galaxy is spinning in an ever widening vortex of matter, does it get thinner and thinner towards the outer reaches? And does the size of the stars effect the velocity in which they move?...That is the question." Craig answered him in a philosophical voice, "And that shall remain the question until you discover the answer." Red Beard nodded his head and said, "Ahhhh." As if that was the exact answer he was hoping for. Craig and I looked at each other, shrugged, and moved on.

At Madison Hut, I sat down for the first time in 15 hours. Craig timed us for 10 minutes of blissful sitting and eating. All too soon he gave the two minute warning and it was time to pull ourselves together and head back out into the wind. Up and over Mount Madison we went.

Then it was time for the crazy rock scrambling down Daniel Webster Scout Trail. In case you have never been on this trail, let me describe it for you. Picture sharp edged rock upon sharp edged rock, ranging in size from that of a microwave to that of a refrigerator. All these are perched precariously on an extremely steep slope. To descend this trail, one must carefully hop from rock to rock, avoiding the loose ones and avoiding the cracks between the rocks. I actually enjoyed this part last year. This year my body was stiff and sore from too many slips and falls and stumbles. It was slow and painful work.

I was traveling about ten or fifteen feet behind Craig, looking down at the rocks ahead of me and picking my route, when I heard a strange sound come from Craig. It was kind of a soft, "Oh". I looked up in time to see him launch head first down the mountain. I froze in my tracks and watched helplessly. Craig tumbled head over heels, slid almost to a stop, launched off a big rock, tumbled violently head over heels again, slid quickly a little way further down the slope, almost came to a stop again, bounced off another rock violently, did a third somersault, and landed sideways across the slope with his back against a rock about 30 yards below me.

I yelled, "Don't move! Don't move!" as I did a crazy semi-controlled careen down the slope. I grabbed one of Craig's trekking poles on the way down, thinking I might need it for a splint. When I stopped in front of him, he held up one finger and calmly said, "I'm going to pass out." His eyes rolled up in his head and he twitched for about 5 seconds, long enough for me to think, "head injury! How long will it take rescuers to get here? How will they ever get him off this rocky slope?" I yelled his name and Craig said, without opening his eyes, "I hear a voice." Then he opened his eyes and looked me in the face and said, "Hey it's Laurel!" as if he hadn't seen me in a year.

It took a while before Craig could get up. He had bumps and bruises and lacerations, maybe a few broken fingers, probably a concussion, but nothing all that serious. It was miraculous he wasn't hurt worse! Together, we hiked very slowly down the trail. Craig walked in front and I followed in his footsteps. When I finally got a cell signal, I called and talked to Kevin at camp so everyone would know we were going to take a long time getting there, but we were OK. Once in a while Craig would put his arms out and sway a little and I'd reach forward to grab his pack. Little by little, slowly and carefully, we descended this way. After what seemed like an eternity, we heard people coming up behind us on the trail. This made us both happy. I think we needed a little moral support, we were pretty shook up. It was Patty and Sara. I asked them to hike with us for a bit, explaining about Craig's fall. It felt reassuring to have other people with us, although I'm not sure how that would have helped if Craig collapsed.

Craig seemed better and better as we walked, so I told the women to go on ahead and finish. So they did. When we got close to the trail head I called camp and asked for a vehicle to come pick Craig up. He had said he only thought he had enough left to get out of the woods. There were another two miles of dirt road back to the campground. Kevin was waiting in his truck when Craig and I emerged from the woods. Believe me, I was ready to crawl into the truck with Kevin and Craig and call it a day. But Craig wanted me to run it in for an official finish, so I did.

This makes four MMD finishes out of five attempts. It was a difficult one for me, but I'll be back next year for the tenth running of MMD. Right now I'm going to relax on the front porch with a nice glass of wine and rest my weary bones! Next up, Maine Huts 50 Miler.

MMD Reconnaissance Run

2011-07-15T16:02:00.002-04:00

After last year's struggle to stay on course through the night at MMD, I decided to go on a scouting mission in the daylight a few days ago. The night time segment of MMD is run up the Imp Trail, continuing up the North Carter Trail, and then crossing the Carters and Mt Hight by way of the Carter-Moriah Trail. Next comes the steep climb up Wildcat, by which point the darkness has usually begun to lift. I have run this section of trail in the dark for the past two years at MMD, (we had run different courses for MMD each year until a few years ago). It went fine the first time I ran this route because I was traveling with a group of runners and between us we had plenty of lights and plenty of good sense. Last year I was alone through this section and had some difficulties staying on trail, poor night vision and not such good sense I guess.

I started out my recon run feeling great, but smelling a very bad odor coming from my Camelback. I finally stopped to check and found a left over piece of Ham and cheese sandwich that had been in there for about a week, ripening in the 90 degree weather. I consider myself lucky that I wasn't jumped on by a Black Bear while carrying this bear bait. I hate throwing anything on the ground, but I tossed it off the trail figuring something would eat it pretty quickly.

Once free of that foul odor, the run improved immensely. I am always surprised how steep the climb is up the Northern arm of the Imp Trail. And it just keeps going and going! I found the spot where I first wandered off course in the dark last year. It is a stream crossing where hikers have worn paths up and down the stream looking for better crossings in high water, (note to self, go straight across when I come to this point.)

The turn off for the North Carter Trail is easy to see, even in the dark. I remembered this trail leveling off, but I remembered wrong. It continues to climb steeply upwards. It was after turning onto the Carter-Moriah Trail that the running gets easy and a lot of time can be made up. This trail is runnable in the dark for sections, but it is almost entirely runnable until Zeta Pass in the daylight, (note to self, run more/walk less of this section).

Shortly after Zeta Pass, which you can't miss, comes the left turn to climb Mt Hight, which I learned last year, you can miss, (note to self, start looking for this turn as soon as I go through Zeta Pass).

The climb up Mt Hight isn't easy, but it goes quick. At the top it is difficult to see where the trail goes, even in the daylight. People have wandered all over this ledgy peak looking for views so there are paths everywhere. The trail turns sharply to the right just after it reaches the open ledge. I wandered around in the dark up there for a long time last year, (note to self, sharp right!).

There is some good running after the scramble down Mt Hight, followed by a steep rocky descent to Carter Notch. At the pond, you can turn left and go to the hut or turn right onto 19 Mile Brook for a short distance and then left onto Wildcat Ridge Trail, (note to self, turn right then left!)

I would have liked to continue on to the ski slopes so I could chose the best route down. This varies from year to year, depending on if anything has been mowed or traveled recently. But this day I decided I would run down the 19 Mile Brook Trail so I would only have a mile or two to run on rte 16 back to my car. If I had come out at the ski area, it would be 5 or 6 miles of rte 16 running. My run down 19 Mile Brook was delightful. This is very good running, but unfortunately not part of the MMD course. It showered lightly during my run down, although the sun never stopped shining. It was just beautiful!

Chances are I won't remember any of my notes to self as I am jogging merrily through the woods in the pitch black night in a few weeks, but this recon run was still well worth it! I had a wonderfully joyous romp through the mountains and discovered that I am pretty darned fit for mountain running right now! MMD, watch out, here I come!

Painful, Yet Fun, Summer Weekend!

2011-07-11T09:18:00.004-04:00

Saturday Kevin and I drove over to the Kingdom Trails in East Burke, Vermont to mountain bike on their awesome trails. We have developed the habit of riding the same convoluted long loop each time we go. It works well for us. It is probably about 20 miles of hilly single track, challenging for me in a few spots, but mostly just fun! Saturday, the trails were in great condition. Many improvements have been made. Problem spots that we had noticed last time we were there had all been fixed with slight re-routes, new bridges, and ground work. They get a ton of riders there and this does cause some wear and tear on the trails. It takes work to keep them in good shape for fun riding! As Kevin noted, "it's nice to see our trail fees be put to good use."

After about 3 and a half hours of steady riding we were both starting to feel it in our legs a little, but we were getting to the end of our loop so this was OK. We end our loop with a wonderful downhill roller coaster ride down Kitchel, then have the long climb up Herb's back to where we park the truck. Kitchel is a machine made trail built for fast fun downhill riding. It has big swooping jumps at the top and tight banked curves at the bottom. Each jump and each curve causes the bike to accelerate even more, if I ride it right. I love this trail and usually surprise myself with how much speed I build and how much air I get on some of the jumps. Once over the initial approach, the trail becomes smooth dirt, with no obstacles to worry about. I started down first with Kevin giving me some room before following.

I flew over the first few jumps, feeling brave and confident and riding fast! This is the kind of stuff that makes me yell out little "whoop" noises here and there, whether I want to or not. I think it was on the third or fourth big jump that I messed up. I really felt like I was in complete control, but I wasn't ready for the unexpected. I landed the jump and as soon as both wheels were on the ground, I noticed a single, loose, cannon ball sized rock laying smack in the middle of the trail. Someone must have veered off course a little and kicked it onto the trail with their bike tire. I think I got my front wheel around it, but my back wheel went right up onto it. The rock rolled out, sending my bike off into the bushes to the right of the trail. I continued straight on down, landing on my left side in the middle of the trail. I knew Kevin was right behind me and there were another six riders right behind him. I couldn't move my left arm at all, but believe me, I crawled off that trail in a fraction of a second.

Kevin stopped, of course, and everyone else who rode by slowed down and asked if I was OK. The last rider through happened to be with the Trail Patrol. He stopped and waited to see if I was going to be OK. It took a few minutes (I thought my arm was broken at first,) but finally I announced, "I can ride out." Trail Patrol man was happy to hear this, I think. I may have fractured a rib or two and I have bruising and swelling and soreness in the shoulder and elbow, but considering how fast i was going and how hard I hit, it really isn't bad!

Sunday we went over to Bradbury and I ran (slowly and painfully) while Kevin mountain biked with me. It was nice to give Kevin a chance to ride the few difficult trails that I wouldn't want to ride if I was riding with him. I was pretty impressed watching him ride down the Boundary Trail. Two hikers stopped to express their disbelief that someone would actually ride a bike down that rough stuff. It looked like Kevin enjoyed himself! When we were almost done, I paused to get a good breath (my chest wasn't allowing me to breath very well.) I put my hand on my hips and drew a big painful breath in. Suddenly something shifted on the left side of my chest, I coughed up a huge amount of sputum, and my chest pain and breathing problems were cured!

We have been looking for a touring Kayak for me. I have a small stubby river kayak that tours over flat water like I'm paddling an inner tube. This is not compatible with Kevin's sleek fast touring kayak. So we went over to LLBeans and I painfully, but excitedly, climbed in and out of kayaks on the showroom floor. I picked out a beauty! I couldn't wait to get it in the water!!!

My left arm wasn't working too well, but we paddled around Stanley Pond at a leisurely pace with lots of rest breaks. I love my "Sweet B", named because of the neat little "B" someone scratched into the side of it before deciding to return it to LLBean (I presume). I can't wait until my arm is healed and I can do some serious paddlin' !!!

Oh, and I'll take this opportunity to show you how good our garden is growing...

I love the summer!

Running and Riding the Trails

2011-07-05T05:10:00.003-04:00

Summer is in full swing and I've been out running the trails, mountain biking all our favorite New England Trails, and working in the garden and yard. I haven't spent much time on the computer and it shows in the frequency of my Blog posts. I'll try to catch up a little today.

My new job, covering the town of Gorham, has been going great. I've been able to manage my day so I can fit a good run in each afternoon after work. I have been exploring trails! I love exploring trails! I have put a lot of miles in on the trails near Sebago Lake in Standish and Windham. There is one main corridor trail, "Sebago to the Sea", which is OK, but there are many side trails which are wonderful. Some are "multi use" single track, which seem to be primarily used by equestrians. These are fantastic. There are also miles and miles and miles of snowmobile trails and old tote roads. These exploration runs are fun, and I usually end up putting in more miles than planned because I have to find my way back to the car when I'm ready to quit for the day. One memorable run on these trails forced me to cut across a huge field with hay up to my chest. I found 12 or 13 ticks on me at the end of that run. Yuck,

I have also run on the USM/Gorham Trail system. The official trails are good, but I discovered some rogue mountain bike trails that were much more fun. These are not currently being maintained and are getting a little overgrown. I have run all the snowmobile trails in the area, too. I am happy to announce that it is possible to run off road in the Gorham area!

I am excited about the Virgil Crest 100 in September, but haven't felt inspired to run any races leading up to that. I still enjoy low key events so I will run MMD, as usual. I thought about the 100 Mile Wilderness Run, until I started following the online conversations. Way too much machismo and goal setting for me for a wilderness run. I can just picture all us crazed runners dashing through the pristine trails, pushing the weary AT through-hikers out of the way crying, "we're in a race, clear the trail!" I'll do it alone some time instead.

Still Jack strongly suggests that I run something besides MMD and Virgil Crest. I've been training like crazy and am as fit as ever. Shouldn't I use it?! I decided on the Maine Huts 50K. Only 32 runners are allowed so the field should spread out enough to make me feel like I'm on my own. Perfect!

The more I read Blogs and Facebook, the more I realize I am done with the race scene. Don't get me wrong, I was as competitive and gung-ho as anyone up until 6 or 8 years ago. I have pictures of me at 95 pounds running with my tongue hanging out and my eyes rolled up in my head on the verge of collapse, all for the sake of being able to say "I won." Now it just seems kind of silly (sorry). That said, I will always run lots of trail miles. I will probably run a hundred miler or two every year. Hundreds don't feel like races to me once I get a few miles out. It's just me covering a great distance as fast and effectively as I can. Adventure runs (I don't mean eco-challenges, triathlons, Duathlons...I mean just going out into the woods and mountains alone or with a few others and covering some serious distance on foot) still appeal to me greatly!

Mountain biking? I'm still loving it! Absolutely loving it!!! I don't want to race, or even ride fast. I just want to ride well. But as i ride better, I find I am riding faster without even trying to speed up. I love developing my skills and seeing the improvement. Getting over a big rock that has always stopped me, getting to the top of a steep loose rocky climb that has always made me get off the bike, riding over a narrow bridge that I have always been too scared to try, hopping a big slippery log that has always sent me flying...those things give me the same thrill that winning a race used to. I guess I've gotten a lot simpler with age. It doesn't take much to make me happy these days!

Plus mountain biking is something I do with Kevin. I can't tell you how much fun we have on the trails together! We turn into a couple of kids while we are out there. I have to wonder what the folks in the fire department think when they look out and see two middle aged people on mountain bikes jumping the pile of dirt in front, or the people fishing at the river think when they see a grinning 50-ish woman riding over a ramp or jumping a log, or the school kids think when they see folks their grandparents' ages hopping and dropping off the curbs and riding the "skinny" in the playground. Hopefully, they think, "wow, you're never too old to get out and play."

Oh don't worry, I'm putting in almost 70 running miles a week, even with the mountain biking. I'll be ready for Virgil Crest!

Green Mountain

2011-06-25T15:14:00.002-04:00

I had every intention of running today's twenty miles at the Mt Aggie 6 Hour Run. I haven't seen my Mt Aggie friends in a long time and I was looking forward to it. But when the alarm went off at 5AM and I heard the rain pouring down outside, I rolled over and went back to sleep. I woke up several hours later, angry at myself for skipping the event. I had tweaked my training schedule this week so my long run would fall on Saturday instead of Sunday, so I decided to run long today on my own. Kevin suggested nearby Green Mountain in Effingham, New Hampshire. I thought it was a great idea.

I set out on my own at 11:00. The rain had stopped and the skies were a lighter shade of gray than they had been for the past few days. I parked at the Effingham Elementary School for some additional miles and some additional climb. The school is at 200 feet of elevation and the top of Green Mountain is at 1880 feet. I would gain 1680 feet in about 2.5 miles. Then I'd do it two more times!

After 3 loops around the school's 3/4 mile gravel loop trail (including one loop doing the crazy exercises at the circuit stations...pull ups, sit ups, jumping from log to log, parallel bars...) I started up the old discontinued High Watch Road to the High Watch Trail head. I checked the time on my cell phone here because this 1.5 mile climb is a good marker of how my hill work is going. The fastest I have ever run up this trail is just under 19 minutes. Today I was able to run the entire way up, but it took me 24 minutes. That's OK, I was happy I didn't have to walk at all. I passed a group of ladies about half way up the trail. It's funny, but I found myself thinking how nice it was that these old ladies were out hiking on a wet cloudy day. Then it occurred to me that they were all about ten years younger than me! I had just assumed they were older because of the slow careful way they were moving along in rain coats and inappropriate footwear, carrying umbrellas and gossipping about people who weren't with them. When they saw me coming, they scurried out of the way as if I might bowl them over and send them careening off the mountain.

