PATHFINDER -----Trail Running .....Exploring The Wonders Of Nature

Could A Run Be A Scientific Expedition?

2009-12-16T06:29:00.011-05:00

As I read the blog piece sent to the trailmonsters today, it started sounding very familiar......The trailmonsters are scientists! That's right, I couldn't believe it either.

The modern notion of science is a special kind of knowlege about the world (mountains, woods, trails) practiced by a distinct group (trailmonsters and all trail runners)and pursued through a unique method (trail running). Starting to Ring a bell?

Systimatic knowledge based on prescriptive practice (running logs and pace times) That is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome (Jeff's mathematical genius for the Hell race or any prediction of pace for certain race distances) In this sense, science may refer to a highly skilled tecnigue or practice (fell or trailrunning)

So training is really just a scientific experiment to help us realize our true potential. Perhaps we can qualify as a religion .....The Scientology Of Trailrunning....and our preacher (Ian) can guide us through the normal difficulties of life.

Our Sunday sermons (trail chatter as we negotiate places like Bradbury and Ian standing on a milk crate giving special guidence like "the bees will help you kick harder"or "run straight through the first puddle and the rest will not bother you") allow us to encompass all the worldly problems known to man.

It seems we could become a non profit endity and through federal grants and donations have the rescources to purchase vast tracts of undeveloped land. The possibilties are endless.

It's amazing.....I am a scientist and I didn't even know it!

Here is the site for those of you who have not read it... http://sciencearo.blogspot.com/

Could I be turning Bi polar?

2009-12-15T16:04:00.004-05:00

12/15/09
Tuesday

I woke up at 3:30 am, 3/4 of an hour earlier than usual, and was wide awake, feeling great and full gumsion. Wow, what a difference a day can make. After a discouraging weekend and felling very sluggish, I suddenly felt like I could shoot lightning bolts.

I decided to do my cardio/weight workout and honestly, it felt great! Perhaps I should workout this early every day. I put in a good half hour of heavy sweating, took a shower and made it to work 15 minutes early.

I only wish I had more time and I would have thrown in a run too. I guess I just don't understand as I am usually quite level emotionally and never fluxuate like I have in the last two days. Is it possible I am becoming Bipolar?

One problem I have is working 12 hour days.....dark on the way to work and dark on the way home....I think I would really struggle if I had to live in Alaska where it is continually dark for long periods of time.

It does feel good though to not be whinning and actually feel energetic. I thought perhaps I might be coming down with something as I just didn't feel well and I was experiencing body pains.....I can't remember the last time I had a cold or the flu and I was afraid it was finally getting to me.

But...No, I felt great this morning! There was no sickness getting the best of me. Suddenly I am thinking good running thoughts again and anxious to install my new Ice Spikes. They came today and though the head is somewhat smaller than my regular screws, they do look a lot stronger and grippier.

I was a bit disapointed though as I paid extra for the special tool....$10.00 to be exact.... only to find out it is nothing special, just a normal everyday hex head tool.

I have a bunch of them and they are all of a much better quality than this one. If anyone out there is thinking of purchasing these spikes, I would recomend to skip the set with the tool and just buy the spikes.....well assumimg they work well....I will report on that later.

I suppose, if someone did not already have a hex head socket, then the tool would work well for them but the web site could have explained what the tool was so people would not purchase something they didn't need.

OK......so we will see what time I get up tomorrow morning...it is any ones guess!

Total Exhaustion

2009-12-14T07:08:00.010-05:00

I didn't run Saturday and I didn't run Sunday, actually I havn't run since Wednesday.......so why am I so exhausted? Sure it has been busy and I have packed a lot of events into the last three days......but I feel as though I ran a 50K this weekend and then stayed up all night shoveling snow or something.

Even as I sit here and think of the many excuses I can use, it just does not make sense. Excuses only mean you didn't make things happen.....I did have a couple oppourtunities to get a run in but elected not to.

Friday night after work, I stayed late (11:30pm)installing a motor in my son's jeep and went back 6am Saturday to finish. once done I had to hurry home to get ready for my neices wedding, didn't get home until 10:30 pm so not much of a chance to get in a run.

Even though friday and Saturday were a wash, I was up early Sunday morning and could have at least fit in a 3-5 mile run before the Grandkids woke up, instead I went to the town garage and got 1/2 yard of sand to cover up the ice skating ring in my driveway.

Sunday afternoon I helped my son's girlfriend move her furniture and then put up the Christmas tree. After that I watched the last half of the Patriots game, I could have watched it while running on the treadmill....but I didn't. Sunday night I just fell onto the couch and tried to stay awake.

It is discouraging to realize that I only ran 10 measly miles this week and all of them were fairly easy on the treadmill. If I keep this crap up, I will not be running too many races in the near future.

Perhaps the past few months are just catching up with me and that coupled with the Thanksgiving and Christmas season is causing me to run on empty. It seems odd because I have no injuries to blame, I should be running like crazy.

I ususally take time off from running heavy during the late fall early winter .....maybe my body just expects that this year. I think it is more than that...I think I should have much more energy than I am feeling in these bones today.

What I need is a doll that looks like me to sit in my chair as I hide under the desk and catch a few Zs. One that looks pissed off so no one will want to come in my office, that way I won't get caught. I could hang a do not disturb/ meeting in progress sign on my door. What am I going to do to cover up the loud snoring though?

I am starting to think a 50 miler in the spring is not going to be plausable unless I get out there and do some long runs. Hell,the GAC fatass in two weeks seems beyond me, even though I was only planning 2-3 laps anyway.

I am getting older and I know that can play a part in recovery, but I have already been splitting up my runs with rest days and besides my mind keeps drifting back to the older guy (by 12 years) at the Bradbury 9 mile mountain race that not only pushed me during the first half but actually passed me a couple times, then finishing right behind me. He sure seemed to have plenty of energy!

The other thing that strikes me odd is that I haven't really raced a 5k or 10k this year....I mean racing to the point of gasping for the next breath and wondering if I can keep up the pace. Though I did race this year, I was not pushing to the point of no return as I have in the past and my times reflected that.

Is it possible that I am just going to keep getting slower and be more discouraged with my performance? Do I have to adjust my thinking to just running races rather than racing them? Like I heard someone say once, "if you can't run fast, then run long"

I suppose, thinking on the positive side, the motor job,the furniture moving and sanding the whole yard does kind of qualify as weight training and the dancing at the wedding is sort of cardio .......so I could count those as a savior for the weekend and call it some training.

Sumary of a discouraging week:

12/07/09
3.27 10% grade hill workout @ 35:01
splits:
10:39
11:16
9:30
8:48
.4 cooldown

12/09/09
6 mile treadmill run @ 5% incline
Splits:
9:14
8:58
9:08
8:48
8:56
9:01

.75 cooldown hill walk

12/10,11,12,13/09 nadda..nothing..ziltch.....a sad excuse for a runner.

Virgin Snow Runner

2009-12-07T06:44:00.008-05:00

I missed the Saturday morning run with the Trail monsters but hoped to possibly catch a couple of them doubling up and running Bradbury Sunday.

Saturday night,I pulled out my Northface gortex trail runners and re-installed the screws from last year. It was spitting snow and there was a prediction of at least a few inches. I found myself becoming a bit excited as I prepared for a Sunday morning run on fresh snow.

As luck has it, and due to the fresh blanket of fallen snow, I was late getting to Bradbury. I arrived at 8:30 and figured anyone running today would surely be long gone and enjoying the trails already.

I was quite suprised when I turned into the park and there were no tire prints in the snow, I was the first one here, but that also meant that no other trail runners were likely to show up. This didn't dampen my excitement any as I suited up for the run, hey fresh virgin snow was just waiting for me to leave the first footprints of the day.

As I started my run it reminded me of a thread a few months back about gortex trail runners and how most of the comments were about the uselessness of them. Well in deep puddles I supose they are not too useful but in this type of run they were absolutely perfect.

There was some standing water in places but nothing deep enough to cover the whole shoe up to the ankle area. With 4" of snow and a little standing water the shoes did an excellent job of keeping my feet dry. To compliment that I wore my gaters to deflect the loose spraying snow. A perfect situation for Gortex.

