A Month of Saturdays (with a Monday): Diving in Headfirst - April 2022

 

Meanwhile in Squatchachusetts

“I see the clouds 'cross the weathered faces and I watch the harvest burn,”

~Don Henley “A Month of Sundays”

 

It’s been a long time since I wrote a blog. The last time I did, I called it the End of the Beginning.  I was at the end of the beginning of a great comeback from injury and burnout.  But on March 11, 2020 something happened.

Thus, after two years of working for HHS through a global pandemic and putting off training, I find myself at the Beginning of the Beginning again.  So, I set my goal in 2022 to be the year of strength and base phase.  The whole year will be one long base training.  Then, I’ll target something in 2023 to build on the base.

After half-assing training for two years.  In January I started to fluctuate between three-quarter assing it and not assing at all. Alas, all of this assing came to a head and it was time to dive in… headfirst.

My five main goals for 2022 are:

1) Boston Dragon Boat Festival in June;

2) New England Randonneurs’ Boston-Portland-Boston 400km in June;

3) RAGBRAI in July;

4) Toughman Duathlon in September;

5) BAA Distance Medley that culminates with the Half Marathon in November.

 

Mary's Little Lamb, Sterling, MA

April 9: To the Lamb and Back

“And I've seen the dog days and dusty days; Late spring snow and early fall sleet” 

Ride: NER’s Sterling 100K

Distance: 100 km (62.5 miles)

Elevation Gain: 3,195 feet (974m)

Time: 4:30:26

Sights: Fruitlands, The Little Lamb of Sterling, Harvard Common, the Easter Bunny

Step one to goals 2 and 3 is putting in miles on the bike (and can’t hurt goals 4 and 5 either).  The 100k is a good little wake up call.  You can put in some good miles while testing equipment in real brevet/touring situations; you can have the “safety” of not straying too far from bail out points near train stations; and, you can share the experience with others who might be equally prepared (or unprepared) to ride a hill 60 mile ride in early April.   The only other time I have ridden this ride was 2014; the timing of it is weird since it will always be close to the Marathon, so years I run that I will probably never do this.

I caught the early train out of Somerville and got into Lincoln right at 8.  After some wise words from Tsun, we were off to the Lamb in Sterling.  Legs felt good.  My worries about general fitness were allayed in the first segment from Lincoln to Sterling. The 29 miles to the lamb statue were considerably better than I thought they would be and I had a good feeling for the ride.

The next segment was Sterling to Harvard.  I decided to push it here.  Initially, my plan had been to take the whole ride reasonably easy – stay in Z1 and 2 – and then pedal easy home from Lincoln at the end.  But, between how good I felt and the chances of thunderstorms (more on that later), I decided to try to make the 12:56 train back to Somerville.  I pushed it hard, it was about the same speed but effort-wise it was more the Z2/Z3 range.  Upon reaching Harvard there was a cool kids festival on the Common.  I heard several children excited to meet the special guest – that mythical Lepus himself – the EASTER BUNNY.

For the last section, I defer to my notes. My Strava notes tell me: “Realized I had some fitness, so I smashed the next 20 miles and then like Soviet Russia, the last 20 miles smashed me.” Leaving chiasmus and Yakov Smirnoff aside, it was good to know that I hadn’t miraculously become fit enough to just race a 100km. 

Despite the despotism of Soviet Russia, I still pulled into Lincoln in a time of 4:30 with theoretically 10 minutes to check-in and hop on the choo-choo.

The train I was waiting for had problems up the line in Concord.  Then the clouds opened up and in the words of one of the teenagers I was waiting for the train with: “It’s fucking hailing, what the fuck have you gotten me into?” He apologized to me for swearing.

 

 

Bib and Schwag

April 16: Marathon Weekend Kick off

“But I always get the shoes on our feet”

Race: BAA 5K

Distance: 5 km (3.1 miles)

Goal: 24:48

Actual: 23:57

The last time the BAA 5k ran was April 13, 2019.  It’s been a long time; but you could feel some near relief as we gathered on the Common.  Dr. Fauci had not said that we were past the pandemic stage yet; but those of us in the corals felt that we were doing something normal again.

Overweight and undertrained is no way to start a fast 5k.  But, alas, two days before Marathon Monday there I was.  It’s the first event in the BAA Distance Medley, so I guess it’s as good as any to con In the corral, I met up with Matt Noyes.  We discussed the lack of training for this race and how we were around 100 miles for the year – far cry from either of our heydays when we would have been putting in 200 a month.  But, time to dive in… headfirst. 