Without pausing, I went over the summit and down the Fire Warden's Trail (also called the Libby Trail) down to Libby Road, where I turned North. Libby Road is no more of a road than the High Watch Rd. It's just a washed out dirt trail at this point. When the road started looking more civilized, I knew it was time to look for the obscure left turn onto Town Pound Rd. If you look through the underbrush, you can see the high stone walls of the pound on the corner. This road is narrower and more overgrown, but very nice running. I tried to push my pace on this stretch of "road" running. When I got to the trail head for the Dearborn Trail, I turned around and ran back to the Firewarden's Trail on the same two roads. I ran back up the Firewarden's Trail in 26 minutes, with a few short walk breaks. The group of ladies was at the summit and starting to climb up the fire tower.

I breezed right through and ran down the Dearborn Trail, turned around at the bottom and started back up. Ugh, this trail is steep and strenuous. I did a lot of walking on this climb. I had no desire to time the climb this time.

Now came the challenge of the day. Could I catch the ladies before they got back down to their vehicle at the High Watch Trail head? I fearlessly, almost fearlessly, skimmed over slippery mossy slabs of ledge, rolling rocks, loose gravel, and slick tree roots. About half way down I saw the brightly colored rain coats in the distance! I scooted by them with a cheerful, "hello!" which made them all jump. Then came the easy downhill on the High Watch Road, a few loops around the school trail, and there I had it, twenty miles in something over 4 hours with three climbs of Green Mountain! OK, so I was too lazy to get out of bed and make it to Mt Aggie this morning. I still had a great run today.

15 Miles at "Marathon Pace"

2011-06-21T15:49:00.006-04:00

Today I had good company on my run! I haven't been able to meet Mary for a run since starting my new job a couple of months ago so I was happy that she agreed to drive over to Kezar falls for a moderately long run today. The plan was 15 miles with Fartlek for 6 miles in the middle. I knew Mary wouldn't go for Fartlek or any type of speed work today because she considers herself out of shape and fat right now. But I thought I could probably sneak in "marathon pace" for those middle miles.

I chose a loop in Parsonsfield of just over five miles. The first four miles are on gently rolling hills on wide dirt ATV trails and the last mile is on pavement for a steep half mile downhill followed by a steep half mile uphill. This is a challenging loop, but with good footing (necessary for my road marathoner friend, Mary.) I figured we could stop to hydrate and fuel each loop.

Neither of us time our runs very often, but today I asked Mary to time our loops, secretly thinking about our 2nd loop being at marathon pace. We ran the first loop at a good clip, talking the whole way about all the big changes coming up in Mary's life...moving to Maine, getting married, selling her North Conway house, etc. The loop went fast and we ran it in 43 minutes with a bathroom break! Yay, close to 8 minute pace (which I'd be damned happy to call marathon pace these days.)

Next loop we started getting hot and tired. But as we talked about racing and PRs and past adventures, our egos kicked in and our pace picked up a bit. We started our usual fantasizing about all the great running we could still do if we got motivated. Mary even went so far as explain her great plan about "getting serious" and "training hard" when we entered our next age groups. And the more excited she got the faster our pace got. Good, this was supposed to be our marathon pace loop. This one went by in just under 41 minutes which was less than eight minute pace since the loop is longer than 5 miles.

The last loop brought us back to reality as we were very hot and tired by now. We told each other we would slow down, but we didn't. The conversation was replaced by panting and an occasional grunt or groan. This loop was almost exactly the same time as the one before, plus I had stopped to pee again. We were both happy with 15.6 miles in right around 2:05. Hey, I'm only 15 months away from being 50, a sub 3:30 marathon would be great

Sandwich Range

2011-06-20T17:17:00.003-04:00

Last week I had a wonderful Sandwich Range Run. I do this several times a year, with variations. I almost always park at Ferncroft and climb the Blueberry Ridge trail, which is one of the prettiest trails I've ever been on. And that's how I started this run. Blueberry Ridge is steady climbing, but probably about 90% runnable. It gets steep and scary near the top, but I've developed a system! I found that I can fit two fingers in the holes left behind when the rungs were removed from the sheer rock face. By doing so, I could pull myself up hand over hand. It was quick and easy!

At the top of Whiteface, I got onto the Rollins Trail and ran fast over this beautiful, smooth, gentle ridge trail. This brought me over to Passaconaway. I followed the loop trail over the summit with side trips for the true summit and the veiw point. I felt great. Well, great except for the black fly bites all over my neck and back. Those guys were ferocious last week! So, because I felt good, I ran down the Walden Trail and then over Mt Wonalancet on the Wonalancet Range Trail. Walden is rugged and steep so a lot of it has to be walked. Wonalancet Range Trail brought me to within a stone's throw of Ferncroft, but I turned the opposite direction and did and out and back on the beautiful Kelly Trail.

I didn't see another soul all day. Most of these trails are beautifully maintained by the Wonalancet Outdoor Club. It is a stark contrast to the over-used and under-maintained Presidential Range or Pemi Wilderness. Maybe the AMC should get out of the hotel business and think about working on trails again! My legs hurt for 4 days after this run and my black fly bites are still swollen and itchy, but I can't wait to get out there again!

Weekend Running

2011-06-12T18:53:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ran a fast paced five miles on the Ossipee River Trails with Kevin following on his mountain bike. I normally run alone, so company on the trail is always a treat. I really enjoyed the run and ran faster than usual. We spent the afternoon pricing things for home repair projects and then went to the pub for a few beers and some nachos.

Today, I ran loops on the Ossipee River Trails for about 18 miles. The conditions were perfect for running, mid fifties with a light drizzle. Kevin was working on trail maintenance down there and I passed him several times, asking "what time is it?" each time because I felt like I was moving fast today and wanted to confirm it. I also took a few sips out of his water bottle each time I met him on the trail. I have come full circle as far as running gear goes. Up until about ten years ago I ran my long runs with a cheap Casio watch. Suddenly I felt the need to complicate things. I upgraded to better and better watches, added an MP3 player to my long run gear, exchanged my hand held water bottles for expensive hydration packs, added a heart rate monitor, traded watch and heart rate monitor for a Garmen, bought a better Garmen, then just as suddenly decided I didn't need all that crap. I traded the Garmen back for a watch and heart rate monitor, later put the heart rate monitor away, lost the MP3 player, started stowing water bottles in the bushes or carrying the hand held bottles instead of wearing a pack, put the watch away, and stopped carrying anything on runs shorter than 20 miles. Next thing you know, I'll be running naked. But I'll still insist on wearing shoes.

Mid run today I was supposed to do three miles at "marathon pace." This always puzzles me because it has been about eight years since I have run a marathon and I could run one at 7 minute pace back then. Now I'd be hard pressed to put two back to back 7 minute miles together. Plus (remember) I don't wear a watch and I don't know the mile markers on the trail. So for marathon pace I just pick up the pace to what I call, "on the verge of uncomfortable" for about three miles and call it good. And today I get bonus points because I picked up the pace to "beyond uncomfortable" for a couple of miles at the end of my run so I could catch Kevin and get a ride home instead of having to run home on the road.

I was pretty depleted by the time we got home and needed a two hour nap on the couch with the cat. Overall, it was a pretty nice weekend.

Getting Back into a Normal Routine!

2011-06-11T13:01:00.003-04:00

I've been busy settling into my new job. This has interferred with my training routine! I've been getting runs in, but it hasn't been easy. Now I am finally starting to figure out how to organize my work day efficiently so I will be able to get back into a regular routine with my running.

My previous job had me working all over Southern Maine. This allowed me to explore trails in all sorts of little rural towns. I would find them by looking at maps, asking my patients, or just spotting an opening on the side of the road. I sure had some great experiences out there!

My new job has me covering the town of Gorham, Maine. It is a little city just ourside of Portland with a lot of comuter traffic, housing developements, and a University of Southern Maine campus. This is all new running to me. At first I found myself asking in a panic, where are the trails?! But this past week I have begun to find them!

I explored the Presumpscot Preserve area near the Little River (rugged ups and downs with rickety bridges), snow mobile trails (nice rolling hills), and power line ATV trails (not bad). I have my eye on what the hunters call "the brick yard" trails and will explore them next week. There are also the surrounding towns to consider.

I am gearing my training toward the Virgil Crest 100 Miler with the help of coach Jack. I will also try to get time off to run the Maine hundred mile wilderness (AT) with a small group of Maine and New Hampshire runners with record setting aspirations. I have no record setting aspirations and will not be up with the record seekers, I just have a desire to travel the trail in the opposite direction from what I have done before and to do it without the burden of heavy backpack... oh and to get out of the woods in one piece. I would like to hear if anyone knows of an actual record for this stretch of trail. Sue J, if you read this give me your input on this!

Grand Canyon Adventure

2011-05-31T07:10:00.008-04:00

Me on the Rainbow Rim Trail.

Kevin enjoying the day.

I have a tattoo that looks a lot like this little guy.

Kevin and I, Marble Canyon in the background.

Some of the group.

Riding through one of the fields on the Arizona Trail.

Water Crossing on the Arizona Trail!

Kevin and I just returned from a wonderful mountain biking trip along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We biked the Arizona Trail in the Kaibob National Forest during the first two days. The weather was pretty cold with temperatures below freezing at night. The trail was strenuous enough to keep us warm while we biked, though. There were patches of snow to navigate around, blow downs to lift our bikes over, melt water to ride through, and plenty of uphills over rolling rocks that reminded us that 10,000 feet of altitude is a lot higher than the 200 feet we live at. This trail took us through Ponderosa Pines and over green fields. Our second day of riding was quite windy and we had dark skies and snow during our lunch break. I'm not ashamed to tell you that I bailed out and took the sag wagon back to camp after lunch. A few hardy souls returned on the trails, but I was definitely not alone in the van!

We started day three in the National Park, where mountain biking isn't allowed. We hiked and visited the Grand Canyon Lodge in the morning. We enjoyed beautiful warm sunshine and breath taking views. The weather was a welcome change from what we had experienced the first few days! The afternoon found us back in the national forest where we biked down a screaming fast 9 mile downhill dirt road to our campsite. That was a lot of fun!

The next few days were spent on the beautiful single track of the Rainbow Rim Trail. This was by far the best riding of the trip. The trail was true winding single track along the rim. There were wonderful views and fun riding throughout. It was exciting to ride close to the edge at times on this trail.

Besides the great riding and the awesome views, we enjoyed good company, great food, and relaxing evenings at camp. We were thrilled to see a California Condor riding the air currents at camp one afternoon. I also saw several deer on the trail and the elusive Kaibob Squirrel. I only ran once during the entire week, but I got plenty of exercise! This week I will get back to my training for Virgel Crest... I promise!

Recovery Week

2011-05-16T17:46:00.003-04:00

My week of recovery from the difficult Bear Mt 50K went well. Leg pain was completely gone within 24 hours, but a fatigued feeling still lingers in my quads. I've run almost every day since the race and even got out on the mountain bike over the weekend. The runs have felt good, but slow. The mountain bike outing was a different story! I had no power in my legs, so I was wobbly on the technical spots and on the climbs. It's amazing how much strength is needed to mountain bike well! Since I didn't have any leg strength, I just resigned myself to riding not-well. I still had fun and only took one new bruise home with me.

My next goal race will be the Virgil Crest 100 in late September. I'll try to get motivated enough to get some shorter races in between now and then. Next up is our Grand Canyon mountain bike trip. I'll be sure to post pictures when I get back!!!

Bear Mountain

2011-05-10T17:07:00.007-04:00

I had a blast running the North Face 50K at Bear Mountain State Park in New York last Saturday. I had done my research so I knew the course was going to be extremely difficult. Looking at previous years' results, I expected to run the race in about 7 hours. I had done a lot of technical hill climbs and descents in the weeks leading up to the race and I felt well prepared.

The weekend long event includes a fifty miler, a fifty kilometer, a marathon, a marathon relay, a half marathon, a ten kilometer, and a five kilometer. With over two thousand runners competing in seven different events, one might think things would be chaotic and complicated. This was not the case at all. The longer distances were run on Saturday and the start times were staggered 2 hours apart. My race started at 7AM and went off without a hitch. The various courses were well marked with color coded ribbons at frequent intervals. I had no problem staying on course. I only ran into three fifty mile runners running together in the middle of my race and several marathoners heading the opposite direction near the finish. Otherwise it felt as if the 50k was the only event taking place.

I knew the 50K had 4854 feet of elevation gain over incredibly rocky technical terrain. I started in the middle of the pack, wanting to go out slow. Shortly after we started running we had to climb a hill on loose rolling stones. I thought I was breathing too hard for so early in the race and slowed down. I found myself moving slowly toward the back of the pack. I thought to myself, "so this is how much my running has declined over the past few years. This might be my first DFL." I should have had more confidence. It didn't take many miles before runners settled down into more reasonable paces and I moved back up through the pack without having to change my pace or effort.

There was almost no conversation between the runners, we were all working too hard! We ran four miles uphill to the first aid station. Kevin was there and told me he'd see me at the other crew stations as well. This was a nice surprise because I thought Kevin was going to spend the day mountain biking. The next segment had some single track then a short stretch of pavement and then a good climb followed by a tricky, rocky, steep descent. I was feeling it in my legs already! But it was a good feeling because I knew my legs could take it. This was followed by fire roads and a nice stretch of rough trail over a ridge. There was a long section of very ungroomed, overgrown single track with a lot of blow downs to climb over. I actually passed quite a few runners in this section. I'm a good log hopper!

All the way back to the last crew point at about twenty miles I was feeling good and enjoying myself. I saw Kevin for the last time before the finish and he said, "you're on the home stretch and can break seven hours!" I ran hard for the next 5 miles then really pushed for the 2.5 mile stretch over Timp Pass. I passed several runners, including three women! Yay, I was finishing strong! Unfortunately, this was followed by a three mile stretch to the finish of easier gentler trail and almost everyone I had just passed zipped past me. That was OK, I was still moving along well.

The minute I crossed the finish line and stopped running, my quads suddenly started hurting...bad. I told Kevin I needed to keep moving so we walked around the park for a while. Then I got in line for food and decided i couldn't stomach it at that moment so we went to the beer tent instead. Back at the hotel we made arrangements to meet Kevin's sister, brother-in-law and niece for dinner. We had a very enjoyable evening and I only had to jump out of my chair with muscle cramps once.

It was a good race and I'd like to do it again next year. I think I'll try the fifty miler next time, (we're talking 12 hours or more)! I finished thirteenth female over all and third woman over forty in 6:51. I'll take it. results

Mountain Biking Weekend

2011-05-02T17:52:00.002-04:00

I thought I might run a loop or two at the Mt Aggie Fat Ass this past weekend, but Kevin and I decided to help out with trail work at Bear Brook State Park instead. It was a nice opportunity to see Kevin's mountain biking friends and a good chance to spend time on some really beautiful single track trail. Our goal was to clean up trails that had been logged during the winter. A lot of mountain bikers showed up to help. Kathy, Bear Brook Trail Ambassador and good friend of Kevin's, was a great leader. She sent everyone off with specific instructions. The work went fast and the trails came out great.

After lunch in the parking lot, we all changed clothes and gathered for a group ride. Kathy gave a little speech that pretty much said "we've got two different levels of riders here, fast racers and slow folks, so we'll split into two groups." The "racers" in attendance weren't your average middle of the pack riders. They were the fast ones, the ones who ride super expensive bikes that they don't have to pay for. Unlike me, they don't fall off their bikes when they hit a stump. They don't slow to a complete stop when they run out of power on a steep uphill. They don't hit trees beside the trail with their handlebars. "Slow folks group"? Sign me up!