What I wasn't prepared for was the trees throwing piles of snow at me. I am pretty sure they waited until I was passing by to drop huge mounds of snow from their branches. Anyone seeing me would have thought I rolled in the snow rather than ran in it.

One draw back to this run was the fact that the ground under the snow was still very soft and muddy. This made for an odd feeling when running and a situation where the energy was being sucked right out of my legs. It felt kind of like running on a snow covered mattress.

Another problem was navigating through the trail. Being the first one out on fresh snow cover, it was quite difficult to see the trail at times and I am sure I bushwacked a bit. I wasn't too worried though as I knew I could always follow my tracks back to the start.

Overall the run was fantastic. The minor inconvienences became the meat and potatoes of the run, without them what would make this run stand out in memory other than the snow sparkling as the sun peeked through the branches and the chrystal clear air.

Though my legs tired as the miles passed, my core felt great. I think the workouts I have been doing are really starting to prove themselves.

Weekend stats:
Saturday
7am 3 mile cardio/ weight workout
3 pm 2 mile run at Twinbrooks with my daughter's pup.

Sunday...8:28 am 7.38 mile trail run @1:17:29 (10:28 pace)

Do I Need A Reason?

2009-12-02T07:32:00.009-05:00

I really don't need a reason because I love to run, but my family, work and aquaintances expect it. Should I have to justify my runs? How does one carve up their time and decide what percentage is allowed as personal time? When does a person become a fanatic? I am sure this is a matter of perception and in the eyes of the beholder.

In a household where both spouse's have the same vision and drive, I am sure it is an easy question to answer and the reason does not come into question. What about a situation where only one of the spouses spends all their waking time running, what happens then?

I find without a definate goal or race, It becomes increasingly more difficult to justify setting asside other responsibilties to get in my runs. When I was running shorter distances, it was much easier as I could fit in 2-5 mile runs about anytime.

Training for the longer distances requires much more time and commitment. It is hard to appear sane when coming back from a 2-4 hour run, just for the fun of it. It raises less eyebrows, and gains more acceptance if one can cite a particular race or event that requires this type of training.

That being said and the fact that I didn't get into Boston, I suspect the best thing for me to do is settle on a race or races that will allow me to train with reason. Not reckless abandonment but at least free up some time for longer runs.

I have been toying with the idea of a 50 miler at Pineland, but am not sure I can schedule the time needed to train for it, so perhaps the 50K again might be a better choice. Also there is the Sugarloaf marathon as an option for a spring race to replace Boston.

I think I know what I want but then I get conflicting thoughts as I missed running the road races this year. I want to run some fast 5 and 10ks yet I want to do well in long distant trail races. I love the speed yet dread the crowds in the large road races. I seriously love the trails but can't seem to run them fast enough to quence my "speed thirst"

I worry that I will pick a direction only to find myself wondering if am going the right way. It should be simpler than this. It seems I just can't commit and without that I will not do very well reguardless of my choice.

It seems life would be so much easier if one could ramble through it doing whatever strikes the fancy at that particular time. A free spirit to flow with life paralelling what ever adventure it encounters and ending up where ever it leads.

Reality is in front of me though and I suppose that is where I must focus. Last night I did my new cardio/weight workout and then ran a three mile hill run at 10% grade on the treadmill. If I keep this up, I just might do well at the Mount Washington race (assuming I get in)

I actually enjoy hill training on the treadmill as it allows me to run longer times and distances without a flat or downhill. I wish I had one that would give me over 10% incline though. I had thoughts of setting up a fan so it feels like I am running outside, don't know if that would help unless I added some water or snow to simulate weather. Of course then I would have to clean up the mess. Did you ever notice that there never seems to be a right answer?

Back Bay Is A Wind Tunnel!

2009-12-01T05:01:00.004-05:00

My week ended totally different than I planned. How often does that happen to you? My mind was set on a tough mountain race at Blackstrap hell. Sure seemed like a great way to end a Thanksgiving weekend.

I found out instead that I am surely not in controll of my own destiny as I not only didn't race, but I didn't even get in a trail run. This time of year seems so unforgiving to me and I am not really sure why.

The week actually started out pretty well with a great cardio/run workout tuesday, a grueling hill workout Wednesday, A tough cardio workout and hill workout Friday, Then in lieu of a trail run Saturday, I elected to run Back Bay twice with my friend Mike.

The thought seemed smart at the time, stay off the trails on Saturday, the last day of hunting season where the desparate may be looking for that last chance to snag a deer, get in a somewhat long easy run to leave something for Sundays grueling Hell race.

The first sign of trouble with my plan was Saturday morning when a gusting gale wind decided to circle Back Bay and continually slam my body with a restriction that surely mimicked running Mount Washington ......so much for an easy run.

I thought it strange that there were not hordes of people running and walking the Back bay route. Once we started running and felt the force of the wind, I instantly knew why. The feeling of running in place and gasping for the oxygen as it was wisped from my mouth by the wind was not what I had in mind and actually the thought crossed my mind to just pack it up for the day.

Instead we decided to at least do one lap and see how we felt as far as a second lap went. I was suprised how hard and solid the trail felt. I hadn't run this in a long time and seemed to remember a softer loose type surface.

After the first mile, I started settling in to a pace but had to double back quite a few times to meet back up with Mike. It is funny, ususally I have no trouble working pace with other runners, but today I kept creeping into a faster pace ....perhaps it was the wind and my mental attitude to try and prove it was not the boss.

Once I warmed up, I actually felt pretty good and embraced the wind head on. Even with the run backs, I gained speed each mile and finished with a pretty strong kick (considering the wind)

I worked so hard during the first lap that I felt I should scale things back a bit for the second and vowed I would stay with Mike this time. Of course I couldn't seem to hold back enough and did circle back a couple times. In the end I layed out a pretty good finishing kick and was finally satisfied with my run for the day.

Sunday was shot in the eye as I had to make a decision to skip the Hell race. What made the whole thing worse is that I was the one who made the decision and could blame no one but myself for the heavy heart.

There was no one to yell at, no one to watch my temper tantrum as I complained about the unfairness of life. Not one person to blame other than me. Is it still a fair excuse when it is yourself? Why do we have to be responsible? Who instilled those moral beliefs in my brain that causes me to make wise choices? Why did my parents have to do such a Damn good job.

I want to be selfish, yet I can't and I wasn't .... so the end result is a missed race and a missed oppourtunity for a great amount of fun. Someday I will retire and have the luxury of time. Yeah...someday.

Week's Workouts

Tuesday: Three mile cardio/and weights
Wednesday: 34 minutes cardio, 3 mile hill workout 10% grade on the teadmill
Friday: 48minute cardio, 5 mile w/ 3 mile 10% grade
Saturday: double Back Bay

1st loop 3.72 miles @34:20 (9:14p)
9:20....149-167
9:34....141-148
9:15....143-149
8:33....149-163 (kick@7:51)

2nd loop 3.59 miles @36:05 (10:03p)
9:45....138-145
10:29....140-149
10:50....135-138
8:28....143-160 (kick@7:35)

Sunday.......no running at all!

I'm Over It!!

2009-11-25T05:15:00.008-05:00

There comes a point it time when one has to realize that there are many things in this world that can not be controlled or changed. Our only recourse is to come to grips with the reality, accept the direction we are given and work with what we have.
Soooo... I am not running Boston in 2010 but I am making plans!

One thing I decided is to throw my hat into yet another lottery and shoot for a spot at the Mount Washington Race in June. It seems fitting that I punish myself with an uphill run for over 7 miles....hey why not?

At the same time, I am opting out of the Beach to Beacon. I hated the sign up process this year and though I absolutely love the race, it has become too conjested and a logistical nightmare. Instead I would much rather run the Bitch to Bacon, assuming it is run again next year.

I figure I will use the wait and see approach for Pineland and decide the best race for me after the winter. If I get enough time and miles on my feet, perhaps I will do something crazy like the 50 miler?? Rest assured, I will run one of the Pineland races.

Right now, I have decided to put racing on the back burner and run for fun. I want to enter events for the pure fun of it. I am not going to dwell on time and will use the rest of this fall and winter to work on a solid running base.

If I can start out the 2010 year with a PR at the Irish Rover then I will feel my racing is on track. From there I hope to spring board to some good races results for a change. It seems quite obtainable and not unrealstic at all to expect some 5k and 10k pr's yet still run the long trail races.

