" It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys."
- Emil Zatopek


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Training 6/25 to 7/1

6/25 Monday: OFF 

A good day for a day off. I haven't had one in a while so today will do.

6/26 Tuesday: 10 miles in 70 minutes

Rattlesnake Hill loop. Felt solid and the pace came easy.

6/27 Wednesday: 10.4 in 74 minutes

I ran up into Andover Center today. Kept things pretty easy and stayed relaxed. A solid run.

6/28 Thursday: AM: 5 miles in 40 minutes PM: 9 miles in 67 minutes

AM: Easy running on the treadmill before work.

PM: Running around on the trails of Winnekenni. Had a pretty nice run, a few deer flies but not to bad. Lots of people out there enjoying the beautiful evening.

6/29 Friday: 8.6 miles 61 minutes

Today I made my way up towards Andover Center. Had a good run, until some little chubby kid had to yell "Run Forest Run". Ha..... original!

6/30 Saturday: 7.2 miles in 55 minutes

Easy running in the early morning with Heather, before it got too hot! We ran out to some of the dirt roads in Campton. It was a good run and nice to get it done so early.  We spent the rest of the day out on Squam Lake with Caitlyn. We had a blast staying cool in and on the water!

7/1 Sunday: 16 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes


Heather and I ran with Jim Johnson and Kevin Tilton in the Pemi Wilderness today. Kevin and Jim were doing the full Pemi Loop.  We got an early start, out of the parking lot at 7:15am, and headed out towards Bond Cliff. It was easy running for the first 5 miles, then we started going up. Heather turned back at an hour and I continued on for a bit more. After multiple stream crossings we hit some real ups, like staircase ups. At about an hour and 35 minutes in I turned around and headed back the same way. I hit the flats pretty good and got back to the parking lot in a total time of 2 hours and 45 minutes (1:35 out and up 1:10 back and down). It was a great time and next time I hope to have more time to enjoy the full loop!

Total Miles: 66.2

A great week of running! I got in a day off, some good milage, and an awesome run with friends.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Training 6/18 to 6/24

6/18 Monday: 7 miles in 54 minutes

I took it easy today and ran the Shawsheen River trails. I was still feeling Saturdays run a bit in the legs so taking it easy was a good idea. I ended up running a couple of miles with another guy I ran into just as I hit trails. Great day to be out there running!

6/19 Tuesday: 10 miles in 72 minutes

I ran the Rattlesnake Hill loop today. I felt pretty solid today and the miles came pretty easy.

6/20 Wednesday: 9 miles in 68 minutes

Easy running on the treadmill at home. It was nice and cool in the basement. Better than getting fried out there on the roads!

6/21 Thursday: 8.1 miles in 57 minutes

Got outside today.....yeah, it was a hot one! The pace was pretty solid at the end with my last 4 miles well under 7 minute pace. I was surprised how easy the pace came considering it was so warm. Saw three turkeys, a rabit, and chased a wiener dog (just returning the favor). Not a bad run an a hot day.

6/22 Friday: 5 miles in 38 minutes

Early morning running on the treadmill at home.

6/23 Saturday: 8.5 miles in 61 minutes

Easy running with Heather and Seth on Block Island. We headed up to the northern end of the island. All miles under 7 minute pace coming back. Felt pretty good.

6/24 Sunday: 13 miles in 88 minutes

Long run on Block Island. I ran around the southern end of the island and hit up some of the dirt roads that cross the rural areas of the island. I dropped the pace down pretty good and averaged 6:45 for the whole run. The last mile went by in 5:54. A good solid run!

Total Miles: 60.6

Another solid week to build off of. Got to keep it up and keep getting out the door!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Racing Update

Since taking a break from posting I ran a few races. The races results are linked on the right side of the Blog. See below for the details.

5/5/12: Pittsburgh Half Marathon: 17th place in 1:15:08

I had a great time in Pittsburgh and had fun getting the"Elite Athlete" experience.  The only bad part of the weekend was the race its self. I knew I was in trouble early and the "flat and fast" course ended up being challenging and slow. Even though my time was pretty slow and I destroyed my foot with some nasty blisters I still had a fun time. The crowds were awesome and having great friends there made it even better!

5/19/12: Bedford 12k USATFNE Championship: 31st place in 41:06 

I decided to run this race despite taking some time off to allow the foot to heal and to recover from Pittsburgh. I ran hard and hung on the best I could, but knew I would not be able to run close to my past performances. I had a great time seeing teammates past and present and enjoyed the race overall.

5/27/12 Baldi River Run 5 miler: 1st place in 27:23

This was my first time running the Baldi River Run. I figured the the race was in my hometown and I've never done it, so I might as well check it out. The race went out pretty relaxed and I just tucked in behind the leader for the first couple miles. I then took the lead as the pace slowed a bit. I pushed the pace down over the last three miles and won the race by about a minute. I ran faster splits as the race went on. This was a good confidence booster!

6/10/12 Exeter Trail Races (10 Miler): 1st place in 69:36

This was the first trail race of a few that I have planned for this year. I did not know the course at all, so my plan was to go out with the leader and hang on if I could and make a move late in the race. The race runs over so awesome terrain with mostly technical single track trails, and a couple awesome bridges! The race went out pretty easy and I settled in behind the leader and put it on cruise control.  The pace was still pretty quick and there were a few points I wondered if I would be able to make a move. At almost an hour into the race a made a move when we hit a small incline and the pace slowed. I put my head down and ran as hard as I could manage for about the next 5 minutes. I soon hit the Camel Humps and made the charge for home.....then I wiped out good! Picked myself up and got to the finish in 1:09:36. I had a blast and can't wait to do some more trail races!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Training 6/11 to 6/17

Long time no update! Running has been a bit touch and go since my disaster in Pittsburgh. Stress and long hours at work, multiple injuries (including an unfortunate whiffle ball injury),  feeling under the weather, and a death in the family put running on the back burner for a bit. In the next week or so I will post some brief updates on races and training since my last update. For now I will post my current week.


6/11 Monday: 6 miles in 48 minutes

Easy running in Winnekenni with Heather. Felt pretty beat up after the trail race on Sunday. My back and right ankle are tight and sore.

6/12 Tuesday: 8 miles in 59 minutes


Easy running from home. ran out to Crystal lake and back. Saw a raccoon on my run....at bit closer than I would have liked. Still feeling a bit beat up from the race.

6/13 Wednesday: 8.4 miles in 60 minutes

Easy running from work. I ran out towards Andover Center and back in the poring rain. It was actually quite fun! Decent run and I felt much better today.

6/14 Thursday: 10 miles in 71 minutes

Rattlesnake Hill Loop in Andover. Felt pretty good today, the best I have felt in a long while. The pace came nice and easy today and I felt strong the whole run.

6/15 Friday: 7 miles in 55 minutes

Easy running on the Shawsheen River Trails. It was nice to get back on the trails! Kept things very easy and relaxed

6/16 Saturday: 16 miles in 130 minutes

Awesome trail running in the Pemi wilderness with Heather. We ran the Lincoln Woods Trail and Franconia Brook Trail out to the Thirteen Falls tentsite.  It was an awesome day to be in the woods and the trails were in good shape! I have to do trail runs like this more often.

6/17 Sunday: 5 miles in 37 minutes

Easy running in Campton, NH.  My legs actually felt pretty good after yesterdays trail run. Another great day in the White Mountains.

Total Miles: 60.4

Solid week of running. Got to get completely healthy and stay that way!