By the top of the first cruel climb the groups had sorted themselves out. Kathy squeezed by me on the steepest, rockiest and narrowest section of that hill. As she went by she calmly asked, "how's that bike working for you?" I mumbled something incoherent between gasps for air while Kathy motored up the hill. Kevin's friend, Peter led our slower group on a very nice two hour ride. We had a wide range of ability in our group, but we waited to regroup at all the intersections and it went very smoothly. These trails are so much fun to ride. I love them. Kathy and John (and what remained of their group, a few must have fallen off the back during their ride) returned to the parking lot shortly after Kevin and I got back. We enjoyed a beer and some good conversation with them before heading home.

I got out for my run early Sunday morning and then drove over to Pudding Pond with Kevin for some challenging biking in the Green Hills Preserve. The lower trails were a little wet, but really not bad. After doing what we call the "Pudding Pond Single track" we crossed the power lines to the more challenging trails. We rode the Side hill Trail from the Quarry end. I have never ridden it in that direction. The first part has some steep difficult climbing. Kevin pedalled past two hikers and they commented on how fit he was. I had just been getting ready to dismount and walk the bike up the rest of that section. The gravel was very loose and rocky and my tires were starting to spin. But I couldn't whimp out in front of the hikers when they had just commented on how well Kevin was doing. When I was exactly beside the hikers it became so steep and I had I lost so much speed that my front tire came up into the air and I had to step off the back of the bike. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything solid to step onto so I went down with the bike on top of me and we both slid back down the hill a short distance. Of course the hikers were concerned and alarmed. My first fall of the year, and it had to be at the feet of the only hikers we saw all day.

We really had a lot of fun both days. My running is going great and I think it is contributing to my mountain biking fitness. Also my skills are getting better. This all makes for more fun on the trails!

Next weekend is Bear Mountain. I have been told it will be a difficult, strenuous, technical 50K and I shouldn't expect to be much faster than 7 hours. Sounds perfect for me!

Sawyer Mountain Times Three

2011-04-22T17:31:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ran from Rte 117 in Limington up the old washed out road to the top of Sawyer Mountain. This trail starts at about 100 feet of elevation and climbs to 1200 feet in about 1.7 miles. The trail itself is covered with rolling loose rocks with water running straight down the road. Not ideal for running, but I was tired and wanted to go slow anyway so I figured it would be OK. The wind was ferocious and I got very cold, especially my hands. My feet got soaked early on, so they felt pretty cold, too. At the summit, I paused to enjoy the view. There is a new sign on a pile of rocks that says a stone monument with a whale oil lantern used to stand there to help boats navigate in the Portland Harbor. This is fascinating because Portland Harbor is about 30 or 35 miles from there! From the summit, the harbor was just a faint flat smudge of gray on the eastern horizon. It's hard to imagine a whale oil lantern could burn where I stood and be seen from that harbor.

Using the vague topographical map I had picked up at the trail head, I found my way down the backside of the mountain using the new single track. This was very nice running. I explored the old dirt roads down at the base for a few miles out and back and then climbed back up to the summit on the same single track.

Then i ran back down the backside of the trail again, but used the old Sawyer Mountain Road this time. This road is just as bad as the one I came up to begin with. At the bottom I turned right around and climbed back up again to make three trips to the top on three different trails. I stopped to check out an old burial ground on the way back down to my car. It was kind of creepy with the darkening sky and the howling wind. A branch cracked in the wind and I jumped about a mile. I'm usually not so easily spooked, but the atmosphere was kind of eerie at the time. Thanks to my heebie-jeebies the rest of the trip down went very fast!

It was about twelve miles of good hill work in about 2:15.

Speed Work on the Trail

2011-04-21T08:09:00.002-04:00

My taper for the Northface 50K at Bear Mountain officially started this week. I've been running my highest mileage in many years, plus mountain biking season is starting, so the thought of cutting back on the running a bit sounds good to me.

Yesterday called for a short speed work session. I started in the late afternoon during a lull between patients, a "lunch break run." I was working near home so I set out from my house and planned to run the mile to the high school track and really do some officially measured and timed laps for my 3 X 3/4 miles. I almost made it there, too. But on the way I ran past the trail head for the Ossipee River trails and unexpectedly veered off there. Give me a beautiful trail over the track any day.

The River Run trail is flat, smooth, and fast...perfect for speed work. I did two of the three repeats on that trail with a half mile jog after each one. This brought me back to the road for the last fast three quarter mile home. All the repeats were run at the same effort, but I only timed the last one because time doesn't mean much on the varying terrain of the trail. The last road 3/4 was in 4:45 (6:05 pace). Ideally I'd do a cool down after this, but it was time to get back to work. Sometimes it feels good to move fast. Yesterday was one of those times!

Ossipee River Trails

2011-04-18T20:19:00.003-04:00

I almost buckled under the pressure of getting things together for my new job today. I have been winding down on the employment side of my life for the past several years because there are more important things to do with my time! Suddenly, in taking this new job, I have to find copies of certificates, degrees, licenses, and awards. Most people probably have a file with all this stuff in it. I used to, but I don't seem to anymore. I came home late this afternoon after meeting with various nice folks at my new workplace. Kevin tried to say hello, but I pushed him out of the way muttering something about expiration dates and proof of certification, adding, "and I was supposed to get a long run in today, too." Followed by "grumble, grumble, mutter, mutter, mild curse word, F-word, mutter, mutter, grumble..."

Eventually, Kevin coaxed me out the door and onto the trails for my run. After about three strides I turned and called back to him, "hey, I already feel better!" Amazing stuff, this trail running. I looped, zig-zagged, back-and-forthed, back tracked, figure-eighted, and dosey-doed around and around on the Ossipee River trails, which are in awesome conditon and have already seen mountain bike traffic this week. This kind of running is extremely fun. I am never more than three miles from home, but I can easily put in 20 miles or more. I had stowed some GU's and a big bottle of water at the trail head and returned there every 45 minutes or so for a drink and squirt of GU. Interestingly, someone stole my last packet of GU. Kevin saw who did it, so if you read this Blog, watch out, we're onto you! Anyway, this is one instance where the Garmin comes in handy. If I had to calculate how far I was running on these meandering trails I would run out of mental energy long before I ran out of physical energy. I had a great run. I'm glad to see that the Ossipee Trails are ready for biking!!! I'll be sure to get out there on the bike with kevin some evenings this week.

Blood, Sweat, and tears in the Newfield Woods...and mud, too.

2011-04-15T07:17:00.003-04:00

Coach Jack emailed me something like, "Bear Mt will have more climbing and more rocks than Nipmuck, so you'd better get out on that kind of stuff as much as you can." With that in mind, I set out into the wilds of southern Maine for yesterday's 12 miler. Tote roads, washed out old town roads, and overgrown snowmobile trails brought me west from rte 11 toward the New Hampshire border. Hills? Holy Hell were there hills! Rocks? Absolutely! There were also ice patches, mud, thorns, barbed wire, and water crossings. It was tough going.

At the top of the highest hill on the loop, I paused to catch my breath. Glancing up, I saw 8 or 9 turkey vultures silently circling overhead. I wondered if they could see the blood running down my legs from way up there. Perhaps they had been watching me climb that hill and were thinking, "let's hang out here for a bit. I think she's about to drop." I picked up the pace a little. It can't be a good sign to have turkey vultures circling.

This has been a good week of running so far, all on tired legs from Northern Nipmuck and mountain biking last weekend. My taper for Bear Mountain starts next week and I'm ready for it!

Weekend on the Trails

2011-04-12T07:13:00.009-04:00

Should a runner look this comfortable a quarter mile from the finish?!

What a wonderful Spring weekend we have just had here in New England! Saturday I ran one of my favorite New England Trail races, the Northern Nipmuck 16 miler put on by Jim Campaformio. Luckily, in this age of trail running boom, this race remains low key. N.N. is rugged and technical and attracts some hard core trail runners. Brian Kusiecki outran Russ Krause for the men while Abby Mahoney beat Deb Livingston for the women's title. Both were close races. Watching these guys and girls glide over and around the rocks, roots, shrubs, and outbound runners on their way back after the turn around was pretty inspiring. I think of myself as sure footed on the technical stuff, but those front runners were amazingly agile.

The weather was warm and the trail was dry. This course has short steep rocky climbs and descents on tight single track throughout. I couldn't ask for more. The first time I ran this event I was told by another runner to expect a finish time of about 15 to 20 minutes faster than my current road marathon time. This seems to be about right.

Until about the four mile aid station I ran in a line of runners. We thinned out leaving the station and I found myself running for the rest of the race with Rob from Connecticut. He pulled for a long time, making continuous small talk and jokes. Normally a chatty runner bothers me on the trail, but I've been running alone all Winter and I enjoyed his company. At the turn around I took the lead from Rob and passed several runners. This put some distance and some runners between Rob and me and I didn't think I'd see him again. But after 10 or 15 minutes I heard his familiar banter from behind. I held a steady effort and felt no signs of fatigue, other than a little clumsiness on some of the rocky sections and a little cramping in my feet. Rob fell silent with a few miles to go, but held onto my pace.

With about a quarter mile to go I found Kevin standing beside the trail and when I paused for a kiss, Rob took the lead and made me chase him to the finish line! I was a little disappointed with my time, seven minutes faster than last year, but still about 20 minutes slower than 2009. I am training hard and I feel fit. I think it's just a matter of getting back into the racing groove. I need to remember how to push past my comfort zone. I can honestly say that when I finished Northern Nipmuck this year, I felt like I could have held that same effort for another ten miles. I will try to run some shorter races this summer to re-learn how to push myself a little.

After the race Kevin and I drove two hours to Barnstable on the Cape. We checked out the beginning of the Trail of Tears on foot. The walk stretched out my legs and felt good. Sunday morning we had a big breakfast and hit the trails on our mountain bikes. I loved it! These trails have the same steep technical ups and downs that I had been running the day before at Nipmuck. My quads were tired from Saturday's race and I had to push the bike up several of the hills. Otherwise I felt great. Trail of tears is a wonderful network of mountain bike trails in the Branstable Town Forest. We can't wait to get back out there for some more riding!

Hills and the Hostile Hippie

2011-04-05T14:24:00.004-04:00

I'm glad I put off my long run until today. Yesterday, it was 32 degrees with wind and sleet and slippery roads. Also, I was going to have to run alone. Today the temperature was right around 40, there was a very gentle steady rain, and I had my friend, Mary for company. She warned me over the phone that she hadn't been training and wasn't up for a fast pace today. I was fine with that as long as we could cover some long hilly miles.

Our loop took us over the extremely hilly back roads of Intervale and Jackson. There was one icy stretch at the Jackson end of Dundee, but otherwise the roads were just wet. Mary was actually in surprisingly good shape. While we ran we tried to figure out what she has been doing right all this time she thought she has been goofing off. Well, it turns out that she has been running 5 fast miles three evenings a week with her daughter who is getting ready for outdoor track season. She has also been running around with the middle school kids she coaches for track. Add in all the skiing and walking she does on a regular basis and suddenly we see that she has been training after all, but in such a fun and unstructured way that she doesn't even realize it. We were both pleasantly surprised at our pace and at how good we felt on the hills.

Near the end of our run while we were running up the steepest part of Thorn Hill in the rain, Mary started telling me about the Hostile Hippie. She described him as a silver haired man with a pony tail and a beard who skied and walked in the area. Mary and he had had some sort of confrontation regarding unleashed dogs, which they each tend to travel with. Mary didn't go into a lot of detail which leads me to believe that she is as much at fault for the feud as he is. The confrontation seems to have initially started between the two dogs, but over the course of several chance meetings, the feud transferred over to Mary and the Hippie. The dogs are apparently long since over it.

Mary told me she was afraid of the hippie because she always met up with him in remote places and he was always angry and aggressive and hostile. I pointed out that by definition a hippie couldn't be hostile. Hippies are all about peace and love, you know? Mary wasn't buying it. Just then a car came up from behind and slowed down beside us. The window came down and the driver stuck his head out. Mary gasped, "It's him." She tried to hide behind me but she's a lot taller and bigger than me and it didn't work very well. The Hostile Hippie said, "I'd do anything to be doing what your doing. I'd trade my cycling and my skiing and my hiking to be able to run again." He did sound a little gruff, but I think it's just the way he speaks. I smiled and said "I wish you could run, too. Then you could join us." To which he snorted and drove away.

He looked more like a school teacher or an accountant than a hippie. And he didn't seem all that hostile, just a little resentful that for some reason, he isn't able to run anymore. Mary claims he looks scarier when he's on foot, but who knows. The important thing is that all the talk about the hippie, and then our meeting with him, and then the analysis of the meeting took us to the end of Thorn Hill Road without ever even feeling it!

The last mile was another big climb up Dundee. By now we had checked our watches and were feeling good about how well we had covered ground today. As we climbed that last hill, Mary and I fantasized out loud about big come backs and fast races in our near futures. We do this to make each other laugh. I finally got her to laugh hard enough that she had to take a few walking steps by saying, "yes, I think this is the year we are both finally going to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials." It was just the break I needed so I could beat her to the top of the hill.

Early Spring Conditions

2011-04-04T18:22:00.004-04:00

Trail running in Southern Maine isn't at it's best right now, but I'm still plugging away at it. Yesterday's few miles was sheer torture (but in a good way) on the slushy slippery mess. Today we had freezing rain and sleet all day. I got dressed to run and ventured out, thinking I'd run twenty miles on the slushy roads... but I ran back home after only a few miles of slipping around. I called Mary to make arrangements to run long tomorrow instead. Next weekend I will be running the Northern Nipmuck 16 mile trail race. It's a good season opener, fun course with fun people. I sure hope the Connecticut trails are bare dirt and rocks!

I am still patiently waiting for the local trails to be suitable for mountain biking. Until then I'll keep goofing around in the driveway. It's all fun.

Exploring

2011-04-01T11:39:00.003-04:00

I don't really know my way around Alfred, Maine...but map 3 in my Delormes Atlas showed a nice big green patch indicating a preserve area, a separate part of the Massabesic Experimental Forest that I run so often in the Waterboro/Hollis area. I pulled the car off the road and set out at an easy running pace. Twice, I entered the woods on trails that looked promising and had to back track due to dead ends. That's how these exploration runs go and I don't mind a bit. It's all good trail miles!

Soon I found a gated unmaintained road that had seen snowmobile traffic through the winter. The surface was mud and gravel in small patches between larger patches of loose granular old snow. Slow going, but runnable. I passed a lot of very tempting side trails that will have to wait until later in the Spring after we have more melting. I stopped to check out a very large cemetery from the early 1800's, a beaver dam, an old foundation, coyote scat, and a deer carcass. If you don't take the time to look, you're not getting the full woods experience!

I was attempting to loop back to my car, but knew I would have to turn back and retrace my steps if the trails and tote roads didn't take me in the right direction. I didn't have my Garmen with me, but I did have my cell phone. I don't use the Garmen very often, I like the fact that I can judge distance and direction and pace so well. If I started relying on the GPS all the time I think I might loose that. A GPS would just take a lot of the adventure out of trail running.

Kevin called at one point to say he was picking up some groceries for dinner. I told him I was running somewhere in the woods of Alfred or Lyman and would be out before dark. He just told me to have fun. I sure would hate to have a worrier for a husband. Kevin trusts my trail sense as much as he trusts his own. We are very alike about being in the woods. Kevin doesn't run, but his passion for moving through the woods is the same as mine. He walks or mountain bikes or snowshoes or snowboards through the trees. A person could pogo stick or cartwheel or hop on one foot, it's all pretty much the same as long as the person is moving under his own power and enjoying the experience.

I ended up retracing my steps and got to see everything from a different point of view, with dimmer light and from the opposite direction. I was pleased to see that the coyotes had been through since I had been. They had walked over and pooped in my footprints. I made it back to the paved road before dark and picked up the pace for the last few miles back to the car. I ran about 14 miles in just over 2 hours. I can't wait to get back out there when the snow is gone! I have more exploring to do.

Single Track!