So, running for fun does not mean I won't be working hard as I plan to prove at the Hell race this weekend. Who says pure Hell can't be fun? I haven't ironed out my schedule completely yet but it looks as though I will make it....I am pretty excited, but my body is a little worried.......I have been lying to it....shhhhh..I told it the whole thing was flat with a downhill finish!!

Last night was cardio/ weight workout and I am starting to settle in pretty darn good. The workout felt a bit easier though the bicycle crunches are still a killer.

It's Official, My luck Sucks

2009-11-23T06:31:00.003-05:00

Well it's official and I was not one of the lucky winners in the Boston Lottery. On paper my chances were pretty good.....2 out of 23 are great odds! For some reason I was feeling pretty confident. I am not sure why as I never win at such things, but deep inside I felt this was my time.

I had already planned some of my runs and made out a graph for my training....yeah I was getting quite excited about it. I even went out for a couple runs working on down hills.

I don't know why I was so excited about it, I suppose it is just the attention the race gets and most non runners equate the Boston race with running. It always seems to be the first question......"Oh, you are a runner, have you done the Boston Marathon?" I suspect if you haven't done it then you are not a real runner.

So anyway, at least I can say my luck is consistant and I don't have to worry about which way it will go.

Lately, I have been working on more muscle groups and trying to change things up a bit. I am hoping that a core/cardio workout will help my running for the spring. I really need to drop some fat to be at a good racing weight and honestly I can't seem to cross that threshhold. For the past 3-4 years I have been fluxuating about 8-10 lbs between winter and summer, the lighter side still being about 8-10 pounds heavier than optimum so the heavy side is much, much too heavy.

At least the running has kept me from adding on the pounds most older people seem to pack on as their metabolism slows down. Now I need to change the eating habits and cut some fat. I hope the cardio/weight workout will do the trick.

I can say at this point (about two weeks into the program) I have felt it in the legs, midsection and arms. I have seen no results physically as far as appearance goes and the weight hasn't changed. I think it must be hidden underneath my soft shell of flab. You can't tell by my appearance but I am one lean mean racing machine ...kind of a sleeper I guess.....you know like when they used to put these high horsepower racing engines in crappy/ ordinary looking cars. Well that's me (yeah right!!).

I had a fairly active weekend and was still able to fit in some quality running.

11/21/09
Saturday
This morning it was treadmill hill running then cardio/weight workout(it was dark and cold at 5:00 am and I just didn't feel like hitting the road) I found it nice to be able to watch the history channel and drink my morning coffee while getting in my run. Is that a sign of getting old or just plain becoming lazy?

I did a four mile hill run fluxuating between 6 and 10% grade, then the workout program. The work out seemed much tougher after running and I was sweating up a storm by the time I finished. I then had just enough time to eat breakfast, take a shower and head to the state championship class A football game.

11/22/09
Sunday

I was looking forward to a trail run without worrying about hunters. My goal was somewhere around 10 miles at pineland or bradbury. As it turns out, I decided to run near home in the essense of saving some time. It was destined to be a very warm day for november standards and I still had a lot of things to do around the yard to prepare for winter.

I woke up a bit lame lame from Saturday's workout but didn't feel it would affect my run too much. Right off the bat, my legs were heavy and I felt fatiqued. Damn, that workout must be working out after all. I hoped to feel better as I settled in and put a few miles in the bank but it just wasn't materializing.

The run felt long and the hills felt hillier, I got to a point where I could feel heavy fatigue settling in and decided to cut the run short. I was still able to knock off 7.5 miles and felt the fatigue running was probably good training. When I realized how good it felt to stop running, I knew it was the right decision.

Total miles 7.5 @ 1:14:17 combination dirt road / technical trail(9:55 pace)
Splits:

9:23....131-140
10:10....145-152
10:10....144-154
10:08....147-152
12:13....142-150
10:41....139-152
9:03....143-151
8:58....147-154

No News Is Not Always Good News

2009-11-17T05:25:00.004-05:00

Some days I sit at my desk and can almost feel the fat multiplying around my midsection. I didn't have the normal bounce in my step and though I usually run up the stairs when going to the stock room, I merely walked up them today.

It is funny how numerous days of good exercise does not discount the guilt of one lazy day. Our bodies seem to be geared toward the latter, when I am running hard or working out the body cries and complains but when I am lazing around, it is happy as a clam .......Oh, I might get the occasional "we should be doing something" but no drive to change things.

I waited in anticipation today to get word about the lottery for Boston Marathon.....No news is usaually considered good news but in this case I think it is not so good news as I didn't hear anything about the winners. I suspect the winners are the first to know.

I didn't actually realize how excited I was about this chance until the day wore on and I started preparing myself to believe I wasn't one one the lucky ones. The more hours that ticked by, the lazier I felt. Perhaps it was a mini depression or maybe just football lag from watching the game Sunday night, but surely I was not feeling too energetic.

I felt for sure when I got home and threw on the running clothes, I would cheer up but I felt like a criminal as I had to break the news to my wife that we should turn in our lease car. I had thought about it long and hard. Did it make sense to keep it with the economy in the hopper and winter lurking?

It is a beautiful car and my wife just loves it. The lease is up this month and we would have to finance it to keep it. My heart says "lets do it" but my analytical brain is screaming "what...are you crazy!"

We have two other vehicles and she acually doesn't drive the car in the winter. That proves how special it is to her yet also proves that we don't need it. It is so humbling to say we can't afford it, yet in this unstable economy, we really can't. It is a luxury to have the opportunity to give it back.......but we don't want to.

So, even though it seems people only write in their running blog when they run, I felt it unfair to my non running day to be dormant. Things need to be aired reguardless. OK...so that means I didn't throw on the running clothes and did just laze around all evening. Is that so bad?

As I was preparing to hit the sack, I became increasingly mad at myself for not getting in my planned run. The weather was fantastic (for November) and it was a clear night. I would have easily dulled the days discouragements with a nice evening run.

I found myself asking, does one really need to be running around the woods, climbing rocks ledges, sliding down sand pit walls,negotiating trails and roads to be healthy? I found the answer a bit enlightening. I don't need to be doing those thing to stay healthy, there are many ways to stay in shape ........But I WANT to do those things. I choose to because it has somehow become part of me.

IN the end, the day was not lost after all as I dreampt about a nice trail run with some friends ........and a great run it was.

When Is The Rain Coming?

2009-11-16T07:16:00.004-05:00

11/14/09
Saturday

I woke up Saturday morning fully prepared for a good trail run in the pouring rain. I was actually looking forward to it! I was a bit disapointed when I didn't hear rain on the roof as I rolled out of bed but figured it was only a matter of time.

A warm blanket of fresh damp air gently brushed against me as I stepped out of the door. Though it wasn't raining yet, it sure felt like it would at any moment. The air was so warm and fresh smelling....almost spring like, I shuddered with anticipation of the planned run at Cathance preserve.

I ran there once last year and though it was severely cold that day, I enjoyed the terrain a lot. It seemed smart to bring a compass as I remember getting lost in the first mile last year (even though I was following a group at the time) That's what happens when you are the "slow" guy. Anyway, the plan failed as I somehow could not find my compass.

I was hoping to meet Scott there anyway and he knew the trails very well. As plans are made to be broken (Murphy's Law) I got sidetracked longer than I figured loading my truck with my friend Mike's stuff. He had recently moved out of Brunswick and there were a few things left. Sure seemed like a perfect time to run in that area.

We arrived at 8:30 and saw Scott's truck sitting there and empty. OK, so no trail guide and no compass.....I would have to use memory and landmarks to navigate :)
As we headed in the trail I studied the tower at the top of the hill. This would take the place of my compass.

I was prepared for at least 8 miles and Mike thought he was too. In the end it was a bit more of a struggle for him and I suspect he would have rather stopped at 6 miles. Problem is at mile six we were lost and debating what direction we should go.

It happened because after running the Heath trail, beaver trail and rappid trail Mike was getting fatigued. We saw a gravel truck heading down a dirt road and decided to follow it as it appeared to be the Evergreen loop. Well it wasn't and we ended up in a housing developement. I scanned the horizon and pointed to a tower on a hill that looked to be about a mile away. "That is were we need to head" I repeated until he finally listened to me.