There was nothing significant about this race. Like all 5Ks, I started too fast and then tapered off.  Unfortunately, “too fast” was just slower than it used to be.  But here I was running a 5k on a Saturday morning!

 

 

Hi-fivin' Lamer at 30K

April 18: BAA’s Boston Marathon

“Watched 'em parade past the Union Jack”

Ride: BAA Marathon

Distance: 26.2 Miles

For the second year in a row, I was chosen to ride a lead bike for the Elite women in the Boston Marathon.  This year however it was back on Patriots’ Day – which commemorates the Shot Heard Round the World. 

Our job is to move straggling men’s elite and wheelchairs out of the way to give the vehicle package (6 motorbikes and 4 trucks) room.

With another 0 dark thirty wake up, I made my way to Copley.  We load up wheelchairs, handcycles and duos.  Then we put our bikes on the truck; and hopped on the bus out to Hopkinton.

26.2 miles on the bike is not a tough assignment.  But keeping the roads clear is effort; and keeping up with the vehicles over the Newton Hills is a challenge.  They average 11 miles an hour over the course and are probably running faster in Newton.  12 miles an hour over Heartbreak is hahd.

Purgatory Chasm

April 23: Racing the Train

“And I sit here in the shadow of suburbia and look out across these empty fields”

Ride: NER’s Purgatory 200K

Distance: 200 km (124.5 miles)

Elevation Gain: 7585 feet (2311m)

Time: 11:21:15

Sights: Wachusett State Park, Ringing Bell in Oakham, Spencer State Forest, Purgatory Chasm, Upton State Forest

I was sitting on a bench at Purgatory Chasm eating a cookies and cream cereal bar of some sort.  My legs were aching; I was thinking if I was mistaking by partaking in this brevet.  It was 3:00 pm, the train would leave West Concord at 6:45.  Could I make the last 40 miles in 3.5 hours?

Tsun was convincingly optimistic that I could.

So, I clambered onto my bike and started my way toward West Concord. 

***

10 hours earlier, I was leaving my house to ride from Somerville to West Concord.  This would be the second time I did thePurgatory 200K.  This would also be my first brevet in nearly 5 years – and the first since my seizure (which was literally two days after the Portland 200K in 2017).

Trepidation was thick in the cool air.  It was 47°F when I left Somerville.  While the sun began to climb, I too was climbing out of town and into the burbs.  By the time I got into Concord the sun was up, but it was now 41°F for the start.

The first part of the ride is a long climb up to an info contrôle at Wachusett’s base Visitor Center.  Fortunately for the ride a plurality of the climbing is this first 32-mile stretch.  (Rather, fortunately for the riders).  Tsun met us there. It was a cool point since early in the ride, faster people were just leaving and those at back end like me were able to see everyone.  It’s also a cool point because after all that climbing, I got to stop even just for 10 minutes.

The next section was to the contrôle in Oakham.  Honestly, I never heard of Oakham.  However, they have a cute town centre with the requisite white steepled Congregationalist church, a public library and the town greene has a gazebo and bell.  The volunteers were kind enough to ring the bell upon my arrival.  At this point it warmed up enough – probably 55°F – that I was required to un-pant.  So, there was humor as I fought with my running pants to drag them over my bike shoes and expose my shorts.

 

Purgatory 200K Route

In the new comfort of my shorts I headed out.  In about 10 miles I got turned around in central Spencer.  I missed like three turns and my navigation had me doing U-ies. I stopped to get my bearings and noticed I was in the parking lot of a pizza sub place… I stopped in for a steak bomb.

Heading through the forest land into Purgatory Chasm Reservation, I began to wonder if I could put in the effort required to get into West Concord by the required 6:30.  At the Chasm I pondered my options.  Tsun was pretty certain I could; and I figured I should at least go for it.

The issue is I don’t understand what effort feels like on a bike.  I know what effort is running.  I can tell when I can push and how much I’m pushing.  But on a bike, I always find that I either feel great and grind myself down or terrible and maybe go too slow.

So, the last 40 miles I found myself fluctuating between feeling good and feeling lousy.  I determined when I felt good I would push it; when I felt lousy, I would go into survival mode.  The last couple miles I trailed in with the Colombian guys I’d been playing leapfrog with.  We pulled into the pizza place parking lot.  I had had a slice of Pepperoni and got over to the station to catch 6:45 back into town.