2011-03-29T10:04:00.002-04:00

Snowmobile trails and tote roads are fine in a pinch, but I have been missing the real trails (single track). I have been out on snowshoes a lot over the winter so I was able to travel the trails that way, but I have still been impatiently waiting for the snow to melt so I can run and bike on the winding dirt trails. I want to feel the trees and brush close on each side! Also, I need technical terrain with rocks and roots and loose dirt to prepare for the Northface Race. For yesterday's long run, Kevin and I talked about driving to Southern New hampshire (or further) to give me the change of pace I have been craving. In the end we decided to drive to Bradbury Mountain instead. Bradbury gets a ton of foot traffic so I thought the snow would probably be packed down nicely for running. Kevin hit the trails on the West side in his screw shoes while I started out on the East side hoping the beautiful mountain bike single track would have seen some heavy use over the winter. No such luck. Most of the foot traffic had stuck to the wider trails (roads) and snow mobile trails. I ran almost everything, anyway. Then I crossed the road and ran most of the West side trails, which were all well packed. At one point I met Kevin at the "summit," which is not very high at all but has nice views. There is some climbing on the West side, but nothing like what we are used to around our house. Running surface varied from packed snow, loose granular snow, sheer ice (stay off the Border Trail if you don't have cleats or screws), a little mud, a few rocks, and an extremely nice downhill run on bare dry technical single track on the South Ridge Trail (just what I was looking for!)

Long Run

2011-03-22T18:53:00.003-04:00

Today's long run went pretty darned good. I put it off all day. I didn't sleep well last night, and that combined with a gloomy damp day with messy, slushy roads was enough to make me bury my face in a book while laying o the couch all morning. I told Kevin, "4 O'clock is the cut off. I have to get started by then." And I did. I set out at around 3 O'clock in the afternoon. Trails are out of the question right now. There is still a lot of snow in the woods and it is soft and rotten at this point. So road running was necessary.

I ran ten miles out and back on the very hilly Spec Pond Road. It went fast and I felt great! I stopped by at home to present Kevin with my master plan. I thought I would go out for another six and return home to pick him up for company for my last six. Kevin had kept me company on his bike for a hilly eight miler on Sunday and now I was spoiled and wanted company on my run. But he was already on the treadmill when I stopped by at the house and he planned to use the bike trainer and then do some strength training next. No worries, I took a Cliff Shot and some water and struck out alone.

Eight miles later my hips and knees and lower back were starting to feel the pavement. I'm not a trail runner by accident, but by necessity. I have a lousy spine which doesn't absorb any pounding. When I stopped at the house at eighteen miles I was hurting, but willing. I tried a Power Bar Gel and won't ever do it again. It burned my throat going down and sat in my stomach like molten lava after I swallowed. Live and learn.

My training plan called for 22 miles this week, but my hips, knees, and back were telling me that twenty was plenty (hey, that rhymes!) Two more miles on the soft muddy shoulders of the flattest roads I could find brought me to a nice twenty mile total in 2:48 (pretty happy with that at this stage of the game.) An ice bath and a recovery drink is the recommended post long run treatment. I know that. But a good long hot tub soak with an icy glass of Harpoon Beer did the trick for me!

Hill Repeats

2011-03-18T17:20:00.005-04:00

This afternoon I ran eight quarter mile hill repeats on the steepest part of the Chapel Street hill here in Kezar Falls. The wind was fierce, but the temperature was warm and the sunshine was bright. On the very first climb I realized that my legs didn't have much in them today. This isn't surprising because for yesterday's "easy" run I ran up Pease Hill in Cornish...twice for 14 miles.

Kevin and I are considering driving down to Cape Cod to do some mountain biking on snow free and relatively dry trails this weekend. If we do go we will ride on the Trail of Tears in Barnstable. I'll get some running in also. I can't wait to get my mountain bike out on the trails. Hooray for the coming of Spring! We might have to get ourselves some Pugsleys before next winter!

Long Run

2011-03-15T12:43:00.002-04:00

Despite this miserable cold, I decided to give my long run an honest effort today. I got through the 26 mile run in 4:54. Hey, that's only about 2 hours off my marathon personal best! Times are tough.

I ran the Porter and Hiram snow mobile trails. They were nice and hard packed early on with temps in the teens, but the last hour was soft, slushy, and slow as temperatures climbed into the high 30's under the bright sunny sky. I felt pretty good through the whole run. I did a bit of exploring in Hiram, trying a side trail that I hoped would take me back over to Porter rather than over the far Hiram Hills. This way I could repeat the Porter trails I had run earlier and pick up my discarded fleece and mittens. This trail had see some recent ATV use when the snow was soft and slushy. Then the rutted mess had frozen solid. Not ideal for running, but I could still make forward progress and head in the general direction I wanted to go. I ran along the backsides of Trafton Pond and Stanley Pond, so I knew where I was the entire time, I still wasn't sure if I could get to where I wanted to go. The snow is still very deep in the woods around here so I was at the mercy of the ATVer. Luckily he went out of the woods exactly where I had hoped he would, and I only had to run about 1/4 mile on the paved road before getting back on the trails I had run first thing in the morning.

About 1 mile before I came to the paved road, among the frozen rutted ATV tracks, I came upon a Toyota pickup truck sitting sideways across the trail. A man and woman were merrily working away with winches and shovels. They smiled and greeted me when I approached. I told them I was amazed they had made it so far out into the woods and asked if it was a GPS mishap. (I've had my GPS try to send me over roads that haven't been maintained in over fifty years. One nurse I work with was sent down the Hobb Swamp Road, which drops off into the South River a few miles in. The bridge has been out for at least 25 years.) But the man cheerfully replied, "No, not a GPS problem, just stupidity." To which they both laughed and went about their work. I wished them good luck and moved on down the trail. I believe that truck will sit there until the Spring thaw. At least they seem to be in good spirits about the whole thing.

I am aching for dirt to run and ride on! Kevin and I have talked about making a trip to the Cape this weekend for some mountain biking. The other option is to take advantage of these last winter weeks and do some cross country skiing and snowboarding in New Hampshire. Either one of those things would help with my Spring fever!

High Road to Pease Hill

2011-03-14T08:46:00.003-04:00

This cold is getting the best of me...except my runs still feel great! Two half mile hill repeats were on my schedule for Saturday. I worked all day and felt pretty sick, but after driving up High Rd, Old Limington Rd, and Pease Hill Rd to measure the distance, I parked at Cornish Elementary School and set out for my run. Instead of having to run the same hill over and over, this route provided a long steep one mile climb, a brief period of level and downhill road, another climb over a mile long, a short level stretch, and lastly, a steep muddy half mile climb to the top. This wasn't exactly what was perscribed, but I worked the uphills hard and was very happy with how strong I felt. At the top I enjoyed the veiws of the Hiram Hills to the North and the White Mountains to the West. It was a very clear day and Mount Washington looked beautiful.

The downhill segment went by fast! I had to remind myself to lean forward, strike midfoot, and let gravity do it's thing. Someone once told me to picture my feet rolling along like they are inside a bicycle tire when I run down hill. This works for me. In the past I have won road races by passing rivals on downhill stretches that fell near the end of race. Rocky rooty trails are a different story. That type of downhill running takes a little more skill and practice. Once the trails around here get down to dirt, I'll work on it.

I am going to try to lay low today and give my body a chance to get over this chest cold. I might take the bike out or go for a short run, and I will probably do my strength workout. I don't feel up to a 26 mile long run today, but hopefully I will be able to do it tomorrow.

Speed Work

2011-03-12T09:32:00.003-05:00

In between blowing my nose, coughing, and sneezing through a crazy busy work week, I had an awesome speed work day this past week! I haven't done any formal speed work in a very long time. I've run a little Fartlek here and there, some hill repeats, maybe a tempo run now and then...but this workout was more structured and specific. I was to run a quarter, a half, three quarters, a half, and a quarter. Recoveries between each were to be half the distance. Thank Goodness the tracks are still covered with snow or I might have been tempted to go all the way with this and run my workout on the quarter mile loop.

I parked at the Line School in Newfield in the early evening after work. Garmen in hand, I set out on the rolling hills of the back streets. After a two mile warm up I was ready to go! Could my legs and lungs still do this? The answer was yes!

On the 3/4 mile interval I was running slightly uphill and crossed an intersection. Two young guys were coming up on my left at a good pace. One yelled, "Hey Rose, wait up!" I yelled back over my shoulder, "Not Rose." I smiled the rest of the interval because I know Rose and she is a hell of a lot faster than me. My fast pace is probably her easy pace. This would be like if one of you sort-of-fast guys was out running and someone mistook you for one of your running heroes. It made me feel good! Rose lives in the area where I was running and I had vaguely wondered if I might see her when I started out.

Here are the splits:
1/4 1:35
1/2 3:08
3/4 4:50
1/2 3:10
1/4 1:31

Now, these are not the kinds of splits I ran ten years ago, but then again I am not the same runner I was ten years ago. For one thing, I am not completely obsessed with running anymore. I have other interests. For another, I'm older and wiser so I don't particularly like pain, injuries, being underweight, and having a competitive attitude and a big ego. This is the new improved mellow ultra-running Laurel. I'd like to keep this...but also get more fit and a little faster. You know, have my cake and eat it, too.

Stress, Illness, and the Long Run

2011-03-07T17:45:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend I realized I have yet another cold. This is my second one of the year and only about one week after I felt fully recovered from my first one. It's all those darned sick people I see for work! I'm just kidding. Really, I love my job and I can't imagine anything more rewarding than helping people who really need it. I am always being exposed to illness and infection, but rarely get sick. I know why these recent colds have grabbed me.

Viruses, molds, and bacteria are everywhere. They always have been. That's why our bodies are designed to resist them. If this resistance fails and these culprits do find a foothold, a healthy body is excellent at fighting them. I think a lot of people with excessive food sensitivities, environmental sensitivities, migraines, frequent infections, frequent colds, skin problems, gastro-intestinal issues and other disorders have low tolerances to the world around them due to a number of things... unhealthy lifestyle (we all know this one), stress (physical or emotional), and negative thinking and attitude. Of course there are many people who do everything right, but are constantly sick. Familial tendency and heredity have a big role also. But just because your parents were both fat diabetics with heart disease that died young, doesn't mean you have to go that route, too! I truly believe we have a lot of control over our health. And I don't need a holistic practitioner to tell me this for a huge sum of money.

I normally have a fantastic immune system and rarely get sick or feel run down. The exception of this is when I am under stress. When I was going through a divorce and starting a whole new life I developed rashes, headaches, insomnia, and kept getting colds. Our physical health is very closely related to our emotional and mental health! Well, recently I have been under a lot of stress and pressure in my workplace. It all stems from Medicare cuts, which are actually sorely needed. We do need to make cuts and be more efficient (in my humble opinion.) But I still have a mortgage and an active lifestyle that demands a flexible work schedule. Hence, the stress.

Today I was scheduled for a twenty miler. Looking out the window at the steady light rain and running streams in the road, and seeing that the thermometer only read 34 degrees, and feeling a sore throat, nasal congestion, body aches, and chills, I wasn't crazy about the idea of lacing up the running shoes. But I did it. I told myself, "only run 5 or 7 or whatever feels possible today." Surprisingly, a nice wet long run was exactly what I needed! I ran twenty road miles at about 8 minute pace and felt better and better as I went. I solved all my work problems in my head as I ran. So when my boss called me a few minutes after I got back home, I was able to speak to her in a calm and logical manner. We were able to negotiate a very do-able plan that will benefit the company (one more work day a week for me with the same pay) and myself (no more on-call nights on the weekends... and even better, I still have the job I love.) Suddenly my cold is feeling a lot better!

Hill Repeats and Max Heart Rate

2011-03-04T10:34:00.003-05:00

The higher my weekly mileage gets, the less I keep up with my e-mails, blog, and online training log. I'm slower now than I used to be, so running 60-70 miles a week takes a lot of time these days! I just don't have much time to spend sitting at the computer. But I love to write and this blog is my creative outlet for that, so I'll continue to post when I can.

This morning I ventured out into the sub zero temperatures for my hill repeats. These have been a regular part of my training regime and I enjoy them. Today I ran two miles over hard packed snowmobile trails to a particularly steep and difficult hill. It is just a bit over a quarter mile long with a grade that varies from steep to ridiculous. Sometimes I have to walk part of this hill when it falls toward the end of my long run. Today I was ready for it!

My plan was for six repeats, fast up and fast down. So how is a person to recover between repeats if the downhill isn't run easily? I end up grabbing my knees at the top for 3 or 4 breaths, then run down as fast as I can, stand with my hands on my hips for a few breaths and run back up again. I recover somewhat on the downs, my breath and heart rate do slow down some, but it is still a pretty intense workout. My uphills are getting stronger and stronger, and my downhill running has improved immensely over the past few months.

Today my heart rate hit 180 on the last two climbs. That is the highest I have seen it in a long time. I didn't think it would still go that high. It is a fact that maximum heart rate does decline with age. I used to hit 186 in shorter races and speed work sessions, but haven't worked hard enough in recent years to get anywhere near my max. I think I got pretty close today!

Winter Running

2011-02-27T09:58:00.007-05:00

Contrary to popular belief on FaceBook, real runners do use poles...at least when the snow is several feet deep and unbroken!

It's been a good running week and I should hit 65 miles today. Some of it has been in snowshoes and some on pavement, but most has been on snowmobile trails in regular trail running shoes. The nice part about getting out on the pavement briefly was that I saw that my easy pace is getting faster. This is something that isn't apparent when I am running up and down steep hills on snowy trails.

Coach Jack has reminded me a few times that the tough winter conditions just make us stronger and faster for Spring! I hope this is true because I have signed up for Northern Nipmuck in early April and The North Face Endurance 50K at Bear Mt, NY in early May. I'll also get out to Mt Aggie the week before Bear Mt to run a few miles with my friends at their Fat Ass 50K. I haven't really raced (other than a DNF at Vermont 100) since my time off following my broken neck last Spring. It's time to get back at it!

With at least a foot of new snow Friday and a few more inches this morning, today is definitely looking like a snowshoe day. I have some new cheapo snowshoes that I am absolutely loving! They are Yukon Charlies, (Yukon Who???). They cost me about 30 bucks when all was said and done. They are about 110 dollar shoes, but marked 50 percent off for end of season and then I had a coupon for another 30 percent off. I figured that if I wore them just once and they broke it would be no big deal because they were so inexpensive. I also planned to just use them for stomping around in the deep snow in the woods, not running. Well, it turns out that they are awesome to run in, they feel light on my feet, they don't ever click or bump each other, I love the bindings (best ones I've ever had on a pair of snowshoes), and they have great cleats for climbing in the deep powder. The materials are not the top of the line and they might not hold together for long. We'll see.

Do I really need four pairs of snowshoes? Probably not. Kevin and I are going to recondition my Tubbs and my Redfeathers and donate them to the elementary school. Those kids are out waddling around on snowshoes in their phys ed classes all the time. Of course I'll keep my speedy little Dions for faster paced snowshoe running on trails that are already broken.

Ossipee Valley Foothill Fun

2011-02-22T15:36:00.008-05:00

21 miles of running with 8040 feet of climb and descent on hard packed snowmobile trails in beautiful sunshine makes me one happy woman! The big goofy glasses match the big goofy grin.

It was a gorgeous day to be out on the trails!

There were plenty of "hill ups"...

and plenty of sunshine!

That's where I had just come from...

And that's where I was going.

I had a nice tour of Maine Maple country along the way.

I imagine he was thinking, "why fly when I can run on beautiful trails like these?"

This is looking toward Cornish from the Hiram Hills.

The top of Peaked Mountain in Hiram. Notice the chimney, all that's left of a structure that was hit by lightning years ago.

Almost done with my last little climb of the day, Tower Hill in South Hiram.

Ever Changing Winter Conditions

2011-02-15T15:04:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I was due for a 24 mile run but I had absolutely no energy. I felt just like I had felt on Sunday... comatose. As I jogged along the snowmobile trail I had to admit it to myself, I was sick with a cold. I decided to go the whole distance anyway. I would just go as slow as I needed to and take walk breaks when necessary. I ran toward Brownfield with my Garmen in hand (the strap is broken.) The plan was to turn around at 12 miles. That twelve miles was mostly uphill, for a total gain of 5045 feet. It took 2 hours and 10 minutes, just under 11 minute pace. I decided to try to make up time on the downhill run back and make my average 10 minute miles when all was said and done. Well, that didn't happen. On the way back the snow was getting mushy because of the warm temperatures and my muscles were feeling pretty mushy, too. I finished in 4:28. It was a good lesson in perseverance and I'm glad I got it done.