This part was actually a lot of fun (for me) as we bushwacked a bit until we came across a powerline trail which was a very nice run. One thing that kept nagging at me was the fact that we were in open woods and there could be hunters there. I had to convince myself that my bright floresent yellow vest and Mike's bright green sweatshirt would probably stand out enough to keep us from being shot.

The powerlines lead us toward the tower so I knew we would be able to find our way back eventually. I guess this was the point that I realized it was probably good that it didn't start raining as that would make the bushwacking a bit more difficult.

We got to experience some pretty cool terrain and did finally come across the cross- country trails around the tower. I loved this run today, it was different and exciting. I was glad to realize that I could navigate with out the compass.

Though it didn't start raining until later in the day, this run was near perfect. There were a couple moments that my mind drifted to visions of a phone booth (yeah in the woods...??) though I don't who I would have called. Instead I followed my instincts and was happy with the results. I would have liked to have climbed the observation deck next to the tower just get a view of where we ran but it was locked behind a fence.

Total run 8.75 miles @1:48:41
Heart Rate 138 average ....159 max

Splits:
12:05
12:24
12:41
13:11
11:11
14:43
13:08
12:11
12:09

11/15/09
Sunday

I decided to do a tempo run today on tired legs from yesterday. I wasn't sure how I would feel but actually it was fine and though I could "feel" the trail run from yesterday, I enjoyed the faster pace.

4.54 miles @39:03 (8:35 pace)
heart rate average 150 max 162

splits:
8:35
9:14
8:16
8:37
7:58 (6:17 kick)

You're Out Of Shape Fatboy!!

2009-11-13T06:14:00.009-05:00

I got home later than normal last night and on top of that I had to put a surpintine belt in a Saturn......(not my car!!)remind me never to buy one of theses cars! No wonder they are shutting down. Normal parts are so expensive and everything is a chore to replace. Muffler $400.00, mass air flow sensor $400.00, alternator $300.00.....geesh! You have to remove a motor mount to replace the belt.

OK, enough whinning about why I was in a bad mood and had little time to run last night. Honestly after working on the car I had frozen hands and chills traveling through my body. Besides that I drew blood in two places as my hands landed against solid metal objects.I surely didn't feel light running out doors and started contemplating a barefoot treadmill run.

I shuddered as I visioned feeling like a barefoot rat with headphones running absolutely nowhere......running in circles for no apparent reason with some dumb human watching and thinking how cute it was that the animal actually thought it was going somewhere.

I thought for a moment to just skip the run all together until I walked past my racers and could have sworn they were making fun of me. I didn't see their mouth move but I am pretty sure they called me fatboy!

That was all it took and I grabbed them mouthy shoes and threw them on my feet. "I will show you!" I screamed as I envisioned them cringing and groaning while I stomped through a 5K tempo run on the treadnill.

I wanted to show no mercy so I opted to watch a Rambo movie instead of easy listening on the Ipod. As Rambo beat the crap out of an army of solders, I stomped extra hard and pushed off the toes with great force. I figured I could train fast turn over and high kick, while at the same time causing great pain to them racing shoes with massive treadmill belt burns!

After a 5k run I was sure I heard the shoes crying and begging me to slow down so I stopped just long enough for them to think the slugfest was over.....but it wasn't. I put the incline right up to 10 % grade and run uphill on them whinny shoes for an additional half mile.

I was smiling pretty good as I watched rambo climb into the chopper after beating the odds of 1 against 100 and high tail it out of there. I felt the same satisfaction and laughed out load as I slowed down to a cooldown pace for a mile. I suspect these shoes will never talk back to me again!

All in all, it was a pretty good workout. Something was missing though and I finally realized what it was......there was no head wind from running. The thing that tells you your are running and even though it creates resisitance, at least it cools you down as a byproduct. That is what I miss and probably one reason why the treadmill is not that equivalent to actual running.

I didn't have time to do my new workout routine tonite so in lieu of that I worked the upper body and arms with three pound weights as I jogged my cooldown. It is suprisingly harder than it sounds. The arms tend to want to move in time with the legs I struggled a bit but was able to multitask......good thing I wasn't chewing gum too.

11/12/09
3.15 mile @5% grade 25:51 (8:12 pace)
splits:
8:49
7:59
7:49
7:35 kick

.5 mile hill run 10% grade @ 5:52 (9:37 pace)

1 mile cooldown with upper body weight workout.

Muscle Bound And Lean

2009-11-11T08:22:00.006-05:00

I have been looking for something to replace the easy run on the treadmill this winter as I just don't like running on that thing. I am OK with the hill workout, intervals or even an occasional long run with a movie on the tread, but the easy run is only a short cardio workout with no other benefit.

So, I picked out a workout routine that is designed to give a well rounded jolt to the core muscles. It is easy when reading about the intended results to vision a muscular looking body with too many mounding muscles for the average man to count or even name.

Though I do not acually plan to become muscle bound as that would be detrimental to my running goals, I do think strong core muscles will help tremendously. At the same time my jiggly areas do need some attention so I kill two birds with one stone.

I started last night. Routine #1 seemed like it would be fairly easy and I assumed I would have to step it up quite a bit to gain results. I figured I would probably have to jump right into #3 after the first night.

The workout is actually quite short so I planned on doing it twice the first time. It is well rounded with a warmup, cardio, muscle tone, cardio and stretch. The fact that it was to last only 20 minutes seemed like a waste of time, but you don't know until you try.

OK...I stand corrected. How can a body that runs all the time be so out of shape? Halfway through the workout, my muscles were crying and whinning. You would think it was the first time they ever had to work!

What I thought was going to be rediculously easy turned out to be on the cusp of killing me.....hey...only 20 minutes? It felt more like hours. The worst was the crunches. Even though I didn't see anything, I swear there was a 200 lb. invisible person jumping up and down on my abs.

I was so glad to finish and honestly I felt like a whimp. The thought of doing a second workout was long gone and only a wisp of a memory now. I guess what it does prove is that I need the work. The only thing that didn't bother me was the cardio, I was winded but not on the edge.

Today I have lame hamstrings, lame arm muscles and lame abs, they remind me of the hell I put them through eveytime I try to move......I guess that means I did some good huh? Even though it was only 20 minutes, the fact that I used weights and did not rest through the workout is why it is so tough.

In retrospect, I feel this routine is going to work well. I can't wait until I have a couple weeks behind me and I can tackle it with a bit more drive. I can only assume it will help immensely for trail running.

I suspect by spring no one will recognize me and I will have to introduce myself every place I go.....and then there are the women that will be throwing themselves at me...I guess I will have to learn to deal with that too. I am wondering though, if I run shirtless, what creates more wind resistance, a flapping flabbyness surface or a rock solid mass?

Girl Talk and Tough Chicks

2009-11-09T07:25:00.014-05:00

Most people reading this probably know I am not one for much conversation when running. You see I do nothing but talk at work, so when I leave the office, my mouth gets a break and honestly I know my job so well, I could talk confidently for hours straight, but it is for work.

When on the trails one might hear some yes and no's with a few three word sentences thrown in from me,but nothing of much concern or consequence. I make fun of my wife when she gets on the phone and talks for an hour straight. I couldn't fathom what they could talk about for that long, but hey, that's girl talk right?

Well, I honestly do not know what happened, but Sunday I somehow ended up girl talking for an hour and a half! It's true.....I went to Bradbury for what I planned to be an easy, semi long trail run. I wanted an hour or so of running at no specific pace but not tempo or race pace.

Val and Linda were the only ones there when I arrived, no one else showed up so off we went. Linda was a bit worried as we started out, she had not run on these technical trails since September when she fell and hurt her back. She was apprehensive about falling again and we assured her that we would keep the pace managable.

Linda remarked that my slow was equal to her fast, then I said that Val's slow was my fast........somehow we let Val lead??......I know, it didn't make much sense but actually it worked very well and Val did and exellent job of not leaving us behind.

So a mere minutes after hitting the trails, we are suddenly talking up a storm and I couldn't seem to keep my mouth shut. We talked about a mother's feeling when raising kids, all kinds of stuff about being pregnant and having multible chidren, empty nest syndrome, Etc.

Suddenly, it dawned on me........this was ..well..girl talk! Now don't get me wrong, I am not being sexist or anything, but when the subject matter hinges on mother's emotions and such......well, most men are distanced from those conversations. Not because we don't care but probably we don't understand.