Choo Choo! 

 

Ayer Station

April 30: Monster Climbs

“I sit here and listen to the clock strike, and I wonder if I'll see my companion again”

Ride: CRW’s All the Hills Metric Century

Distance: 100 km (62.9 miles)

Elevation Gain: 3800 feet (1158m)

Time: 4:48:45

Sights: Views of Pack Monadnock, Uncle Sam’s birth site, Willow Brook State Forest, Townsend State Forest

Another Saturday; another train and ride day.  This ride left out of Ayer.  Previously, I had registered for the imperial century.  But, when they added the metric one, my legs told me to do it instead.

Met the group in Ayer.  The Century team rolled out first; then the metric group.  I follow the metric group until the first hill.  And then they just dropped me like a rock.  But, I just kept my pace.  Beautiful ride took me through Southern New Hampshire and North-Central Mass.  There were two monster climbs on the route. 

In the end it wasn’t much slower than my 100K from earlier – despite 15% more climbing.

Montes Homini Lupus Sunt: B2VT Iron Distance (6/9/18)

Thru Vermont

Ride: B2VT Iron Distance
Distance: 113 miles
Moving Time: 7:19:08
Elapsed Time: 8:57:04
Pivo Index: 2

Map and Profile

Tyson Road, Reading, VT 

At the final water stop we had been told it was only 5 more miles of climbing.  That was good since much of the previous 10 miles had been long not too steep climbs.  I was ready for the down hill off of Tyson Road and down into Okemo.

What they did not tell us was exactly how steep those 5 miles would be or that it was really six and a half miles...

As I fought my way up the road, about 4 and a half miles up, a group came by me.  And there I heard the telltale: "looking good Jesse."  I didn't know these people but they had read it off the bib number on my back.  There is one thing for certain, you only tell people they are looking good is when they aren't.

BLav and the Bear -
It's like a 70s buddy comedy

My legs were dead; I was shifting side to side.  And all I could think was, "thank god I'm only doing the 113 miler and not the full 149."

Cambridge, MA

Two weeks before, we received an email. There would be construction on the route between the final water stop in Belows Falls and Okemo.  The organizers, thus, were rerouting the ride.  So those who had registered for the 136 mile ride could either ride 149 miles or drop down to the Century which would now be the "Iron Distance" 113 mile ride.

I chose the latter.

Urvi's pic of me - before I knew what was about to come

Discourses on Leviathan while riding on Leviathan - Chesterfield, NH

Leaving Ashby, we had a nice 38 mile warm up before that monster climb - Leviathan.  En route to it, all the guys we knew riding from the 149 start passed us - Joe, Patrick, Rory and Dave.

"There is no such thing as the Tranquility of mind" so as I made the Leviathan climb, I could only think of Hobbes' Leviathan.  And a man dead nearly 350 years, offered assistance - either by motivation or by distraction - to the top of a mount in New Hampshire.

"The condition of man is a condition of war of every one against every one."
By the time we made the right hand turn, the group we were with had begun to split up.  In what had been a group effort to get the bottom became a free for all of man against man to get to the top.

"Hell is truth seen too late." 
And this hill, while not as hard as Tyson Road, was an early reminder of a pretty simple truth - I had not done enough training.  But it was too late.

Atop Leviathan

“Covenants, without the sword, are but words and of no strength to secure a man at all.”
Probably the main issue is that unlike marathoning, I didn't have the same direct forcefulness to me.  The sword of the impending marathon is so much stronger than the dagger of the impending Century ride.

“For it can never be that war shall preserve life, and peace destroy it.”
This battle of all against all (that really wasn't - seriously most people around me were just trying to make it to the top), every pedal stroke was destroying quads.  There was no hope to save strength for later each of these strokes was one that would not return later in the ride.

“Fear of things invisible is the natural seed of that which every one in himself calleth religion.” 
Slowly the fear of Leviathan dissipated.  I could handle this average 4% grade; I could handle the

“War consisteth not in battle only,or the act of fighting;but in a tract of time,wherein the will to contend by battle is sufficiently known.”
So, by halfway up, with the superstitions and fears of Leviathan gone, I looked to controlling it.  A sign passed that said 2 miles to go.  I knew if I took it smartly, I could make it.