This morning I drove over to North Conway for a back country ski in the National Forest off Town Hall Road with Mary. It felt cold, but tolerable until we got our skis on. Suddenly, the wind was ferocious. My nose was frozen within the first mile. Conditions were very icy and I couldn't hear anything except the skis scraping across the icy surface. We climbed and climbed, fighting that cold miserable head wind. Just as I was getting ready to admit I was miserable and beg Mary to turn back, she suggested we go back and change into running shoes. Skiing down was very cold, but quick. We ran into The Doctor when we were almost back to the vehicle. He was walking uphill at a brisk pace. We told him we were "changing gears" and we'd be back in a few minutes.

It only took a few seconds to change shoes and throw the skis in the Jeep. Then we took off at a jog against the wind and uphill. It took us almost two miles to catch up to The Doctor. Man, can he walk! We saw him ahead in the distance and both commented that we weren't closing the gap very fast. When we caught up he was ready to turn around, admitting defeat by the cold wind. There were little branches falling all around us and big ones cracking and creaking beside the trail. He told us, "be careful" and headed back to the cars.

About ten minutes later, the wind suddenly stopped, the sky turned a brilliant blue, and our faces were instantly warm in the bright sun. Mary and I both looked at each other and said at the same time, "Wow!" It was very strange and very beautiful. We ended up running about 8 miles. The wind never started up again and the sun was fantastic! We were both glad that we hadn't just thrown the skis in the car and gone home. We had a great morning!

This is NOT a Political Post!

2011-02-14T08:21:00.004-05:00

I have started a consistent routine of getting out and running first thing in the morning on work days. Normally, in these colder and darker months, I start my work day early and then try to take a run on my lunch break (which might happen anytime between 12 and 4). But work is suddenly stressful and these early morning runs are keeping me on an even keel while many of my co-workers are feeling quite stressed. Imagine, what a calm and happy world this would be if everyone took an early morning run!

There have always been difficult situations to deal with and complicated procedures to perform in my line of work, but now there are new pressures. More planned Medicare cuts in home care quietly went into effect in January. http://www.healthcare-digital.com/new-medicare-final-rule-cuts-home-care It took less than a month for us direct care providers to start feeling it. We are under a lot of pressure to somehow continue to provide quality care to the sickest people in our communities with very limited funding. Don't get me wrong, if people need care at home they are going to get it. But if Medicare doesn't pay for it, the home care agencies will be eating a lot of those costs. Home care is non-profit so there is no surplus to cover these expenses. What this has resulted in is sort of a controlled panic by those in the industry. If we could all just get out for a good hard run first thing in the morning we'd get through it just fine.

Each morning has found me out on the hard packed snowmobile trails. The ones in this area are not heavily trafficked and most mornings I don't see any snowmobilers at all. Sometimes the last tracks through are the ones I left the morning before. The route I have been running is extremely hilly. There are some open fields and some good deep dark woods. This corner of the state is one of the few places left in Southern Maine that a person can venture out into the forest for hours and hours without seeing or hearing another soul.

Saturday, Kevin and I went out on the Ossipee River Trails on snowshoes after my trail run. There was a mom out with her two young girls, all of them on snowshoes. I couldn't believe how much energy those girls had! Kevin and I went about 4 or 5 miles. This is not to be confused with snowshoe running. Snowshoe running is fun, but quite different than snowshoe trekking in deep untouched snow. Believe me, I wouldn't have made any progress at all back there if i was wearing my little running snowshoes. I'd still be out there up to my shoulders in the white stuff! I do a lot of both running and hiking in snowshoes and I can't decide which is more difficult!

Sunday I was wiped out. I don't know if it is this little cold I have, the high mileage running week, the difficult snowshoe trek the day before, or the work stresses catching up to me. It was probably all of those things. I slept almost twelve hours straight through from Saturday night. Sunday, I got up and had a cup of coffee and then slept a few more hours. Finally, late Sunday I went for my run. I was slow, but it was fun and I'm glad I did it.

My training is going very well. Mileage is getting up where it belongs, long runs are feeling good for the most part, and I am enjoying myself.

Bread Bag Kind of Day

2011-02-08T14:25:00.004-05:00

I was supposed to do my long run yesterday but I had a lot of work to catch up on after our Vermont trip so I put the run off until today. This morning as I looked out the window at the sleet/snow/rain falling gently, the slushy and flooded streets, and the gloomy skies, I was not feeling very good about that decision. I dressed to run, but then hemmed and hawed, putting it off as long as I could. Finally I left the house with a half hearted, "guess I'll see how it goes," to Kevin.

Within a half mile I realized that it wasn't really all that bad. The roads were covered with about 4 inches of slush. But there was pavement, not ice, beneath. After 4 miles of road running I decided to try the snow mobile trails. Again I was surprised. There were a few inches of soft wet slush and snow on the surface, but it was solidly packed beneath that. Despite my bad attitude about getting started I was feeling good and having fun!

I looped back to the house for a drink and a snack about twelve miles into the run. I was soaked and starting to feel cold so i didn't stay more than a few minutes. Kevin offered me bread bags for inside my shoes as I left. This made me smile. I don't know if everyone else did this, but Kevin and I both grew up with leaky boots and both our mothers used to stick plastic bread bags on our feet before we stuck them into the boots. No bread bags were used today, but they might have helped. Eight more miles of snow mobile trails brought me back home from a very nice twenty miler.

Kingdom Trails Nordic

2011-02-07T08:22:00.005-05:00

East Burke, Vermont was a nice place to be this past weekend! Saturday saw perfect trail conditions on the Kingdom Trails Nordic. I classic skied about 30KM on some of the nicest groomed powder I've ever skied on... and some of the hilliest terrain I've ever skied on. After dropping me off at the Nordic Center, Kevin drove the short distance to the ski slopes for some snowboarding. He later reported those conditions to be ideal as well. We had warm sunshine throughout the day but it never got above the twenties and the powder held up well.

That day, I skied what was probably the steepest and narrowest trail I've ever been on with my skinny little XC skis. I was resting and taking in the views in the Mcgill Fields when I saw a guy ski past faster than I've ever seen anyone ski before. He had a dog chasing him in a full sprint, yet the dog was barely keeping up. I read the back of the guy's suit as he disappeared down the trail and it said "USA National Nordic Team". So I took off in pursuit, just to gage how fast he was moving. I lost sight of him in seconds, but I could see where he had turned off onto the narrow Big Birch Trail and thought, "heck if a national class skier can do it, so can I." It was crazy! There was no stopping or slowing once I started down, I had to just go with it. The old rule about always being in control was just not possible. If I had met anyone coming up the trail I would have had to crash in order to stop. But really, I doubt anyone would try to climb that on skis. It was fantastic! I would have looped around to do it again, but decided not to push my luck (or my limited skills.)

When I was good and done (meaning I could hardly make forward progress due to sore quads,) I jogged down the road in my ski boots for a few miles to Lower Burke. Timing was perfect because when I called Kevin from the parking lot, he said he was done, too... and ready for a beer. We laughed about all the cans of PBR being consumed at Mid Burke (PBR was definitely not cool when we were younger.) Then we moved back down to Lower Burke where we spent the evening in the Tamarak. We were very amused to hear the staff there refer to Mid Burke as "PBR."

We got some nice snow on Saturday night. Sunday morning was cloudy, but warm. The trees were all loaded with snow. After a nice big breakfast at the Miss Lyndonville Diner, Kevin dropped me off at the Nordic center again. This morning he was going to park at Mid Burke as there were rumors about power outages and lifts being down. Kingdom Trails was doing their best with the Nordic grooming, but they don't have a lot of staff or equipment and most of the trails weren't groomed yet. So the skiing was tough and slow, but the woods were just beautiful.

I didn't have anything left after a few hours of this type of skiing, so I started my jog on the road to meet Kevin. But this time I had to jog up the mountain to Mid Burke. The road was very slushy. I saw a Hummer with a Mass. license plate speeding down the narrow road toward me. I put my arm out with my palm down giving the "slow down for God's sake," signal...and he accelerated. I got completely drenched with brown slush from the road. I turned around and screamed profanities at the vehicle (temporary loss of sanity.) Just then a big green pick up with the Burke Mountain logo on the side pulled up and offered me a ride up. Again the timing was perfect because Kevin had broken a strap on his binding as was ready to quit. The drive home was pretty and we stopped at our favorite pub for dinner and beer on the way.

22 Miles on Snow Mobile Trails (without a snow mobile)

2011-02-01T11:09:00.003-05:00

Late yesterday afternoon I ran on the local snowmobile trails. I have been running most of my long runs on the roads lately, so I was excited to be back in the woods. My big convoluted loop took me over a bunch of small mountains in Porter and Hiram for over 7000 feet of elevation gain. I found two mountains I had never been on before, Notch Mountain and Maple Hill. I've looked for Maple Hill before and not found it. I never knew the name of Notch Mountain, but Kevin had seen it from Rte 160 and pointed it out as something we should climb. This run was awesome because I wasn't just out there putting in the miles (which I have been doing a lot of lately). Instead I was doing what I love... exploring, looking at tracks, stopping for the nice views, and enjoying the woods.

I have been having severe and constant jaw pain for the past week due to an unfortunate malplacement of a novacaine injection while having some dental work last week. While I ran yesterday, I was completely without pain. I puzzled about this. Was it endorphins, or the slack and relaxed way I hold my mouth while I run? Maybe I was just being distracted from the pain because I was doing what I love to do. Each time I stopped running for more than a minute or two, the pain came back in full force. I find this fascinating.

The trails had all been groomed either early that morning or the night before, and none of them except for the last 5 miles had seen any snowmobile traffic on them since. This was a wonderful surface to run on. I hardly even left footprints because it was so firm. I made myself run up all the hills even when walking would have been faster and more efficient, just for an exercise in self discipline. Some of those climbs were ridiculously steep! I'm surprised snow mobiles can get up them. I stopped to enjoy the views on every summit. The entire run was 22 1/2 miles according to my Garmen. It took me 4:32.

The last 5 miles were slower going because sleds had been through and loosened the trail up a little. Plus it was dark by then. But I didn't mind because I finished up on the familiar trails beside the Ossipee River. They were the only miles of the entire loop that were flat!

Limington

2011-01-29T09:54:00.003-05:00

I was looking for a place to stop for a run on my way home from work yesterday and decided on Sawyer Mountain off of route 117 in Limington. The Sawyer Mountain trail isn't great running when there isn't snow cover. This is due to the rocky trail conditions. These are not the nice kind of rocks that we New England trail runners enjoy, they are more like piles of loose rolling scree left behind due to erosion and poor water run off. But in the winter the trail is used by snowmobilers and it becomes a wonderful place to run.

The snow was a bit soft as we had warm temperatures during the day, but it was still very enjoyable. To the top of the small mountain and back is about 4 miles. The views from the top are very nice. Coming back down on the soft snowmobile trail was fast and fun! When I got back to my car I crossed the road and followed the snowmobile trails on the other side. I had never been on these before. I was having a great run, but as the sun set and the trails started to firm up, things got even better. I came to an open area and saw 3 or 4 deer at the top of a hill, silhouetted against the evening sky.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any better, I rounded a bend in the trail and found a brand new wooden outhouse sitting there in the middle of the woods! This thing was a work of fine craftsmanship. It was such an unlikely site that I had to smile. The sign on the door said "Limington Crankers Snow Mobile Club." I continued running well past dark, but finally had to turn around and return to my vehicle. I hope I can return soon to explore further down the trail.

Trails, Roads, and Treadmill

2011-01-26T08:32:00.003-05:00

Years ago, during my second Ultra, a road fifty miler, I was brought to a walk on a small hill near the end. My legs were just trashed. This was only my second race over the marathon distance and I was pretty disgusted with myself for having to walk so close to the end. As I gimped up the hill, I made apologies to the man (C.W.) I had been battling with for the win for the past 6 hours. He looked at me before he left me behind and said something that sticks with me to this day, "there's no shame in walking as long as it gets you to the finish line." Since then I repeat this to myself often, and it's not usually about literally walking to get to the finish line. To me, it means that sometimes things don't go exactly as planned, but you just do the best you can to make it come out OK. And you shouldn't feel shame or regret or make excuses when you have done your best.

Yesterday, I did about three miles on the snowmobile trails, but was working too hard for so early in a long run. So I moved out to the roads. These were snow and slush covered and I was doing a lot of back-sliding with each step even though I had my screw shoes on. It was better than the snow mobile trails, but still slow and difficult. I kept thinking to myself, everyone else runs on this stuff and doesn't seem to have a problem with it. It's that damned Facebook! I read people posting things like, "10 miles at 10 below on 6 inches of snow this morning. It was awesome!" So why does it feel totally not awesome to me to run in below zero temps or on snowy and icy roads?

I did 12 miles on the trails and roads and then came to an intersection where I was supposed to turn left. Without really thinking about it, my body turned right and headed for home. As much as the treadmill bores me, I decided I would rather finish up on it than keep slipping around on the road and having to jump onto the snow bank every time a car came along on these narrow streets. It wasn't so much the fact that it was really hard work, it was just plain unpleasant!

When I got home I hardly paused to strip off my wet clothes in the kitchen before marching up to the home gym, donning some nice light summer running clothes, turning the music on, and hopping on the treadmill. My pace was much faster and much more comfortable. My stride felt natural and smooth. It felt great to finish up that way! As I stepped off the belt I said out loud, "No shame in walking," although I hadn't walked a step. I meant no shame in using the treadmill if that's what it took to get it done!

2011 Planning

2011-01-24T08:21:00.003-05:00

I am trying not to look too far ahead with my racing/running plans for this year. Last year my plans all fell to pieces with a neck injury early in the Spring. In past years, injuries, work schedule changes, social/family obligations, or better offers have prevented me from doing all the things I had laid out in my long term planning. It is pretty obvious to people who know me that I am a spur of the moment kind of person. Unfortunately, in this day of the ultrarunning boom, a person has to plan ahead and enter early to get into the big events.

Another factor is that for the first time in my life, when I am making plans for myself I am also making plans for another person. In past relationships I have always made plans for fun adventures and events thinking only of myself. I would then offer to take spouse or boyfriend along if he wanted to go. Usually he didn't want to go and he didn't mind having me go off on my own. If he did decide to go, he was off fishing or visiting the bars while I ran. With Kevin things are different. Kevin supports and encourages whatever I want to do. We have only been apart for one entire night the whole time I have known him. That was at an event where we didn't feel there would be a way for him to meet me out on the trail. We worked it out the next year and I did the same event with his midnight send off and his company on the trail at the end of the event. When I run a race it is a team effort for us. Kevin has happily stood out in the cold for hours to see me for about 10 seconds as I hand off a sweaty shirt and a muddy kiss. He has stayed up all night and then driven me home from these things. He's a good sport. So now when I think about events I want to do I also think about the kinds of places that I know Kevin would enjoy. I even look to see if there are good mountain biking trails for him nearby!

With all that in mind, and with my supervisor asking for time off requests for the next eight months and my weekend and holiday work schedule engraved in stone through the rest of the year, I find myself checking out the race calendar while leafing through my 2011 planner. Some events just aren't going to happen for me due to my work schedule. Among those are two of my favorites, the Vermont 100 and the Mt Pisgah 50K. I thought about running Pineland 50K or 50 mile as my goal race for the Spring. This is a non-technical and flattish course, the type of course I suck at. I was thinking it would be good to step outside of my comfort zone. Luckily this race won't fit due to an awesome Grand Canyon Mountain Biking trip we have planned.

So what will fit for 2011? I have entered the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K to be held at Bear Mountain, New York on May 7th. This is a big race with a lot of big names on a technical course. It sounds like fun. I am also considering some of the shorter Grand Tree trail races (stepping out of that comfort zone!) And I am looking for a hundred miler late in the summer or early in the fall. Virgil Crest is the one I am leaning toward, although Grindstone would be a Hardrock qualifier for 2012.

I have never been one to run a race (or two) every weekend. There are so many other fun things to do! But I will get out to run a few this year. My training is going great and I don't want to let it go to waste!