Not being a girl, I am sure I said many things that probably didn't make sense. Val and Linda were very kind and didn't bring my attention to it. Now we did hit on other subjects like coyotes, dogs and running, but still, I talked for the whole time.

These two are some tough chicks, Val second guessed a mud pit and smashed her knee on a large tree root. I could see by the look on her face,that it hurt pretty bad. She got up, checked to make sure her knee was still pointing in the right direction and went right back to running ......Damn, I am pretty sure I limped with psycological pain for at least 10 minutes.

Then Linda went down hard as a root grabbed her foot, she not only got right back up, but she also won the battle as she managed to rip the root right out of the ground. Hey, I want these two around for my next bar fight!

In the end, I had a perfect run and perfect company. The pace was just what I bargained for and I felt great....well except for over dressing, but who knew it was going to be summer for one day? I should have been wearing shorts, one less layer of clothing and no hat.

I know Linda felt she was pretty fatiqued near the end but when I looked at the splits, I understood why. We acually picked up the pace in the last three miles and she was working much harder than she thought. We ended up with a good workout and with almost negative splits.......any coach would be proud.

Total miles:
7.24 @ 1:32:54 (12:24 pace)
splits:
12:03....140-153 (average HR and Maximun HR)
12:11....144-149
12:35....145-154
13:13....136-150
13:33....134-145
12:51....142-152
12:22....144-153
12:10....145-154 (last .24)

Exploring Naked Running (feet)

2009-11-05T07:07:00.007-05:00

I read someone's blog the other day about training barefoot on the treadmill. The fact that I don't have Vibrams and that I am too much of a wuss to try running the trails with naked feet, I thought I would at least try the treadmill approach.

It seems to be a good way to expose the feet and body to the running change and work up from there. Of course I can't see myself running Bradbury but perhaps a course like Pineland would be OK.

Last year when I was on vacation, I did try running barefoot on the beach and experienced some pretty tight and sore archilles. The soft sand might have ben part of the problem, but also I think that is a weak spot for me as I had some severe problems with the right one a few years back when I was concentrating on speed and ran a lot of 5ks.

I would like to gain the benefit of running more on my toes and changing my natural posture to run better with or without shoes. After running a couple miles on the treadmill, it felt similar to the look of the Pose style of running except my stride was longer.

By two miles I started noticing hot spots on the balls of my feet and decided that was probably enough for the first time. As I was putting on my socks, I noticed how dirty the treadmill made my feet.....I guess I will have to wash the belt. I put on the running shoes and finished my workout with a one mile fast walk on 10% grade.

I guess I will continue this training one day a week and see how things go. I suppose this will fit in well with the times it is severely cold, a heavy blizzard or I just don't feel like running outside.

I finally pulled out my head lamp and ran Tuesday night. It was a great run as the air was fresh, crisp and the moon was still almost full. The only thing I struggled with was the extra heavy traffic which I contributed to the voting.

11/03/09
Tuesday

4.03 miles @34:49 (8:39pace)
splits:
9:10...148-165
8:35...147-152
8:33...148-157
8:20...153-157
6:27...158-165 (kick)

.4 mile cooldown jog

11:04/09
Wednesday

Naked feet treadmill run
2 miles @ 18:59 (9:30pace)
1 mile hill (fast) walk 12:28

I Think My Tape Measure is On A Diet!

2009-11-03T06:42:00.009-05:00

This is not my best time of year when it comes to exercise and eating. My schedule is very hectic, so getting in the runs are difficult. Halloween brings all that fantastic candy, Thanksgiving brings more goodies, Christmas even more crap......on top of all that, I am pretty sure my tape measure is on a diet.

What is it with all this food that is bad for us but we can't help but devour all that we see? I am beginning to think that manufacturers are putting some chemical in the formular that tricks our brains in some way.

Lays potatoe chips actually used to advertise "you can't eat just one" HHmmmnn, perhaps they knew something we consumers didn't. It makes sense, because I can't eat just one of anything bad for me.

Hey, tabacco companies did it by mixing silica in the chewing tabacco to roughen up the skin in the mouth and promote faster obsorbtion thus causing a faster dependancy on nicotine. So, why wouldn't other large companies do something?

I actually thought that perhaps if candy companies were forced to make their product less atractive, it would help.....well then I realized even that wouldn't work when I came across these products...

Kids eat this stuff?

This is awful to say and yes, there was a picture but I couldn't bring myself to post it here. There is a candy that consist of a paper diaper with some type of chocolate in it. OK, that is just going too far! If that doesn't stop kids from eating candy, I don't think anything will.

I totally planned on running last night. I had my head lamp ready, yet when I arrived home in the pitch dark, I just didn't feel like running. What is up with that? I am not training and surely not pushing myself, so shouldn't this be the time when I want to run just for the fun of it?

I don't understand, I have no problem saying no to foods that are good for me, I can say no to a refreshing nightly run under the full moon that is so good for my health, yet I can't say no to the peanutbutter cup. Instead I eat one while chanting to myself, "I will only eat one, how can that possibly hurt me?"

I say the same thing when I eat the second and third one, "hey, only one more and that will be it." Lucky for me, I have been leaning more toward dark chocolate as they say it is good for you.....hey all kinds of good stuff like antioxidants and much less surgar.....finally, a healthy snack that I like! I found out the other day that Reeces now has a peanutbutter cup with dark chocolate....Yeah!!!

You see, I can get the antioxidant value from the chocolate and the protein from the peanutbutter. So if one is good for you then 10 or so is 10 times better ...right?

Daylight At 4:10AM

2009-11-02T06:47:00.004-05:00

Each morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is turn on the ouside light as there are usually deer eating the apples that drop from one of our "wild" apple trees.
I am pretty sure at one time they were very fruitfull tress but now they bare some pretty nasty apples and are not edible (for humans). The deer love them though and this time of year there are apples all over the ground.

I was suprised this morning because I didn't even have to turn on the outside light as the full moon was lighting things up like crazy. If only I had time for a run this morning, it would be absolutely beautiful and I wouldn't need the head lamp. The ride to work was breath taking and I just couldn't stop staring at that bright moon. With all the talk lately about coyotes, I have expected to hear one howling!

I also forgot about hunting season, of course I wouldn't see any deer. It is so weird as I see deer crossing the road in three different places just about every morning. I actually drive with my high beams on, it seems to freeze them and then I don't end up hitting any.

When hunting season arrives, they disappear and I rarely see one in the morning. It is so strange, almost like someone posts warning signs to go into hiding for a month.
Of course if they were really smart they would set up camp right at the road edge as the hunters can't shoot them there.

It was an odd weekend for me as far as running goes. I planned a long run Saturday and hoped for an easy short run on Sunday. All together I wanted to get my weekly miles back up to the high 20s-low 30s. It didn't happen as it never seems to this time of year. I have so many things going on in November and December, I should know better.

10/29/09
Easy 2.5 miles with the Mrs. I didn't even bring my watch and we had a great time running and talking. I surely have come to enjoy these runs.

10/31/09
The battle plan was a long run but instead it was more a full body workout as I decided to stay off the trails and couldn't bring myself to run long on the road today. In the end I logged 3 miles and some very lame muscles from all the work around the house (who needs a gym when you can dig ditches instead?)

11/1/09

Decided on Bradbury Mountain for a hill workout. I am not sure what I was thinking as I knew I would be a bit lame from Saturday. All in all it went pretty good though I did cut the run a little short from what I was planning. The mountain seemed extra tall this morning and managed to slam me down onto a slippery rock on one of the downhills sections. Yes, it drew blood and I think I ruined one of my running shirts.

5.3 miles @1:01:42 (10:39 pace)
Splits:
10:56...134-148
10:44...141-148
11:30...138-148
12:09...137-140
11:50...139-150
9:58...145-162

It was such a beautifull day we drove down to Goose Rocks Beach and spent the afternoon walking and running around with my daughter's cute pup....
2 easy sandfilled miles with some wet salty water mixed in.

What Are My Chances?

2009-10-29T06:35:00.011-04:00

I have wanted a chance to run the Boston Marathon since I started running 8 years ago. I figure if I wait until I am 99 years old, I will probably be able to qualify.
I am pretty sure all runners that age are just handed an entry number no questions asked. Qualifiying is being able to walk 26 miles.