"Hurt inflicted, if lesse than the benefit of transgressing, is not punishment"
Each pedal stroke was not the agony of destruction but now the step to the top.  Each hurt was not punishment but hurrah to another rung to the top.

“Respice finem; that is to say, in all your actions, look often upon what you would have, as the thing that directs all your thoughts in the way to attain it.” 
I knew how much I had to climb, I knew the water stop in Chesterfield was near.  So I traded between sitting when the slope was gentle and standing emulating Contador (only in mine own head I'm sure) when the rise was steep.

Rivers of Vermont

“Fact be virtuous, or vicious, as Fortune pleaseth”
One mile to go was both virtuous and vicious.  I was 80% done; but I still had one mile of slope and climb to ride. 

"For Appetite with an opinion of attaining, is called HOPE."
Eventually, I knew I would make it.  There spero pushed its way as a pacer.  I chased with not only desire to finish but expectation.  And then over the mat at the top I briefly was going to exult my success an  exhalt my mini-victory by thrusting my arms into the air.  Yet there were still 70 miles to go and the mat was a raised enough bump that I worried I would fall.

“I often observe the absurdity of dreams, but never dream of the absurdity of my waking thoughts.” 
As I sat under a large maple at the Chesterfield Fire Department I reflected up the Leviathan climb:

It was solitary and it was nasty and it was brutish; but, alas, it was not short.

Bellows Falls, VT

Thinking Thucydides on Tyson Road

Many of the lessons of Leviathan that could be teased out of Leviathan had been learned.  Sadly not many of them could have been implemented by this time. 

Exhausted and weakened and now left with but one goal, finishing.

Yet, with no Hobbes to help, I was left only with Thucydides: "strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."

Weak and humbled I climbed to the top of 5 miles of Tyson Road, just to make a turn and see MORE CLIMBING to the top of Tyson Road.  And then after charging up that with my last ounce of strength, I made a turn to find yet one last climb to finally top out five mile hill 1000 foot hill of Tyson Road (at more like 6 miles and 1100 feet of climbing).

The last section was just suffering what I must. I sat down and pushed what I could and thought: my "swaying bodies reflected the agitation of my mind, and I suffered the worst agony of all, ever just within the reach of safety or just on the point of destruction."

Okemo, VT

After Tyson, it was fast and easy (except for the slight climb to the finish).  Brian met me at the finish and we headed to BBQ and Sam Adams IPAs with the boys.

Dave, Brian, Rory, Patrick and I stand around Joe

Rory won second in his age group
Patrick took third in his.

Train Gang: North to New Hampshire Century (5/20/18)

Train Gang:
Andy, me, Gavin and Ben

Ride: North to New Hampshire
Distance: 100 Miles
Route: Wakefield Depot -> Harold Parker Depot -> New Hampshire -> Newburyport -> Ipswich -> Wakefield
Moving Time: 6:28:56
Elapsed Time: 7:25:25

The Charles River Wheelmen offered a new option for their Spring Century - North to New Hampshire - Ride.  The ride director and the sweeper met us at the Wakefield Depot for the check in that normally happens at the high school.  Four of us: Andy, Gavin, Ben and I then rode off with the sweeper onto the ride.  Gavin and Ben were going to do the Metric Century, while Andy and I were going to hit the hundo.  By the time we got to the Imperial Century/Metric Century split, Gavin and Ben changed their mind.  They rode with us through the whole hundred. 

North to New Hampshire Route

While I based this on the words of Sam Cooke, I had the Ladysmith Black Mambazo version in my head.

Wakefield Depot

I hear someone saying

Oh don't you know 

That's the sound of the folks

Riding in the Train Ga-ang

That's the sound of the folks 

Riding in the Train Gang.

Harold Parker State Forest

All day long they ride so hard, 

til the sun is going down

Spinning on the highways and byways

Turning those frowns upside down

You hear as the buffaloes bray

Then you hear somebody say

Riding selfie with the rest of the Train Gang in tow

That's the sound of the folks

Riding in the Train Ga-ang

That's the sound of the folks 

Riding in the Train Gang.

New Hampshire Roads

Can't you hear them singing:

We're riding along all of these ways

Heading back toward Massachusetts Bay

With water so clear

But meanwhile we gotta ride here.

Merrimack River

That's the sound of the folks

Riding in the Train Ga-ang

That's the sound of the folks 

Riding in the Train Gang.