Long, Cold, Hilly Run

2011-01-17T16:43:00.003-05:00

I really don't like to run when it is less than 15 degrees out. Call me a wimp, but my muscles often feel cold and sluggish when the temperature is lower than fifteen. I waited until this afternoon for today's long run, thinking it would warm up in the nice bright sunshine. And it did! It went from minus 10 degrees to 10 above. That was as high as it was going to go, so I layered up and headed out.

I started with a hilly loop down Spec Pond Road and through South Hiram. My plan was to stop at my house when I completed this loop for a bathroom break, a drink and a snack. Inevitably, I have to take a pee break on these long runs and I found out yesterday that the four foot snow banks on the side of the road are not conducive to this. So a pit stop at home was part of today's plan.

I felt great on this loop. Yes it was cold, but I was moving fast and smooth anyway. Even the hills felt good! What a difference from the last two weeks' long runs. As I neared my house at the end of the loop I started making a plan in my head as if I was pulling into an aid station in a hundred miler... "use the bathroom, grab a banana and a glass of juice, check to see if the space heater has thawed the pipes in the cellar yet, put a dry shirt and gloves on, check the online pedometer to see how long that loop was and how much farther I have to run to get my 19 miles in." I hadn't run that loop in a long time and had forgotten how long it is. The G-map pedometer told me it was 13 miles when I checked. I did all those tasks on my mental list in less than five minutes and was out the door.

I was cold starting out again because the sun was sinking low in the sky. That was OK because it made me want to run fast. I had to get 3 miles of faster paced running in during this run. I ran hard for the three miles out Spec Pond Rd and then turned and jogged back home. I didn't have a lot left when I returned home, but I was able to run strong and feel good for the whole run.

Finishing up the Week

2011-01-16T15:27:00.003-05:00

Kevin and I took to the Ossipee River Trails on snowshoes yesterday. The snow was softer than we expected, despite having been packed down by our last few snowshoe trips through. I ran while Kevin fast-hiked the trails. I like it that we can share the trails together even though Kevin doesn't run. I loop around and run out and back, and in this way we are out in the woods together even though we are each doing our own thing. It was interesting to hear from an acquaintance at a social gathering on Friday evening, that she and her husband do a similar thing. He runs while she mixes running and walking. By running back for her now and then they are able to travel together down the trail. Here I was thinking Kevin and I were unique in doing this! (Truthfully, Kevin's fast snowshoe walk isn't much slower than my snowshoe run when we are on that loose stuff!)

We worked hard out there yesterday and both felt it last evening. I wasn't sure how my run was going to feel today, but I was determined to get it in. After working on a home improvement project together all morning, we each set out on our own. Kevin hit the trails with his snowshoes again, while I ran a nice out and back on the little trafficked Spec Pond Road. I started out a little stiff and sore, but felt better and better as I went. Hooray, I made sixty running miles this week! And we both fit in some good fun outside time this weekend.

This Week's Training...So Far

2011-01-14T12:53:00.003-05:00

Since Monday's miserable long run, my workouts have felt good! Over the last four days I have put in a good screw shoe six miler on packed snowy trails, a cross training day of snow shoveling and P90X, a 12 miler on icy, snowy roads with Fartlek, and a 6 mile snow shoe run. All of them felt great!

OK, I'll admit it. The snow shoe run almost did me in. I did well for the first 4 miles. I ran on snow mobile trails that had seen one snowmobile pass through and then drifted over with powdery snow. It was enough of a base to make running possible, if a bit challenging. But the last two miles were off the snow mobile trails and out into the woods. I followed Kevin's lone set of snow shoe tracks down the River Run Trail. He is about ten inches taller than me, so stepping into his tracks required a fast bounding stride. This part of my run was just about at snow shoe race pace, necessary if I didn't want to have to break my own trail which would have brought me to a walk. After catching up to Kevin eventually, I walked out with him. I was so depleted by then that I almost froze on the way out. I was shivering and my hands were numb. I rode home with my snow shoes on because my hands were too cold to manipulate the bindings. Once we got home, a hot tub soak revived me.

The twelve miler with Fartlek was wonderful! I used Kevin's hand-me-down micro spikes. These are the same ones that both fell off and got lost for a week the first time I used them. This time I modified them with thick elastic bands and they stayed put. As much as I hate out and backs, it was necessary if I wanted to stay off busy roads. I don't appreciate it when I am driving on slippery roads and there are runners out in the middle of the road trying to avoid the deep snow on the shoulder. So if I can run on roads with little or no traffic in slippery conditions, that's what I do. I ran the hilly New Settlement Road using the school parking lots and the fairgrounds for my approach and return. It's pretty awesome to live in an area where I can go out and run for twelve miles on roads and only see one or two vehicles the entire time! Believe me, this is not taken for granted. I started running while living in the Connecticut suburbs. I remember very well what it was like jogging in place waiting for an opportunity to cross at all the intersections!

If things go as planned for the weekend, I will have a solid 60 mile week of running!

What a Difference a Day (and a little honey) Makes

2011-01-11T16:25:00.003-05:00

After yesterday's slow and painful slog on the roads, I probably needed my scheduled cross training day today. But with a snow storm predicted for tomorrow and a busy work day planned, I decided I'd better save the cross training day for tomorrow.

Yesterday's run was the longest distance I have done on pavement in ages, but I felt bad right from the first mile so that can't be the whole reason for my terrible run. I think the real reason has to do with not taking care of myself during the preceding days. I was coming off 5 twelve-hour shifts in a row and had been sitting in the car driving for hours and hours each day. I hadn't eaten at regular times or made healthy choices when I did eat. I avoided drinking much water because I didn't have time for bathroom stops. I drank too much coffee coming home in the evenings. You can see how a job that has a person traveling all day can be bad for one's health! Thank God I'm not a truck driver.

I noticed yesterday evening that my legs were swollen and my weight was up a few pounds. I had trouble getting my jeans off over my calves, although I had no problem putting them on! Every muscle in my body hurt, including my chest, arms, legs, back and neck. This is definitely not a normal reaction to a 19 mile run.

So I re-hydrated well, ate a balanced and healthy dinner and breakfast, and avoided salt. I also took a teaspoon of raw honey. Kevin's chiropractor recommended it for him so I (a supplement skeptic) did some research on it. I found that many people from different cultures and different nations believe in it's health benefits. So it isn't just the Americans-gone-crazy-spending-money-on-diet-and-supplement-products-thing. It's inexpensive and sold in it's pure form right at the supermarket. (And yes, the supplement companies are trying to cash in and sell it in pill form. How can that be pure and unfiltered? Or even called honey?) Anyway, even if it doesn't do anything for me I really like the taste of it. By this afternoon my weight was back to normal and my jeans fit over my calves. My run felt awesome! I ran six miles on hard packed and icy snow mobile trails in my screw shoes at sub ten minute miles.

Here's the spiel on raw unfiltered honey. Take it with a grain of salt... (figuratively, not literally!) And never give it to infants, no matter what the honey enthusiasts tell you.

HONEY PROCESSING Most honey sold today has been commercially processed, resulting in enzymes (which help digestion) and vitamins, being destroyed and protein (pollen) being removed. This processing involves heating and filtering through a cloth or fine filter paper.

WHAT CAN RAW HONEY DO FOR YOU?

Raw Honey was and still is credited with marvelous curative powers. A whole book could be written on all the medicinal uses of honey, from thousands of years of folk medicine to the scientific of the present time.

As honey is a pre-digested food (a process done by the bees) it enters the blood stream directly producing energy quickly, unlike refined sugar which has to be digested.*

Proline, an amino acid in Raw honey is the primary component in collagen. Collagen is the main structure in bones. Calcium is also found in two forms in Raw Honey.*

Increases Haemoglobin count and can help with Anaemia. It is rich in iron and copper.*

Is an excellent mild laxative*

It has been shown to be useful in Rheumatic and Arthritic conditions, especially in combination with Apple Cider Vinegar (Dr D.C. Jarvis).*

It has been used successful in the treatment of liver and kidney disorders, diseases of the respiratory and digestive tracts, weak heart action, infectious diseases, colds, insomnia, poor circulation, and bad complexion.*

It is not mere theory, but has been proved that bacteria cannot live in the presence of raw honey, for the reason that raw honey is an excellent source of potassium. The potassium draws from the bacteria the moisture which is essential to the very existence. A bacteriologist who did not believe this, after a series of tests discovered to his amazement that the disease germs he tested (typhoid, Bronco-pneumonia and Dysentery producing germs) were all killed off in the presence of raw honey.*

In this book “Folk Medicine”, Dr Jarvis an ear, nose and throat specialist reveals some startling facts about raw honey and honeycomb. He says the honeycomb is excellent for the treating of stuffy nose, nasal sinusitis and hay-fever. He always says that raw honey can produce healing for skin burns and is essential in the diet of children because it provides the composite of minerals needed for the growing body ( iron, copper, manganese, silica, chlorine, potassium, sodium, phosphorous, aluminium, magnesium, zinc, lead and sulphur ).*

Probably the most beneficial effect of pollen (contained in raw unfiltered honey) is that, taken internally it quickly produces the same anti-putrefactive effect as lactic foods and thus contributes to a healthy digestive system and good assimilation of nutrients—absolute prerequisites for good health and long life.Eating pollen rich raw honey causes rapid combustion, consuming fats which speed up the burning of fat, and continues through the bloodstream at a trickle stimulating the heart without harmful side effects.

Tough One, But Got It Done

2011-01-10T14:48:00.003-05:00

Today's run was a tough one! It was a hilly road loop through the town of Porter. I added a little out and back along the river near the end to make it an even 19 miles. It took me 3:02, not very speedy! I wanted a loop that would keep me out of traffic and off the icy trails. It was a very scenic and peaceful run, but my back and legs didn't do well on all that pavement. My form was really tightening up near the end and I had to walk one of the hills on Kezar Mountain Road due to leg and lower back pain. I cringed when I saw my short awkward gimpy stride when I looked at my shadow. I made a point to avoid looking at my shadow for the rest of the run.

Yesterday I drove past a woman running in Waterboro and I made fun (only to myself) about her obvious state of fatigue. She was definitely in the last miles of a long run and the struggle was showing in her form and on her face. Her mouth was moving as she muttered to herself, her nose was dripping, and her eyes were at half mast. Her arms had dropped low at her sides and her feet were barely clearing the ground with each step. When I drove by I thought sarcastically, "well there's a woman who is enjoying herself." Well, if there is justice in the world, she should have driven past me today for a good laugh. I can tell you, she looked 100% better yesterday than I must have looked today!

This was the longest distance I've run on pavement in a very long time and it hurt. I'll try to return to the trails for next week's long one.

No Bathroom, Wardrobe Problems, and a Hostile Fat Lady

2011-01-07T08:47:00.004-05:00

A short time ago I did a nice out and back along East and West Grand Avenues in Old Orchard Beach and really enjoyed it. Yesterday I had time to kill in the Saco/Biddeford area so I decided to re-visit OOB for my run. I had twelve miles planned, but didn't bring a watch or my Garmen so I just guessed at the distance. I ran out from Ocean Park, through OOB, and into Scarborough. Then I turned up route 9 away from the beach because I wanted to find some bushes. I had no luck finding bushes and had to practice self control for the remainder of the run.

I guessed at the turn-around spot and headed back. I was tempted for a minute to return on rte 1 and make a loop, but who wants to deal with rte 1 traffic? I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction on the return trip. For some reason the nice new tights that my son gave me for Christmas started falling down after the half way point. Weird, because they felt fine all the way out. I stopped and tried to figure out a way to keep them up. I ended up gathering all the excess material I could from the two fleece tops I was wearing and stuffing the big bunch of fabric down the front of my tights. It made me look pregnant, but it worked like a charm.

The only other out-of-ordinary occurrence was on East Grand Avenue during my return trip. With only a short distance left to go, a very large lady who was out watching her kids play in the snow bank yelled across the street to me. She said something like this, "You think you look good that skinny? Well you don't! You are way too skinny and no man is going to want you looking like that!" People on the street looked over to see who she was yelling at and it was a little embarrassing, but I just kept running. Just for the information of those of you who don't know me personally, I really am not very skinny for a runner. I'm pretty "solid" (as I like to put it). Plus I had a big paunch from stuffing the bottom of my fleeces into the front of my pants. Oh well, I didn't worry about it too much.

After I was done, I took the long way back to the office so I could use the car's odometer to measure how far I had run. It turns out that I ran eleven and a half miles while trying for twelve. That's pretty good guess work!

North Conway Long Run

2011-01-04T15:08:00.006-05:00

As often happens when I run the North Conway hills and mountains with Mary, a few miles into our long run today I find myself seriously wondering, "can something that feels so awful actually be good for me?" We start at the gated end of Town Hall Road and head up the tote roads, trails, and service roads into the National Forest. This involves steady gradual long climbs and descents. The descents are heavenly, the climbs are pure torture. There is something about the relentlessness of a two or three mile climb that starts sucking the life out of me part way up, no matter how gradual the grade. Then throw in a couple of shorter steeper hills (and by short I mean a half mile or so) and I come close to crying like a baby. Luckily, Mary doesn't notice. She just keeps chugging away and talking...talking, talking, talking. She's not fast anymore, but she is like a locomotive, strong and powerful.

Mary and I talk about the old days..."remember the trip to Quebec for the half marathon? We almost didn't make it to the starting line because the night before you and I..." or "Did you ever beat J.S. in college? I remember I came close once when her shoe came untied..." or "Remember that time you dropped out of the marathon in Rhode Island and C.R. saw you at the finish line and had a fit because she thought you had beaten her?" These are stories we tell each other over and over again, like a couple of old Alzheimer's patients that can't stop reliving the past.

We talk about the present... how to answer her adolescent kids' awkward questions about sex, gossip about neighbors, what our ex-husbands are up to and how glad we are that they aren't ours anymore, our current loves, trips, dates, and food. We often stop dead in our tracks because we get laughing too hard to run. We talk about the future. We both have a positive outlook on life and see only good things ahead. We talk about next week, next summer, and next year. It's all good, as far as we're concerned.

Today we run into the doctor. We have met up with him on many of our outings. I think he was a little scared of Mary the first few times we met on the trail. She has an in-your-face kind of friendly nature. But we have grown on him over time and today he seems delighted to see us. He is very interested in our running and asks a lot of questions. I tend to answer with one or two words, but Mary likes to elaborate. The doctor stands there with his hands in his pockets, nodding his head, and saying, "hmmm, reallllly?" He is a retired psychologist and I think he takes a professional interest in us. He walks a lot, getting ready for his through hike of the A.T. but he doesn't really get the whole running thing.

Today Mary and I see fresh Black Bear tracks in the snow and wonder why he isn't holed up for the winter yet. We see huge pines that have blown down in a recent storm. We stop once so Mary can point out and identify the distant peaks. We try to spot skiers on the far away ski slopes. We explore a new (to us) service road on our return trip. And so the difficult miles pass and another tough long run is in the books. We'll get together in a week or two and do it all over again.

York Beach Run

2010-12-30T08:15:00.003-05:00

Yesterday at about two in the afternoon I took a break from my work day for an out and back run along York Beach to Nubble Light. It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in the thirties. I couldn't wait to get started. I changed in my car and then hopped out, ready to go. I took my first lurching step forward and found I could barely lift my feet off the ground! Within the past week I have had some snow shoe outings, a long cross country ski, strength workouts, and a lot of good running. My body is aching! My hip flexors ache, my ribs ache, my shoulders ache, and my quads ache. Ouch. I stumbled on, trying to ignore the two speedy nimble woman runners that passed me from the opposite direction. I couldn't help muttering a "Damn you," after they had passed and I was sure they couldn't hear me. I pushed on.

Glancing down at my Garmen (which I hate, but use sometimes to keep myself honest) I saw that I was running around 8:30 pace. I could live with that, but shouldn't it feel easier? After a mile or so, my gait finally lengthened and I started feeling a lot smoother. By the time I got to the lighthouse, I was feeling great.

I was scheduled for running drills that day and imagined doing them in the empty parking lots of the Viewpoint. Surprisingly, I found the place packed with winter sight seers. No problem, I'd never see any of them again. I swallowed my pride and did my three sets of drills. One fit looking Japanese tourist actually applauded me as I butt-kicked past. I like to think he knew what I was doing and approved. The other option is that he thought I was hired entertainment.