Well, I may not have to wait that long. I entered a lottery to win a slot for 2010.
What do you think my chances are? I know it is a long shot, but I fear without some real strong luck, I will never have the opportunity to run Boston.

Yeah, I know what you are thinking.....lottery..right? You see I have bad luck with percentages, if I am givin a 50/50 chance, I will pick the wrong answer 100% of the time. I never get in the right line, wether it be the checkout at the store or the tolls on the highway. When it comes to names out of a hat, I think my name is always written in invisible ink.

My chances are nill yet I still have a glimer of hope....deep down inside I am thinking, perhaps this will be different, maybe my luck will finally change, it could be my time to win. Of course if I do win, I will still have to pay the $250.00 entry fee...I should start saving up this week!

10/26/09
Ran the 2.5 loop with Mrs. Pathfinder. She was bit tired as she had already worked out after work (something called Zumba). Still though she ran negative splits which shows she is getting stronger as a runner.

2.5 miles @28:18 (11:20 pace)
Splits:
11:34....132-140
12:05....124-134 (long hill)
10:57....133-140

As you can see by my heart rate, the hill was actually a rest for me.It was tough for the mrs. but she recovered good.

10/28/09

Ran Tempo at pineland east side then an easy run after.

4.1 miles @34:33 (8:26 pace)

splits:
9:28...150-158
8:28...147-159
7:42...154-161
8:10...154-161 (hill)
7:59...160-162 (kick@7:40)

2.2 miles easy @24:48 (11:16pace)
splits:
12:39
10:37
9:00

Suprisingly it didn't rain like the weather forcast said but the air was quite chilly. I must say that the 4 mile run was quite enjoyable and I didn't realize I was running at that fast of a pace.

Even though the east side at Pineland is more of a wide X-country course than a technical trail, I still feel quite good when I manage under 9 minute pace there.

Hitting A Trail Caldesac

2009-10-26T05:53:00.008-04:00

It dawned on me that I never posted a picture of my 50K cowbell, so here it is.

I started out 2009 with a certain idea and goal in mind. Training for the 50k as a strong base that would catapult me into some fairly fast shorter races and perhaps even a few new PRs.

I figured staying off the roads for most of my running would ward off injuries and not only tone up the core muscles but put me in great shape for a few road races. In the end I had hoped to be peaking for the Bradbury Trail Series.

In my mind it seemed like a straight trip, bee-lining to speedy races. or perhaps more like a pyramid with the winter running and 50k being the large base of it then progressing to a point as the summer turned to fall, thus reflecting my peak.

With all that behind me, I have some time to reflect. I didn't really reach the speedy finishes I hoped for but still had a pretty good year. Though I did have numerous surgeries that slowed me down at times, I actually had no injuries other than the normal aches and pains.

The suprising thing in the end was the trip. Instead of a staight line or even a pyramid, I realized if my 2009 running and racing was laid down flat on a map, it would be much more like a trail caldesac or a protrayal of a lost person in the woods with no compass.

I started out determined with a certain vision in mind. I felt as though I was traveling straight and during the trip would have stated ademately that I was heading point to point. Instead, I meandered for a while then without realizing it, I came full circle.

It was as though I set out to climb this great mountain The signs kept stating "summit this way" It sure seemed like I was climbing up and that the summit was just around the next corner, but suddenly I ended up back at the trail head with out ever reaching my goal.

I did pretty good all year but never quite made it to great. So, here I am contemplating my late fall and winter running, gearing up for long slow distance and thinking back to this same time last November as I came off a fairly large surgery.

I am almost in the exact same place as last November. It went by so fast and I feel now that I didn't take enough time to enjoy the moments. Other than the 50k I don't feel anything else stands out over the rest. They were all just a bunch of fun races
that were more like training runs used as stepping stones while I headed toward the great race......only the great race never happened.

Perhaps I didn't put in enough effort, I should have pushed harder at those key races. Is it possible that training for long slow distance has changed my racing attitude? Maybe I no longer possess that drive to hindge on the edge of oxygen deficit.

The two years I ran my fastest races, I trained for speed in every run. I was so used to running on the edge, that it seemed natural. Even in my long runs I didn't slow things down, I still ran at the edge. I also had chronic injuries during that time and because of that, my only enjoyment when running was at the finish line.

I embraced the suffering days after the race as a trophy of my accomplishments. Because I didn't train properly for my body to recover, I was in pain constantly.
I am sure I was not training right and feel that I have a much better handle on it now. Do I have to give up that speed as payment for feeling good and enjoying my runs?

Again that is exactally what I said last November and that is when I thought the long slow distance training for the 50k was the answer that would give me both pain free enjoyment and eventual speed.

Right now I am not in a hurry to critique this delema as I plan to enjoy some great fall running with no goals other than gaining as much enjoyment as possible. It seems the best place to allow my brain to solve this is on a nice long easy trail run.

10/21/09
easy run with the Mrs. who by the way ran at a pretty fast clip beating her best time by a couple seconds.
2.5 miles @ 26:57 (10:47 pace)

10/24/09

I hit the road early in hopes of beating the heaviest rain while still geting in at least an hour of running. It was a cold rainy start, yet I was enjoying the run from the first step onto the road. I opted out of trail running today as it was youth hunting day.

I decided to just run whatever felt comfortable and left the garmen home (though I did wear the Nike as a timer and to show splits) I felt great on this run and the splits show that. I was however looking forward to a nice hot shower when I finished.
There is something to be said for an easy road run as I didn't have to think about foot placement and obstructions, so my brain was allowed to wander for a while.

9.8 miles @1:28:42 (9:04 pace)

splits:
9:21
9:02
8:53
9:04
8:50
9:38 (Oakhill)
9:06
9:14
9:04
8:02 (7:30 kick)

Slow poke Rodriguez

2009-10-21T07:02:00.003-04:00

10/20/09
Tuesday

I spent most of the spring and a good part of the summer running track on Tuesdays. The speed workouts were difficult and It was quite tiring, yet I felt accomplished after. I honestly did not notice a difference in my trail racing performance and my road races were mediocre at best.

Near the end of the summer I started speed workouts on the trails. I think that helped more than track but still not a huge improvement. It seems I should re-think my training for next spring. I just am not sure what I need to do to bring back my lost speed. I'm not sure, but it appears training slow for the 50k has changed me.

I ran at Pineland and honestly felt like slow poke Rodriguez. It was a tempo run and I felt like I was pushing but no exciting results. I did enjoy the run and I felt like I worked quite hard .......I just had no speed.

I think I am lacking focus for what type of running (racing) I really want to be doing. perhaps it is time to take a break to just run for fun for a while and let my goals come to me rather than chasing them.

It is only October but I am already stressing about the hunters in the woods. I guess I have no trust in people anymore. Even though I ran at Pineland (where there is no hunting) I became nervous after I heard gun fire near by.

Now, I know that they can only use bows right now and gun fire probably means practice shooting, but when I heard the shots, an image of Homer Simson flashed into my head. I think there are a lot of "Homers" out there hunting nowadays.

The next thing that flashed into my head was the thought of my white hair and how it might resemble the white tail of a deer as I am running through the woods....think I should wear a hat till the end of November?

I am sure an arrow or bullet through the side of my head would slow down my running quite a bit. I am seriously thinking about singing loudly while I am running trails. Of course then people would think there was an injured animal close by and I would probably attract more attention than I want or they would shoot anyway to put the poor animal out of it's misery!

Recent runs:

Monday
2.5 miles (road)with Mrs. Pathfinder
28:48 (11:31 pace)

Tuesday
Pineland trails
3.5 miles @32:17 Tempo(9:14 pace)
splits:
9:40...145-163
8:52...151-157
8:54...151-159
8:42...157-161 (kick@8:02)

1.75 miles @18:52 easy/cooldown (10:46 pace)

Mrs. Pathfinder ran by herself on her 2.5 loop.

Gloves...and Hats....and Pants...Oh My!!

2009-10-19T06:15:00.002-04:00

10/17/09
Saturday

I knew my only chance to get in a good run this weekend would be early Saturday morning, anything beyond that would be pure luck. I had a busy schedule and I honestly did not cherish the thought of running in a cold rain. I woke up at 6 am and saw the reflective sparkle of frost on the vehicles as I switched on the outside light.