All our bikes on the train heading back to Boston

All day long they're singing, mmm (Hoh! Ah!)

My ride is so hard

Give me water

I'm thirsty, my ride is so hard

Woah ooo

My ride is so hard

It was my first hundred of the season.  Great to finally get onto the road and be prepared for the rest of the cycling season - 3 weeks til B2VT!

Downeast Brew-Vay: Portland Express 200km (6/17/17)

Kennebunk Bicycle Company

TOP TRIP
Ride: Portland Express 200k

Location: Woburn, MA -> Portland, ME

Distance: 128 miles
Time: 10:36 (PR!!)
Pivo Index: 6

I awoke at 0 Dark 30 at the Woburn Holiday Inn Express.  I could already hear the hustle and bustle in the halls as riders prepped for the day ahead.  After Pop-Tarts and two k-cups of Green Mountain Coffee, I stumbled my way out the door and into the hotel parking lot.

The 42 people registered for the ride got our cue sheets and brevet cards. Right before 4:00 am, we got our safety briefing. 7 of us were doing the 200 km from Boston to Portland; the other 35 were riding Boston to Portland to Boston (400 km).  

We rolled out of the parking lot and toward the Pine Tree State a little after 4.  It's always darkest before the dawn (is it?), so I stayed back as the laterne rouge through out the first 2 hours, just getting my bearings.  

Not a Monet,
The morning light with condensation on my lens 

Clipped-In in the Clipper City

Last year I had attempted this ride.  But the night before I had bent my rear rim in the rain in Winchester riding to the hotel. I ended up abandoning my ride at the Newburyport train station - only 30 miles in.

Oddly, that wasn't the first time I had done something like this.  In 2013, Corey and I were riding the CRW Spring Century and I hit a Grand Canyon sized pothole at about 25mph - popping both tires and bending the front rim.  Corey and I bailed from the ride at the Newburyport train station.

This year, when we hit the Newburyport train station, it was a double milestone.

First, I made it a quarter of the way through the ride without a major problem; and,

Second, it was now my longest ride "clipped in."  For many years I have cycled with flat pedals. This year with a half ironman on the horizon, I finally followed the years of advice from almost every cyclist I've ever talked to and got clip-in pedals and shoes for my road bike.  I followed that up weeks later with one side clip in, one side flat for my touring/commuter.  The Portland 200km would be my first attempt at a long ride with clip in pedals.

Now as I made the left onto the Clipper City trail, I left both the possibility of a Commuter Rail ride and the without clips ride behind.

Newburyport

Clipper City Trail, Newburyport

 Coasting New Hampshire

The first contrôle was the Dunkin Donuts in Salisbury - the last town in Massachusetts.  I wheeled into there at 6:35.  With some coffee and a sausage sandwich, I was ready to ride.

New Hampshire has 19 miles of coastline and we rode pretty much all of it.  It was still cool and the only people out were surfers and those walking their dogs.  From Seabrook to Portsmouth we got some great ocean views on flat easy roads.  It was a great way to enjoy that period where the legs were finally waking to the level the head had been for a few hours.

As we went into Portmouth, I briefly thought about hitting up the Portsmouth Brewery - then I remembered it was 8:00 am.

Arr... the Sea looked angry, New Hampshire

Entering Portsmouth

Bridge to Maine

The Maine Drag

Across the bridge into Kittery (apparently the "Maine's Oldest Town"), it's mile 57.  We rode west of the coast and into a flat bit of woods.  The sun began to peak out from the clouds and the road started to dry out a bit.  I caught myself cranking out some speed.  (Slow down, buddy; there's a whole lotta hockey left).

The second contrôle was mile 69 and the Nubble Light in York, ME.  I cruised out of there and around the north side of Cape Neddick - where we stayed for last year's Tour de Cure.  The temperature had climbed to a point where it was uncomfortably cool.  I didn't want to take off my long sleeve but I wanted to take off my long sleeve.  I would roll up the sleeves only to immediately be freezing.

Into the Woods

Nubble Light, York, ME

After slow going through brunch traffic in Ogunquit, the route headed back inland.  As we rolled our way into Wells and Kennebunk, I started getting deja vous.  I realized: these are the roads we battled the Zephyr last year!  I was back on the Tour de Cure route.  The winds were much calmer, however. In Wells at Mile 88, I stopped at a gas station to refuel water and gatorade before heading out to Kennebunk.