On my run back to my car I realized why those two women were so speedy and nimble, there was a tail wind! I hadn't really noticed how much of a head wind I was fighting on my way out. Heading back was fast! And wouldn't you know? Those same two women runners ran by going back toward the light house and they were struggling. We smiled at each other and commented on the wind. I guess I am still lacking confidence in my running fitness. Back a few years when I saw runners who were moving faster than me I'd just think, "good for you" and not "Damn you." I'll get there again!

Seasons Greeting from Kezar Falls!

2010-12-23T09:26:00.004-05:00

Don't you have a love/hate thing for all those Holiday letters people stick in with their Christmas cards? Well, here's my attempt at a sappy Christmas letter (only available for Blog readers, you poor devils.)

Seasons Greetings From Kezar Falls!

2010 has been a busy year for us newlyweds in Kezar Falls. It's been a year full of fun walking, running, and biking in the woods. We have enjoyed about a hundred meals of steak and greens together. Speaking of Greens, we had a killer garden this year! I have been served coffee in bed over three hundred times in 2010. Morning bacon and eggs on the weekends have been consumed with gusto, only to be burnt up on the trails, calling for further sustenance which we find is best consumed at the Moat Mountain Brewery. There has been lots of fun mountain biking at the Kingdom Trails, Bradbury, FOMBA, Bear Brook, Pudding Pond, and the Moats. I have enjoyed a lot of running on some of those same trails! We've gotten through a broken neck together, but still struggle with Dan's broken truck sitting in the driveway. Last January, this young (at heart) couple enjoyed a winter trip to East Burke with their friend, Zoey. Sledding, walking, fine dining, and beam balancing were some of the activities we partook of while there. May found us having a top secret riverside ceremony involving rings and bubbles and crazy friends. We worked together for a successful completion of the Vermont 80 mile trail race in July. Chafing has never been so much fun! There was a nice little back packing excursion to explore an area we had never been to before. Camping at Acadia was another highlight of the year (I learned to ALWAYS use a flash light to find the rest room after dark!) There was a lot of local trail building, and then a lot of riding and running to be done on those trails! I finally managed to get back into a regular running routine and Kevin has continued to add miles to the local trails for me to run on. But it hasn't been all go-go-go, Porch sittin' has continued to be a favorite evening activity. Our senior citizen dog, Bart continues to amaze us all with his quest to become the oldest and lumpiest dog in Maine. Most importantly, we have been very happy together. In short, It's been a hell of a good year! Hooray for 2010!

What does 2011 have in store for this duo? We plan to continue to enthusiastically enjoy the great outdoors! We plan to raise lots of Kale and Collards again this year. We are going to adopt some laying hens in 2011. There is going to be a great Grand Canyon North Rim Mountain Biking trip in the coming months. We will also enjoy lots of mountain biking here in New England. There is going to be a new local island trail opening in 2011! Of course, we will continue to put in plenty of miles running and riding the existing local trails. I'm sure we'll enjoy a few pints of Iron Mike's Pale Ale at The Moat and a few Hangar Steaks at The Tamarack this coming year. This winter Kevin will get out on the snowboard regularly and I will cross country ski more than last year. Snow shoe stumpin' will be enjoyed by both! I will run a few trail races this coming year and give them an honest effort. I will redeem myself with a good hundred mile finish late in the Summer. And of course, porch sitting will continue to occupy many a warm summer evening. Hooray for 2011!

Happy Holidays and a Very Happy, Active, and Fun 2011 to all!

Moat Area Long Run

2010-12-21T07:35:00.011-05:00

Yesterday's long run was done on some of the nicest single track in the area. The meandering, hilly mountain bike trails in the Moat area are fantastic for riding and running. The lay out of the trails is smooth and flowing, a little challenging here and there, and quite scenic in places. The White Mountain chapter of NEMBA is responsible for these trails and they do great work there. For late Fall, the trail conditions were remarkable. I only had to climb over two blow downs and these were both on service roads, the single track was clean and clear.

I left the car at the gate and ran up the road a bit before getting on the High School Trail which took me the long way to the Mineral Site Trail. From there I ran what we call the "High Trail." This is a long trail with some rough sections and a ton of climbing. It is very difficult for me on the bike, and nice challenging running! I forgot about the water crossing until I came to it. By then I was a long way in and didn't want to back track. The rocks and edge of the stream were very icy but I found a place I could just wade across without having to climb out onto ice. It really wasn't bad.

Next I ran some service roads, hiking trails, and then did the four nice single track loops. I threw in my two miles at marathon pace effort in the Hundred Acre Woods after setting up my camera on timer to check out my form. I have been trying to open up my stride more and lose that hundred miler's shuffle. I have some shorter faster distances planned for Spring! The photo shows me as a blur, but my form is looking better. Then I repeated the loop to retrieve my camera.

With one loop and the climb back out to the car remaining, I realized it was going to get dark before I finished. I hadn't been able to start my run until about one o'clock due to having work to finish up from the weekend. Not to worry, I had thought to bring my headlamp. But when I checked my pack, I realized that although I had thought to bring it, I hadn't actually brought it. It was still sitting on the kitchen counter. Oh well, I was very familiar with these last trails and there was an option to return on service roads instead of single track. The roads would be just as far in distance, but would be more open and easier to follow. But when I finished the loop I decided to throw caution to the wind and return on the Mineral Site Switchback. I love that trail!

I made it out to the last mile of service road running just as total darkness fell. The service road was easy to run on in the dark and i made it back without incident. I ran somewher between 19 and 20 miles in just over three and a half hours. I felt like I had another two or three hours left in me!

Visit to the Beach

2010-12-16T18:35:00.002-05:00

Today I ran a nice ten miler in the middle of my work day. I run where I can during my travels, and today that happened to be in Old Orchard Beach. I ran about three miles on the sand, then moved out to the pavement for the rest of the run. Of note for all you non-heel-striking enthusiasts, I left no heel prints in the wet sand, wore regular old trail shoes, and wasn't even trying! I've never been cool in my life and suddenly here I am, a natural forefoot striker in a time when forefoot striking is cool. :-) The surf was high this afternoon and it was very pretty and enjoyable.

The road running was actually pretty fun too. I ran along the main strip from Ocean Park, through OOB, and into Scarborough. In the Summer months, this stretch is a madhouse. This time of year most of the businesses are closed and the automobile traffic is very light. Also, there was absolutely no foot traffic on the sidewalks. I was afraid I might get a parking ticket because there isn't much public parking on the Ocean Park end. But a police officer watched me park in front of a sign that said "no parking unless you are here to play shuffleboard," and didn't say a word when I took off running. I was prepared to tell him I was there to play shuffleboard, but it didn't come to that.

Drills!

2010-12-14T12:25:00.002-05:00

If you've been running for a while, particularly if you have a track background, you have probably done running drills in one form or another at some point in your running career. I have a strong track background and I was coached for some time by an Eastern European track coach, so I am certainly familiar with running drills. They are also sometimes called Plyometric Drills. There are many different forms of these exercises, but they all involve fast explosive muscle movements. They help build strength, speed, and running efficiency (or economy.)

My coach, Jack has Incorporated these drills into my December training schedule. When I read over the exercises he recommended, I was familiar with all of them. Today was the day to get out there and give them a try! Ideally, today would be a cross training recovery day since I ran long yesterday, but my work schedule is busy for the rest of the week and I wanted to be sure to get this workout in so I did it today.

I warmed up with a two mile jog over the trails to the Sacopee Valley Fairgrounds. These fairgrounds provide level paved and dirt roads which are closed to traffic. They aren't scenic or interesting, but I've found they work well for my faster paced running and I knew they'd be perfect for today's drills.

I did sets of 7 different exercises for 30 seconds each with 30 second jogs between each exercise and between each set. I was to do these sets of drills for a total of two miles, which worked out to about 3 1/2 sets of the seven exercises (one doesn't cover much ground hopping or kicking one's own butt.) It's been quite a few years, but they all felt familiar and smooth and fast right from the start. This workout made me feel like there is still a fast young track runner inside this tired old ultra running body! It was a lot of fun, and quite a good hard workout. I didn't feel it so much while I was doing the actual drills, but I was huffing and puffing and staggering on those 30 second recovery jogs!

The drills I did today were as follows:
1. run backwards
2. karaoke step (we used to call them leg criss-crosses before karaoke was invented) in one direction
3. karaoke in the other direction
4. butt kicks
5. skips
6. hops
7. all out sprint with fast turnover (this one doesn't hurt until you stop)

You can do an online search for running drills or plyomtric drills and see descriptions of these and other drills. It's a fun way to break up the monotony and it gives a great workout. Here is a good video demonstrating some of the drills. I'm sure I looked just as crisp, clean, and quick today as this woman looks in the video. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcH97Dx8VCk

Two Good Runs

2010-12-13T17:12:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ran five miles on the Ossipee River Trails. Kevin had tweaked his hip the day before and planned to walk at a leisurely pace, so he brought along my extremely old Springer Spaniel, Bart. He gave me a head start before letting Bart off the leash. I felt great and ran at a pretty fast pace. When I was about a mile and a half into my run, I met up with Kevin at an intersection. Right away I saw that he had lost the dog. Kevin told me Bart had taken off after me as soon as he was let off the leash. This was surprising, considering that walking Bart these days usually involves a lot of coaxing and prodding just to keep him moving forward.

I said, "I'll back track and see if I can find him." I knew this wasn't going to be easy since Bart is deaf and doesn't see well. What were the chances he had been able to stay on my trail? Kevin said, "He's probably right behind you, he was moving pretty fast." I thought there was no way that deaf blind dog in his late teens was right behind me. He had been a hell of a good running companion back in his day, but let's face it, he's really really old now! I turned around to back track and there he was, looking happier than he has in years. Goes to show you, once a runner, always a runner! Bart needed to be carried up and down the stairs last night (I've felt that way myself at times), but he seems fine today.

Today, I set out in the rain for a long run on the Standish rail trail. Temperatures were mild in the upper forties and the rain was gentle. I felt very good and averaged about 8:30 pace. I ran an out and back with 6 miles on dirt road and snowmobile trails and the other 12 on paved flat multi use trail. The last mile back to my car was uphill on soft dirt. That was the only time I felt a little tired. Whether I ever get gong ho about racing again or not, it still feels very nice to be in shape!

This is an extremely busy time of year at work for me. Getting my runs in has been a challenge. My toughest work stretch starts on Wednesday with 5 twelve hour shifts in a row and on-call at night. I'll do my best to get the runs in, but I refuse to stress over it. I'm aiming for 53 miles for this week. Wish me luck!

Green Mountain

2010-12-11T18:02:00.007-05:00

Kevin and I climbed the Dearborn Trail up Green Mountain in Effingham, New Hampshire yesterday. There was a dusting of snow on the trail. I forgot my Stabilicers in the truck, but the snow wasn't problematic. The culprit was the thick layer of slippery, icy leaves that covered most of this trail. Those leaves are always thick on that trail, making for tricky running even in the summer because they hide all the rocks and roots. There were a few patches of ice, but the lone woman hiker in front of us left her slide marks through the snow on the ice to warn us not to step where she had. (Thanks, lady!) The temperature was mild and comfortable. Views weren't all that clear from the fire tower at the top, but we had a great day in the woods today!

Old ceramic tile trail marker with tree growing around it.

Long Time on the Trails yesterday for Not So Long Mileage

2010-12-08T08:16:00.003-05:00

I wasn't very excited about doing my long run this week, so Kevin suggested running at Bradbury Mountain State Park for a change of scenery. We mountain biked there a lot over the Summer and Fall, but for running I usually head West or North into the mountains if I don't want to run locally. I thought Bradbury was a great idea and I was rearing to go! What I didn't count on was snowy slippery trails. We didn't get a single flake at my house.

I pulled into the parking lot and made the first set of tracks in the snow. There was one other vehicle there, a pickup truck that looked like it had been there over night. Yay, it looked like I'd have the whole place to myself! I got out of the car and walked over to the pit toilet. I slipped and fell on my ass half way there. Hmmm, running might be interesting this day. I hadn't brought any traction device with me.

My plan was to run all the single track on the East side, using the double track as needed to get from place to place. Then I'd stop at the car to refuel before heading over to the West side trails. I wanted about 17 miles total. It was a great plan...in theory. What I didn't realize setting out was how looooooong this would take me on slippery trails. It was treacherous! The light coating of snow was over ice, which was over leaves, which were over mud and water. I was careful and only slipped a few times, usually while running onto thin ice without realizing it was there. Bradbury is a very wet area and there is often standing water in the trails. The mountain bikers do an awesome job building bridges and board walks over the worse areas, and keeping other areas drained of water. But, as Kevin points out, they are pretty much done for the season.

Almost two hours into my run, Kevin called to check on me. I was having a good time and was kind of lost in my thoughts at that point. I had finally come across a single set of mountain bike tire tracks and was following them, curious as to who else was out there on these slippery trails on a Tuesday morning. When Kevin called, it brought me back to the moment and I glanced at my Garmen for the first time. I don't remember the mileage I saw, but I remember thinking, "I've been running for almost two hours and have only gone this far!" I also realized for the first time that I was soaked to my knees and it was COLD out! I only stopped running for a few seconds to check in with Kevin then I had to get running again to stay warm!

Back at the car I found that I had run 12 miles in well over two hours. My leg muscles and back muscles were aching from the effort of staying on my feet, but over all I was feeling fine. The length of time this run was taking was a bit discouraging so I turned the Garmen off and set back out for what I guessed was another five miles. I was supposed to do some threshold paced running in the middle of my run but hadn't found any place that I could do it. So I did that on the road before heading back into the woods to finish up. I believe this was the longest amount of time I've spent running since Vermont 100! And I didn't run very far! But that's Okay, I got it done and had fun.

Speed Play and Jogging Strollers

2010-12-02T15:42:00.003-05:00

Today's assignment was ten miles with the middle miles alternating 1 minute fast and 4 minutes easy. I ran on the paved railway trail from Standish to Windham. It was a beautiful sunny day in the forties, perfect running weather!

My legs felt great on my warm up so I knew I'd have a good workout. The one minute intervals were all between 6 and 6:15 per mile pace according to my Garmen, but I don't put much stock in it's accuracy. Since this was supposed to be Fartlek, the pace didn't matter anyway. At the Windham end I couldn't help but venture onto the Presumpscot River single track for a bit, fitting in one minute of fast running on dirt during that brief foray. Then it was back to the quicker pavement running.

On the way back to the car I was passed by a woman pushing a jogging stroller during one of my four minute slow segments. She was young, fit, and fast, but still, getting passed by a jogging stroller is always a bit of a slap in the face! I caught her on the next one minute fast segment and picked up the pace of my recovery intervals so as not to allow that to happen again. I was once passed by S.F. pushing his kid in a jogging stroller during a one mile road sprint because his child care arrangement fell through. That was by far the fastest moving jogging stroller I've ever seen, he ran around a five minute mile that day. Today's was the second fastest.

All in all, it was a very satisfying and fun run. My legs are starting to remember how to turn over and push off at a faster-than-ultra pace. I think I see a few short snow shoe races in my near future!

A Good Fun Long Run

2010-11-30T16:24:00.002-05:00

Today's long run took me on the trails along the Ossipee River in South Hiram and across the South Hiram Road into the Durgintown Woods. The trails and tote roads were about 75% covered with ice and the rest was melted down to dirt. I didn't wear my screw shoes because I thought there would have been more melting from yesterday's temps in the high forties. When I left my house this morning it was in the mid twenties and the ice was nice and crunchy under my feet, offering pretty good traction. Near the end of the run it got up into the thirties and things got a little wet and slick, but it still wasn't terrible footing.

I enjoyed the Ossipee River Trails and was happy to see that the deer are back in full force! They seemed to disappear for a week or so at the end of hunting season and I was afraid that they may have been killed or driven out of the area. But the area was covered with deer tracks of all sizes today. I stopped a few times to see where they were going and where they were coming from. I think it's very interesting that they like to follow our mountain bike trails. When we started the White Tail Trail, they started traveling back and forth on it almost immediately. The same thing happened on the Clencher. These trails are meandering winding trails so it's not as if they provide the fastest or most direct route anywhere. Anyway, I'm intrigued by it.