As much as I didn't want to give in to the weather change, it dawned on me that I would be smart to wear my cold weather gear today....this meant things like gloves and long running pants. I didn't want this, I wanted a nice sunny 60 degree run through the woods.

I am in my recovery season and am concentrating on base running. Normally I don't start recovery and base until after Thanksgiving, but ths year I am changing things up a bit.

The good thing about no immediate racing goal is the chance to run for fun and not have any guidelines to the run. As I stepped out the door and felt the cool briskness of the air, I could feel my nostral hairs freeze as I pulled my first breath into my lungs. I knew immediately this would be a great run.

I slid on the gloves and headed for the trail. I had no expectations other than wanting to run for at least an hour. I felt absolutely fantastic as I watched my frosty breath being forced out into a fog then slowly expanding until it dissapeared.

It was about 7 tenths of a mile to the pit road which gave me a chance warm up the bones a bit before hitting the trail. As I rounded the corner, the gravel pit wall was to my left and before I knew it, I was scaling the damn thing.

I remember thinking that this was not what I anticipated for an easy run yet I did say I was going to have fun .......what is more fun than climbing a loose gravel incline that tries it's hardest to send you sliding back to the bottom?

The pit wall is steep enough to force the climber onto all fours at certain points and as much as I tell myself not to grab at small vegitaion for support, I instintively grabbed a small tree and quickly found that it did not have enough root support to help me hurl my body up the slope.

Luckily I caught myself before barrel rolling the whole way back to the bottom, but still had gravel and dirt all over me. By the time I reached the top, I felt like I had run a marathon ... there wasn't enough air in the world to satisfy my lungs cravings.

I rambled around the pit trails for about 4 miles then ran a dirt road to the base of my killer training hill....Oakhill doesn't look like much and it isn't really that long but for some reason it is tough to run.

After cresting the hill I hit the Mushroom trail which for some reason was the slowest mile of my run. Usually the hill is my slowest and I pick things up in the trail. Perhaps it was the pit wall climbing catching up to me.

Anyway it is a mile on the road to finish this run off as I was already beyond my hour mark. Though I don't cherish road running, I was looking forward to the easyness of it. I was ready to just let my legs fall forward without thinking about foot placement. Sort of a cooldown I guess.

As I turned down my driveway, it dawned on me that a run with the Mrs. would be a perfect cooldown. It did not happen though as she had already taken her shower and getting her to run now would be fruitless.

I piled my clothes up semi neatly just in case she changed her mind or I got a chance to squeeze in a short run later in the day......it never happened, which is why I try to get my runs in first thing. Schedules tend to overlap and the running is suddenly pushed to the wayside. I guess this what happens when you have a family and obligations.

8 Miles 1:20:10 (10:02pace)

Splits:

9:35....128-155
9:37....145-157
10:32...149-159
10:01...147-151
9:46....148-156
12:22...147-160(I am suprised but this split....not sure why I slowed down?)
8:54....147-154

I Need Either A Bigger Engine, Or A Smaller Body.

2009-10-15T06:38:00.012-04:00

I Want To Be This.........

But I Feel Like This!

Of all the things I could do to, increase my stamina, race better and run stronger, it is my weight that probably matters the most. I have a cumbersome spare tire and a lot of bouncing flab.....it causes not only fatigue but also chaffing. Since there is no way to buy a bigger engine and searching the internet has not produced an add on human turbo charger, I suppose I will opt for a smaller body.

I have been pretty level as far as weight for the last 4 or 5 years. Only fluctuating 6-8 pounds through winter and summer, but still at least 10 pounds heavier than I should be. I want to lose the extra....what I refere to as my "Wide Load"

In the construction industry we need to obtain a special permit to travel the roads with a wide or oversized load. That is how I feel with my running. Since I can't secure a special permit to allow me a "handicap"(thanks Jeff for putting that word in my head) when running, I must find a way to trim the excess unneeded pounds.

I was down to Florida a couple years ago running without my shirt on and a car full of girls drove by. One had her head out the window and yelled...."euwww, put your shirt on!" They were all laughing.....but I wasn't.

Now, don't get me wrong and don't get A mental picture of a beach ball waddling down the side walk, knocking over innocent pedestrians and blocking traffic. I am not really overweight by todays standards and at work I am actually considered a skinny guy, but for running efficiency I am hurting.

It's funny how relevant things are ....it all depends on what you are comparing to. So, compared to the average fast and efficient runner, I am out of shape and no matter how much hard work I put into my training, I will not reach my maximum potential until I find a way to trim up and shed at least 10 pounds.

I say all this merely minutes after devouring a nice french toast breakfast sprinkled with cinnamon, lathered in butter and saturated in maple syrup (what's wrong with this picture?) Of course I threw it away and ate a peach instead.....YEA......Right!

Now that I have decided to sideline my racing goals and concentrate on my running, I am determined to solve my weight issues......I have all winter to transform into a lean runner that can run shirtless without causing the passerbyers a puke fest.

In my training I feel that if I lose the weight, everything else with automatically fall into place. I know this to be true because I looked back at my history and found that most of my fast PRs were in 2003 (my second year of running) and looking at my success at the time I noticed that I was quite a bit lighter .... about 10 pounds to be exact......Hmmmnnn...that number does sound familiar.

I have been running the roads quite a bit in the last week and I suddenly realized how much harder the surface feels and how the body fatigues much quicker than on trails. I was thinking about ways we could soften up road running when I came across this photo (below).....wow..that would work and it qualifies for the new "green" movement. We could go green ...literally!

Ok, I suppose I have to leave room for my running stats....

10/13/09
Tuesday
I ran 2.5 miles with Mrs. Pathfinder as a warmup and then strolled off for a faster paced workout.

2.5 miles @27:52 (11:08pace)
didn't get splits
4.4 miles @36:01 (8:12 pace)
Splits:
8:14....146-157
8:34....155-159 (hill)
8:32....151-155 (hill)
8:22....153-160
7:55....156-159 (kick@7:11p)
1/2 mile cooldown.

10/14/09
Wednesday

Another run with the Mrs.
2.5 @28:39 (11:27 pace)
1/2 mile cooldown walk.

I was going to bang out a faster run after but something came up and it didn't happen.

Fall Is Here.

2009-10-10T17:36:00.011-04:00

I love fall....but I hate to see summer end. I worked the chute yesterday at the Craig Cup X-c race. I sure missed running it. If only I was fast enough to run it and still help as I promised. You see if I came in first, I would already be in the chute area and I then could assume my duties. The real trick would be finding a turbo foot rocket to add that needed speed.

Though I didn't run, I did get a chance to socialize a bit. It is funny how much mare you can connect with others when not running. I worked the chute with Val and her husband Rick......what great people. Though I have run with Val on accasion and I have seen Rick at many races, I didn't really get a chance to actually talk in general.......they are both pretty darn cool.

I had hoped to get a run in but with the leaves falling and the threat of brisk winds, I went home and did the unspeakable deed........I finally covered the pool. BOY did I hate to do that. It means that I have finally given in to the season change .......oh not that I don't love fall, because I do. I guess with the limited sunshine we received this summer I am just plain not satisfied!

The volunteer group yesterday also talked a lot about 50 mile and 100 mile races. I must say it got me pretty excited and I got thinking that I do want to attempt a 50 miler next year. I think I will start planning.

10/09/09
Friday

I wanted to run somewhere different today and decided to try Lowell Preserve. From what I heard it was quite nice and I quickly found out that statement was true. I loved it especially the singe track parts. I was a bit suprised though to come accros some very wet areas of standing water. I didn't cross paths with a soul.....though sometimes, that is OK.....I needed some time alone to just bond with nature. I got that today.

I have noticed lately how many acorns are falling everywhere. You know the Indians had a way to extract the bitter toxins from them and found it was a great source of protein.....perhaps we should learn how to do that, with budgets so tight right now, we could use a food that is so plentiful. Why havn't we done that yet? Nothing wrong with free food.

5.3 mile trail run
53:26 (10:05 pace)
Splits:

11:38......147-59
12:08......148-158
11:45......143-159
9:38.......151-158
9:41.......143-158
8:06.......150-160

What If doing The Right Thing Is Wrong?