Create Routes or Search for a route from millions at MapMyRun

I stopped at the third contrôle at mile 97 - Kennebunk Bicycle Company - for merely a couple of minutes.  I knew I wanted to push onto Biddeford where I planned to stop at Banded Horn Brewery.

In the process, however, I teamed up with Luke.  He had to get something repaired at KBC and was now getting back on the road for the 400 km.  He and I had a good conversation discussing brevets through the next 10 miles.  I left him once we were in downtown Biddeford; as, I headed to Banded Horn for a mid ride flight:

Smokey and the Banded - Nice light IPA with a hint of smokiness;
Norweald Stout - big flavored chocolatey stout - highlight of the flight;
Veridian IPA - A good well-balanced IPA; and,
Greenwarden - Piney APA with spruce tips.

On my way out, one of the girls from Portland Pie Co awarded me a cookie for my Cookie Monster bike jersey.

Flight at Banded Horn

I might have spent 75 cents on Double Dragon...
Banded Horn

Ride Bike; Eat Cookie

From Biddeford I only had 20 miles left.  I realized I could probably PR the ride with some effort if I averaged 16 or 17 mph the rest of the way.  I figured even on tired legs, I could do that for 20 miles.

Right at Mile 117, however, I had to slow down.  The next 4 miles were the jewel of the ride. First was a mile down Rte, 9 and then 3 on the Eastern Trail within the Scarborough Marsh.  Between the salt water and the sea strand, the beauty of the marsh and the vibrant (not quite deep forest) greens were sights and smells that made the first 116 miles almost meaningless.

Scarborough Marsh

Scarborough Marsh

Once out of the Marsh, there was only 6 or so miles left to go.  At first, I was going to try to speed through the last section of suburban South Portland.  But, I realized I had done my maths wrong earlier and had plenty of time to get into Portland for a PR.  Additionally, 400 km riders were now coming toward me on their way back to Boston.  I gave them acknowledgement and, hopefully, encouragement.

Concern started to seep in after a few miles as I wasn't seeing Portland.  Then there was a left turn and WHAM! I'm on the Casco Bay Bridge.

After crossing the bridge and a quick climb out of the Fore River, I rode up to Ohno Cafe to complete the ride.  Boston to Portland!

Portland from the Casco Bay Bridge

Brevet Card

After signing and turning in my brevet card, I called Grant and headed over to Salvage BBQ for some brisket and a (maybe two) Mason's Liquid Rapture - a dangerously good and easy drinking Double IPA.

Mason's DIPA

Grant and I headed over to Thompson's Point.  To where they have moved the International Cryptozoology Museum and Bissell Brothers Brewing.

At Bissell Brothers I had the flagship The Substance, Lux Rye IPA and Nothing Gold (an incredibly delicious New England Double IPA)

Grant, messing with Sasquatch

Bissell Brothers

Kept forgetting to take pictures of full beers at Bissell

After Bissell, I headed over to the Amtrak to catch the Downeaster back to Boston.  (And 4 more miles of cycling from the North End to Central Square).

Moxie for the train.

Full Circle:
Downeaster in North Station

Derry and Ferry: Boston Prep 16 to Martha's Vineyard 20 (1/29-2/18/2017

Derry, Ferry and bears looking for berries.
Brendan, bear, me

A quick google mapping puts the distance from West Running Brook Middle School in Derry, NH to Oak Bluffs Elementary School on Martha's Vineyard at 119 miles (plus: there is a ferry involved).

However, I did it in 242 miles.

Derry's Boston Prep 16 Miler and the Martha's Vineyard 20 Miler are both world famous in New England as prep races for the Boston Marathon.  For me they bookended the last three weeks of training for the Malta Marathon.  I ran 19 out of 21 days for a total of 242 miles:

Hills of New Hampshire (1/29/17)
Race: Boston Prep 16 Miler
Location: Derry, NH
Goal Time: ???
Actual Time: 1:55:49

Crew before Derry:
Aharon, Kieran, Lisa, me, Seth, Shark Tank, Brendan, Urvi, Eva and Kari.

I had mild plans for this race.  But with both Derry and Martha's Vineyard so close to Malta, I chose to not "race" either.  I started out running with Brendan for the first few miles.  However, despite trying to keep the pace down, I was running too fast that early for him.  So, he convinced me to go on ahead around mile 3.