As soon as I entered the Durgintown Woods, I could tell that there was new logging activity going on in there. The gate from the road was open and there were tire tracks on the tote road. A few miles into the Durgintown Woods I came around a bend and came face to face with two guys using chain saws. A pick up truck and a skidder were sitting beside the tote road. I stopped and inched forward, waiting for a sign from the loggers that I could pass. The older of the two stopped his chain saw and walked over to me with a smile. "You still running all around in the woods?" he asked. He looked familiar but I don't remember where I met him before. He was friendly and told me when it was Okay to go through.

I certainly have met a lot of loggers in the woods over the years! This area has a lot of undeveloped forest and the reason it's here is because local logging families own most of it. My son is a genuine "townie" and knows everyone in the area, so it's not uncommon for me to run through a logging operation to an embarrassing chorus of "There goes Danny's Mom! Hey, Danny's Mom!" Thankfully, I didn't get that today. I hope the Durgintown trails stay open and usable. So far it doesn't look like anything extensive is going on and they are doing a good job of keeping the trail clear. We'll see.

I looped around and came back to the Ossipee River Trails. The ice in a slow moving inlet was starting to break up and making some crazy loud snaps and cracks and pops. It was worth stopping and listening for a few minutes. I finished up the run by looking at my Garmen for the first time all day. I wanted sixteen miles, so I zig zagged and criss crossed around the familiar trails to make it work out to be pretty darned close by the time I got home. It turned out to be 15.9 miles at under ten minute per mile pace, not bad for icy trails and a lot of goofing around!

Fifty Mile Week (Almost)

2010-11-28T17:27:00.004-05:00

This past week, I almost ran my first 50 mile week since before my neck injury last April! I didn't count up my weekly mileage until after my run today and was surprised to come up about a half mile short of fifty. Nice! It has been such a gradual build up that I have hardly even noticed that I've been increasing my mileage and adding a little faster paced running to the mix. This is thanks to taking objective training advice from Jack Pilla http://jackpsblog.blogspot.com/ for the past few months. I trust Jack, he's well into the Masters age group (like me), winning races outright (unlike me), and not showing any sign of slowing down (again, unlike me). He knows what he's doing!

If left to my own devices I would have been impatient to push the mileage and intensity, gotten disappointed or injured as a result, and fallen back into a half-assed ineffective running routine. I have a lot of years of running behind me so it is sometimes difficult for me to take advice from others, but this arrangement with Jack seems to be working. I'm not second guessing or over thinking things, I'm just doing what I'm told. Pretty simple.

This evening I ran some good fun miles on icy trails in my screw shoes. I picked up the pace and the screw shoes felt like track spikes. There was no slipping or catching at all. While I ran, Kevin walked the woods on the island and found my missing microspike! Now, I just have to find a way to make them stay on my shoes. Other than that small problem, they seem to work as well as the screw shoes but they offer the option of carrying them in my hands on stretches where they aren't needed. Bring on the Winter, I'm ready!

Winter Trails

2010-11-27T18:14:00.002-05:00

It was so fun to get out on the snowy and icy trails with the headlamps this evening! The temperature was right around freezing and there was no wind. It was perfect running weather. We wore our screw shoes, so traction wasn't a problem. Kevin walked a few miles while I ran. I caught him about a half mile from the truck and we walked out together.

Yesterday, I lost both of the microspikes Kevin had given me. He said he didn't like them because they fell off his shoes. I tried them on and thought they seemed secure and would work nicely. I ran all over the Ossipee Trails and then crossed some rocks over to an island Kevin was exploring. I looped around the entire island, tracking Kevin. Somehow he came up behind me instead of me finding him as I had planned. A little while later I looked down and saw the spikes were gone from both feet. No wonder things seemed more slippery than they had at the beginning of the run.

We crossed back to the main land and split up to search all the trails. It gave me some bonus mileage, but I didn't find anything. Kevin found one of the spikes, but the other is still at large. I think it must be somewhere on the island. Kevin is going back over to the island tomorrow to do some more exploring while I am at work, so he says he'll keep his eyes open for it.

This evening, Dan came in from a day in the woods and asked, "are you guys the ones making all those trails near the river?" It seems he and his friends stumbled upon them today. His friends thought there must be some crazed trail building kids around. Dan suspected it was Kevin and I. When I asked if he spoke up and said it was probably his mother, Dan looked at me like I was nuts and just shook his head. I asked if he liked the trails and he said he didn't know because he and his friends don't walk on no stinkin' trails, they walk in the woods. I guess he's a bushwhacking snob or something. I swear I saw new boot tracks on the Black Forest Trail this evening, but I'm not calling anyone a liar. I wonder if any of them found that missing microspike. I forgot to ask.

It's been a busy work week, but I have fit in all my scheduled runs. Several of them have had to wait until after work, late in the day. These late runs are hard to get motivated for, but they really help me unwind and relax for the rest of the evening.

Long Wet Run

2010-11-22T14:49:00.003-05:00

I didn't set out for my long run today until around 11:30. It is thirty-two degrees, raining, and gloomy so I had a hard time getting myself out the door. I ran the Ossipee Trails and the Durgintown Woods Trails. I didn't see anyone else out on the trails, human or wild animal. It was quite peaceful and nice and I was very comfortable with the temperature once I got moving. The worse part about days like this is getting started! I ran 17.4 miles of wet trails in 2:58.

I had two huge pieces of banana nut bread with butter and a glass of cider before my run and I stashed a bottle of juice and a Power Bar at a four way trail intersection. I took a bite and a few sips each time through. I have been being lazy about hydration and fueling during my runs lately because I haven't been running anything super long. But I had that lousy 16 mile run last week so I decided to pay more attention to it. I felt very good all the way through today, so calories and hydration did help. I know, banana bread before and a Power Bar and Juice during isn't optimal but it was all I had. I'll plan better next week!

Local Trails This Weekend

2010-11-21T10:04:00.005-05:00

This has been another good weekend for mountain biking and running. It's been chilly out, so we've stayed close to home, not knowing how long we'd want to stay out. Yesterday morning I was congested and tired, so I was sagging behind on our ride. But I felt better as time went on and I ended up having a great time. After riding all the Ossipee trails, we hit the school grounds to practice skills. We use the curbs, raised sidewalks, playground, and whatever else we can find. We started out at the elementary school, moved on to the middle school and finally made it to high school. I have been practicing doing wheelie step ups and drops. The step ups are going OK, but the drops...well, I think I stuck two out of about 20 attempts. It's all fun.

Back home, we had lunch and a nice cup of hot Egyptian Licorice tea, which cleared my sinuses and made me feel a lot better. We headed back to the trails, me to run and Kevin to do some more trail work. The new White Tail Trail has turned out great and is a lot of fun to run and ride on. Kevin is working on turning a big fallen dead tree into a not-so-skinny "skinny" to ride over. I kept checking his progress as I looped around. I got some good miles in and was happy that I didn't feel as bad as I expected. This recurring "cold" that I have may be an allergy. I am blaming it on White Wine and am going to avoid it to see if that is the culprit. Red wine does not seem to be a problem.

Today is going to be another day spent on the local trails. We're waiting for the sun to warm things up a little. I will do my run later this afternoon. First, I have to get out there and practice my wheelie drops. Maybe Kevin will finally get a successful one on video!

BTW, this is not how a wheelie drop is done. I'm supposed to land on my back wheel.

Stalking the Elusive New Hampshire Mountain Lion

2010-11-16T15:05:00.005-05:00

My long run was tough today! I ran with Mary on the enormously hilly tote roads in the national forest land outside of North Conway, New Hampshire. My quads were sore and tired from the first step until the last. I think it was residual fatigue from my mountain bike ride and strength training yesterday. Today I didn't utter one word of complaint during the run and practiced positive thinking throughout, telling myself that having a bad run is better than not being able to run at all. I didn't walk a step or cut the distance short so it was a success!

Mary kept me entertained and distracted from my suffering. She is on a kick about mountain lions lately. Someone she knows claims to have spotted one in the White Mountain National Forest land where we run. Every outdoors enthusiast in the North East has heard rumors of mountain lion sightings, but we rarely hear of any real evidence. For example, there have been no confirmed tracks, fur samples, or photographs in recent years. However, once, in 2002 in the Ossipee Hills (near my house!) DNA testing of scat come back as positive for being from a mountain lion. Officials believe it was from a domesticated animal, (some one's illegal pet.) If mountain lions do exist in the Northern New England woods, they are very few and far between.

Anyway, Mary, who doesn't flinch when a black bear bluffs a charge at her or a big bull moose tosses his antlers around and snorts at her, is running scared from New Hampshire mountain lions these days. There is no reasoning with her so I just told her that if she did get killed by a mountain lion in New Hampshire her carcass would give New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife the evidence they have been lacking. Also, she'd be sure to make the national news so it wouldn't be all bad.

Our route started on that same gradual six mile long climb we ran a few weeks ago. I kept telling myself I'd feel better after we finished the major climbing. Unfortunately, when we finally started the down hills and flats I really didn't feel any better. Mary bantered on about mountain lions, cross country championships, home improvement projects, mountain lions, dating, mountain lions, girls nights out, planned ski trips, and mountain lions. I silently trudged along wishing a mountain lion would jump out and put me out of my misery. I persevered and we finally made it through without succumbing to exhaustion, muscle fatigue, or big cat attack. I have to admit, when all is said and done it feels pretty good to push through a tough run.

Weekend Workouts...more like Play Outs

2010-11-15T08:31:00.004-05:00

Saturday mountain biking at Bradbury State Park was a lot of fun. Kevin and I have ridden there enough to know which direction each trail rides best in and how to link them together to make a nice long convoluted loop. We continue to find new little stretches of sweet single track here and there. The terrain is a little challenging in places, but I am getting over things that I couldn't ride earlier in the Summer. The weather was warm and sunny, the riding was awesome, and I had my favorite biking partner with me...a perfect day on the trails. On the way home I hemmed and hawed about doing my scheduled run or skipping my scheduled run, I was tired! Kevin jumped in finally and said, "do it, you'll enjoy it." So I got out the car in South Hiram and ran the trails home. I'm glad I did!

Sunday morning, I ran from home while Kevin took his chain saw out to the new White Tail Trail to clean up a few dead falls that were too big or too awkward to mountain bike over. I looped around a few times and them joined him to help. We went back home for a quick lunch and headed back out on the mountain bikes. A group of three teenagers have been making good use of the trails on their mountain bikes lately. They have hit all the trails by the looks of their tire tracks, but didn't get all the way through White Tail yet. It won't take them long to figure out it is cleared for good riding now! Kevin and I both enjoy seeing people out walking and running the trails we have worked on, but it really makes us happy to see people using them for what we intended them for...Mountain Biking!!!

I had one nasty spill on the Clencher. There is a big rounded rock that I got my chain ring stuck on half way over. This brought me to a complete stop. I was able to unclip before falling over to the side, but the banking falls away beside the rock and there was nothing to put my foot down on. I ended up flat on my back with my head at the bottom of the bank and my feet under the bike at the top of the bank. Ugh. The rest of the ride went great. I practiced wheelies in the parking lot of the Sacopee Rescue Building before heading home. I figured if I was going to go over backwards and hurt myself, that was a good place to do it.

I come home from these rides feeling like a happy little kid. There is nothing like playing outdoors! I have a long run in the mountains planned for tomorrow, so today will be my cross train day. I'll get out on the mountain bike during the day and do my P90X strength workout this evening. I am feeling like I'm getting into good shape for the first time in a while, and I sure am having fun doing it!

Running and Planning

2010-11-11T11:31:00.005-05:00

Originally, I was going to meet my Friend, Mary in North Conway today to run the hilly trails in that area. What we both forget is that today is Veteran's Day and her kids are home from school. So instead of getting involved in child care logistics, I decided to run on my own today. I ran eight miles on the Ossipee river trails and felt great! It's a beautiful Fall day out there. I'm heading back out on the bike this afternoon!

I have been looking for a hundred miler for next year, either late Summer or early Fall. I want to concentrate on some shorter trail races and then a fast fifty early in the Summer.Then I'll move on to hundred mile training. This morning I was reading up about the Virgil Crest 100 (formerly called the Iroquois Trail 100) http://www.virgilcrestultras.com/Index.aspx . It looks like mostly single track with some ski slope and a heck of a lot of climbing. Since inception a few years back, the field has been small, there are a lot of DNFs, and the finish times are on the slow side. This says to me, "difficult, technical, and challenging." I like that! A 50 mile race and 50 mile relay are also run at the same time. The hundred milers do the 50 mile course twice. I like that there are aid stations just about every 5 miles and crew are allowed at all of them. I also like that it is only an eight hour drive from where I live. This one is definitely a contender for my 2011 race calendar.

Lowell Preserve

2010-11-09T17:01:00.002-05:00

Back in the Spring, Kevin and I were intrigued by an article in the May issue of Single Tracks, the New England Mountain Bike Association's (NEMBA) magazine. It was titled "Places to Ride Near Portland." One of the areas it described was the Lowell Nature Preserve, Atherton Hill, and Blackstrap. But with so many great places to mountain bike, we never made it over there this summer. Today I decided to do a little recognisance of the area on foot during my long run. Last night I printed out a map from the Internet and wrote in details from the Single Tracks article and map. I was ready to go!

The Lowell Preserve is owned by the town of Windham and encompasses about 300 acres. Many of the trails are ATV trails, but there is some quality single track, too. Additional ATV trails wander off the preserve property in all directions. This morning, I parked at the Fire Station on the Falmouth Road and was on my way with no particular plan of attack.

Within the first five minutes I met an angry hunter. He scolded me that "no one should be out in the woods running during hunting season." This occurred directly in front of a sign that identified the trail as being for the recreational use of pedestrians and cyclists. I pointed out that "this is a multi use recreational trail. You should expect to see pedestrians." Then I ran off, and amused myself for the next ten or fifteen minutes by thinking of all the things I could have said, like "You'll never sneak up on a deer with that cloud of cigarette smoke around you," or "If you lost a few pounds and got in shape, you'd cover more territory" or "Real hunters walk through the woods, not on blazed and maintained trails."

Most of the ATV trails are in rough shape. The pooling of water in low spots and the water streaming down the trail on all the hills showed a total disregard to water management and erosion prevention when these trails were built. I didn't have to worry about mud, because there is no top soil left on most of these trails, just water over solid rock and gravel. I don't imagine things are much better in dry weather. The single track, however, is delightful! Winding, hilly, and narrow with interesting rocks, ledges, and streams. It looks like great bike riding on those trails. Unfortunately, the single track trails are few and far between. And they all begin and end on those crappy ATV trails.

After covering all the trails on the map once and some twice, I returned to my car. My Garmen read just under 10 miles. Next, I ran up the busy and unpleasant Falmouth Road for a mile and a quarter to Blackstrap Road. There, directly across the street from me I saw a hiking trail sign. I started off on the "Loop Trail," took a turn onto the "White Trail," and got onto some...you guessed it, ATV trails. This area definitely has a big ATV problem. I think I found Blackstrap Hill, if it is a rocky height of land right under the power lines with good views.

I found the Blackstrap single track. There was one place on a steep downhill where you'd have to drop on the bike from one rock slab to another, drop again to the next one, and then ride down a skinny little ramp that was so steep as to be nearly impossible. I didn't see any bike tire tracks or dead bodies, so I doubt anyone really rides that section. I also saw some excellent rock-reinforced berms and a few nicely built jumps. This stuff is meant for downhill riding. It appears that people ride up the power lines and down the single track. It's not really our kind of mountain biking. We like a few challenging stunts, but prefer it to be in the midst of some good cross country riding.

Back at the car I saw that I had covered a total of 15.89 miles. Not bad for running with no plan and wanting a 16 mile run! The pace was around 11 minute miles, but some of my time was spent standing at intersections, looking at the map, and scratching my head. I enjoyed the running, but wouldn't bother to return with the mountain bike.

I washed and changed in the car, drove to Saco, and just barely made my scheduled meeting with my boss. Everything seemed to go well with the meeting, except when she got really quiet and then reached over and pulled a few pine needles out of my hair saying they were distracting her. Luckily, the tick didn't crawl out onto my face until I was leaving the room and had my back to her.