2009-10-08T06:14:00.009-04:00

I think of myself as relatively fit. I run a lot and am very physically active. I try to eat right and I shun medicines when ever possible. I actually can't remember the last time I had a cold or the flu. Other than about a dozen surgeries this year for a work related accident, I have not had a need to see a doctor.

So, I should be all set, no problems right? Well, as it turns out there is a problem.
and it partially stems from me trying to do the right thing. I recently found out I have very high blood pressure. In most cases this is not a good thing....well in all cases I guess.

From what I have been told, HBP can be caused by many things but is usually related to heart problems as it causes the heart to overwork and possibly bring on heart attack or strokes. Not something I look forward to!

So, my doc says the normal course of action when one realizes they have HBP is to lose some weight, increase exercise, avoid salt and eat healthy......problem is, I am already doing that. The Doc ran an EKG and found that my heart was perfect(that's good news!!) Absolutely strong, healthy and no problems. He even showed me the long lapse between the readings indecating a low resting heart rate that one usually finds in an active athelete. Mine is 48 which has kicked the alarm at every surgery. By the way, he told me Joan Benoit Samulson's was 36.....crazy huh?

The doc asked me a lot of questions and had all of my surgery paperwork. One thing that suprised him was that I didn't take the pain medications after surgery. I told him that I felt the meds interfere with the bodies normal healing process. Also as a runner, we use pain as a gauge to tell us when we have done too much or gone too far.
I heal quite fast and am usually back to my normal activities in no time.

Come to find out, by not taking medications and having so many surgeries, my body has adjusted cronically to high blood pressure. So, by doing what I thought was the right thing, I helped cause this problem. Not making sense? Well when your body is injured, the pain signals trigger some type of enzyme to the liver and the liver reacts by creating calcium which increases blood pressure to force more blood into the damaged area. This sends a large supply of oxygen and also carries away toxins.

The medications not only mask the pain but also the signal to the liver. This proves that medication slows down the healing process. In normal cases, refusing medication is very helpful to healing, but in my case with so many surgeries, it has a byproduct.

The constant liver calcium combined with the blood pressure rise during stressful times like surgey and the fact that I have so many surgeries this year has caused a steady rise of Blood pressure to a point that does not have time to settle out then ends up at quite dangerous levels.

In the end, it is good to hear that I have no heart problems but I still have to address the blood pressure. I am sure it has curbed my performance this year. The doc seems to think it will settle back to normal after all the surgeries are over (I have two or three more this year). I am hoping, with that behind me I can work on a solid running base this winter and kick off some good PRs next year.

I did get in a nice trail run last night (though it was interupted for a short time) I was searching for my Ipod transmitter as it somehow fell out of the holder on my foot. Luckily I found it sitting right in the middle of the trail. I actually thought I would be running in the rain but it stopped about an hour before I went out. The weather was perfect and the woods were peaceful. I can't think of a better way to release the stresses of working.

3 mile trail run
25:07 (8:22 pace)
splits:
8:13....159-160
9:01....149-161
7:52....151-163 (7:01 kick)

Shattered Schedules

2009-10-05T05:47:00.003-04:00

What is it about fall that makes it so hard to create a usable schedule? It seems this happens every year. Perhaps there are reasons other than the obvious but I think there are forces in play that snicker as they change the speed of time.

I suppose the fact that we are hitting the peak of the Nascar racing season, Redsox baseball, the excitement of the Football season, the daylight disappearing faster each night,the many things I need to do around the house as I prepare for winter, All these things play their part in my in-ability to fit every thing in.

I guess I am just not meant for racing in the fall.....I barely have time to actually run! Matbe it all boils down to me creating the excuses I need to make me feel better about not running? maybe it is a subconcious choice?

I did get my cross training in on Saturday as I played in a golf tournement. It was fun yet I would have traded it in a flash to attempt the Badass run at Bradbury. I say attempt as I probably would not have finished it.....so maybe it would have been only half bad.

I did enjoy the golfing though and smiled to myself as everyone complained about the rain. It didn't bother me at all...these wussies wanted to quit because is was wet and harder and uncomfortable. It was all of those things, but it also is those difficult times that create a great memory, you need some adversity to burn the whole experience into long lasting memory.

In the end the golfing was a pretty good workout and I labeled it a 2 mile cross train in my log......so almost like going for a run...but not. I know all my muscles felt it on Sunday morning. I couldn't tell if my muscles were whinning about the lameness or screaming for a run. Most of you avid running know what I am talking about.

It was one of those morning, I felt lame and I wasn't sure I wanted to roll out of bed and bang out a run. Sometimes it is just that (a good run) that forces the lameness out of the muscles. I think this was one of those mornings.

I decided to just plan a short 3-5 mile run, hit the road and let my body dictate the pace and eventual distance. It really is a great way to start the day as there was no pressure and I knew I could stop when ever I felt like it(well within reason as I had a lot to do)but I had at least an hour window to work with.

I hit the road with the anticipation of an easy run and decided to run just for fun.....no goals, no monitoring the watch (though I would still have it running for my stats) Just enjoy an early morning fall run.

In the end it was a lot of fun as I started on the road but darted into a few trails along the way. I wasn't breathing hard and with a little sunshine it would have been perfect. Sunshine was not to be though.

6.2 miles @1:01:20 (9:54pace)
heart rate....139av....154max

Finally Got In A Good Run

2009-09-30T08:32:00.003-04:00

09/29/09
Tuesday

In the last two weeks after the 12 mile bruiser I only ran 10 miles and 9 miles. I don't know what came over me, Though I did have surgery on Monday and I did have the wedding in Vermont, I still should have had time to get in some quality runs.

It boils down to feeling crappy and not having the desire to get out there. No one specific excuse I guess. At first I was looking for reasons, but now I just consider it a couple easy step down weeks and look forward to getting back into some fun running.

I spent the day wondering if I was going to feel like running when I got out of work or would my delema continue..... I drove to Pineland and as I changed, I could feel the excitement growing. I knew I was going to enjoy the run but decided not to run sprints. Instead I would run the 5k course starting out easy and see what transpired.

The first mile I felt pretty tired and sluggish, I came dangerously close to calling it quits and heading back. Instead, my attention was drawn to a runner coming the other way. It made me feel better....I don't know why but I surely was not going to stop now and walk back to my truck.

By the second mile I started setting in a bit and decided to finish the 5k at least. I started enjoying the smell of the woods and I think I became lost in thought as the end came quickly and suddenly I was sprinting to the imaginary finish line. It felt really good and I was satisfied, I waited about 30 seconds to catch my breath and started what I thought was going to be a cooldown mile.

I made to the mile mark and starting feeling pretty good. I hit the down hills and decided there was no way I was going to stop now, I decided to finish the loop I was on. I had a great mile five @7:08pace. This is when I realized my problem was that after running all the longer distances, it was taking me longer to settle in and get warmed up.

Back when I was racing a lot of 5ks (mostly on roads) I would feel horrible for the first 1/2 -3/4 mile then I would start feeling better and hitting my speed. Now after training for the 50K, running mostly trails and racing longer distances, my warm up period has increased.

It makes sense now that I think of it. I remember many marathoners saying it took 5 miles for them to settle in. Of course what that means to me today is that I am really not ready to race a tough 5k and I think I was letting the pressure get to me.
Of course I am not ready, I haven't trained for it and actually have not raced anything shorter than a 10K all year.

I finished the 5.6 mile run feeling tired but great. I could have easily continued but it was getting dark and I still had some things to do tonite. It was inspiring to want to go longer at the end of my run tonite. It was a good run and very relaxing (to the brain).

Stats:

1st mile....8:44...152-160
2nd ........8:15...154-162
3rd ........9:22...157-164 (mostly up hill)
.2@6:46pace...160-162 (kick then continue)....3.2miles @27:03(8:27pace)
4th(4.2)....9:51...149-154
5th ........7:08...156-163 (downhill)
last .45@7:12 and kicking...158-162.... (2.5 miles@20:09..8:17pace)

Total run:
5.6 miles....47:12(8:26p)

Here is something really strange.....my Garmen 305 and the nike + plus read exactally the same milage today??? That has never happened in the trails. The splits were off but that is because the garmen shows an average and the Nike shows a snap shop of the mile moment.