The next six miles I tried to race with the easiest part of Derry's "mildly challenging" course:

Mile 9, sees the first hard hill. steep and about two blocks long - blerg. I moved to the side and just shimmied the hill best I could.  Several people passed me and as we were to crest the hill one more woman went by.  The hill started down and I passed her right back.  I didn't think anything of it. However, she said something like: "Can't let a girl beat you, huh?"  I was a little taken aback. We are out here running 7 minute miles in a marathon training race.  Every race women beat me.  If its a local 5k: maybe 5 women.  If it's the Boston Marathon: maybe 500 women.  I tried to stay cool and deferential: "Nope, got my 225 lbs going downhill; you're just gonna pass me again on the big hill!"

At mile 10 and a half you hit the "big hill."  2 miles long and pretty relentless, Urvi called it "humbling."  Many (probably all) of the people I had passed since mile 9 and a half passed me up this hill - including the aforementioned woman.  My 7:05/mile average pace fell to 8 minutes/mile.

The course is mostly downhill from the top at 12.5 miles.  So I opened it back up to around 7min/miles.  The last half mile is a big sweeping turn around a horse farm (saw several sauntering across the fields.)  I realized that I was catching up with the woman from mile 9.  Some of me wanted to go chase her down and beat her.  Most of me didn't want to do anything stupid, like hurt myself trying to come in 65th place. Fortunately the conundrum was solved by a loose shoelace.  I thought for a minute, should I run and avoid the lace?  No.  don't hurt yourself 5 weeks out by stepping on a shoelace.  I tied my shoe and finished the last mile at a 7 minute pace.

Expedition Long Run (2/5/17)
Race: Super 5k
Goal Time: 20:00
Actual Time: 21:37
Placed: 2nd in Linebackers (after TomBWarrior was caught trying to win the division)

Urvi and I - with our low numbers thanks to Jim Rhoades - at Lowell Elks for Super 5k
(Sammy V. disguised as Gronk in the background)

Super Bowl Sunday rolled around and it was time for another long run.  I also was registered for Jim Rhodes' Super 5k.  Since that was in Lowell, I came up with a plan.

1) Run 1.8 miles from Central Sq to Porter Sq.
2) Take the commuter train from Porter to Concord
3) Run 16 miles from Concord Center out to Lowell via the Bruce Freeman Trail
4) Race the Super 5k

All of that happened.  Oddly, my 5k plan did not.  6:30/miles lasted for about 1/2 mile.  But got in 21 miles for the day!

And, Patriots won!

Pat Patriot and I after the game
photo by Andy M.

Snowy Long Run and Brunch (2/12/17)

Urvi was planning to run 13 miles with Lisa and Amie.  I was planning on running 18-20, then we'd all meet in Harvard Square for brunch.

Urvi stuck with her plan; I stuck with brunch.

Ferry Trips, non-growlers and 20 miles (2/18/17)
Race: Martha's Vineyard 20 Miler
Goal Time: 2:25:00
Actual Time: 2:28:19
Placed: 2nd Clydesdale; 4th age group

Nichole, Dennis, Victor, Brian T, Urvi, BLav, me, Bolt, C-A, Culla, Tim, Erin

I had a plan for this race.  I was going to do 8 miles easy at around 8 min/mi.  Then I was going to finish with 12 at marathon pace ~6:45/mi.

None of this happened.

I ran the first 5 with the "Yellow Wall": me, Tim, Erin, Nichole, Deb and Old Sean.

At mile 5, you turn back out onto the main coast road in Oak Bluffs.  That's when the wind strafed us. Deb had some argument about how long we'd be in the wind, etc.  But I wasn't listening to Deb about wind: "fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.” Deb, Sean and I took sail into the wind as Tim, Erin and Nichole took off in front of us.

After three miles, I caught a brief respite when Neil came out of nowhere to pass me.  I hung onto him through the worst of the wind and we caught up on life, etc.  After the relay area in Edgartown, we got a bit out of the wind and into the middle of the island.

Seth and Urvi

Around Mile 11, Deb with her workout for the race came by Neil and I.  I decided to get in some 7:05 miles with her. That didn't really happen but we did push it for about 5 miles.

Then the wheels came off.  From mile 16 to the end I just hung on, knowing that in 28-32 minutes, I would start tapering for Malta!

I came in under 2:30 - right behind Neil as he'd caught up and passed me.  I got inside to be informed that Kieran won!

TAPER TIME! En route back from the Vineyard
(There is now a ferry involved)