A Great Race: An Ras Mor (3/15/11)

Event – An Ras Mor (5K road race)
Location – Cambridge, MA
Goal Time – 21:32
Finish Time – 21:35

It is odd, BUT…

My best three 5K times were all set last year and they were all Cross-Country. Which to everybody else is completely irrational. The fact is I’ve never been “in shape” for a 5K on the road. This is why I have broken 22 minutes 3 times – all in Cross-Country and never on the road.

Well, that all finally changed on Sunday. I started out at an good pace just warming up my legs. Once we turned onto Mass Ave., I was ready to rumble. The first mile was at 7:02; the second at 14:01 – perfect.

As we passed the Central Square post office I started picking up a little bit of steam and then picking up a little bit of steam like I had “all pig iron.”

This turned out to be a wee bit too soon as I lost most of my sprint before the turn into the last 0.1 mile. But, I crossed the line at 21:35 (two seconds slower than my PR and one second slower than my second fastest.)

So it was my road PR, my first road 5K under 7min/miles and a good way to set my next 5K target – Jingle Bell Run in December – watch out!

3 sports makes it a triathlon, right? (3/5/11)

Took my new ride: Ajax Telemon (a Specialized Allez Composite), out for its first longish ride, stopping here and there for other activities.


Leg One – Bike 15 Miles (Cambridge to Milton)

I left the apartment at 11 en route to the Blue Hills. Down Mass Ave and then down the Orange Line trail to Forest Hills. I then cut through Franklin Park and met up with Blue Hill Ave. I fought through the mayhem that is Mattapan Square out to the Blue Hills.

At the Observatory Road, I rode up and down Great Blue (.9 miles at an average grade of 10%). At the bottom I locked the bike and took to the road on foot.

Leg Two – Run 5.4 Miles (Observatory Road)

I ran up and down the Observatory Road three times – getting in a hill workout. People do this all the time, and I always mean to do it. Well now I have and, in the words of Drill Sergeant Saunders, “Oh, What a Rush!”

Leg Three – Bike 22 Miles (Milton to Newton)

I drank down a full bottle of water and ate a Cliff Bar. Then I hopped onto the bike and went up and down Observatory Road one more time.

Then down Blue Hill back to Mattapan and rode down Cummings Highway into Roslindale. I caught the Emerald Necklace trail in Forest Hills and rode through the Arboretum and past Jamaica Pond before catching the Esplanade trail at BU.

As I got past Harvard, the thaw started to cause real problems. One guy coming my way told me to cross to the Cambridge side of the river because the Boston side was “hell.” I did so only to find the tunnel at the Eliot Bridge ankle deep in snowmelt.

After a dangerous crossing of Elliot Street, I was on Greenough heading toward Watertown Sq. Fits and starts and dumbass not remembering where the gym was lead me to cycling up and down Watertown Street looking for the gym.

Leg Four – 2 hours of Basketball (Newton)

37 miles of cycling and 5½ running had an effect on my basketball. Jumping and running the floor were far more difficult with those miles on my legs. I still got my boards and a couple of blocks. Won one: lost one.

Leg Five – Bike 7 Miles (Newton to Cambridge)

Tired and into a head wind, I fought my way back down the River, across Elliot Street, stopping for the Harvard Band as they made their way to the Princeton Game and eventually to Central Square.

I was asleep by 9; woke up in the morning for my last long run – 22 miles.

Oh SNOW! Winter Half on the Cape (2/27/11)

Event – Hyannis Half Marathon
Location – Hyannis, MA
Goal Time – 1:38:00
Finish Time – 1:41:52


My usual readers will be “shocked! shocked!” to find out that I went out to fast in this race.

For some reason I had gotten it into my head that I could actually do 13 miles at a 7 min/mile pace. God, I’m a moron sometimes. At around 4 miles, my body was telling me that 7 min/mile pace was impossible to keep up.

Then I reached what I’ve always termed the Horse Latitudes. Somewhere in the middle of the race the pure adrenaline from the starting line has worn off, yet the finish line is nowhere in sight. In a half marathon, I always find this at around mile 7. Two years ago, I hadn’t run six miles at once since sometime in college, yet today I’ve already expended massive amounts of energy and now still have 6 miles to go! But the sideways snow made it way worse.

People I had passed earlier were now passing me. Slowly I began to fade back and back and back and back. I was fighting and fighting to get to the 10 mile mark (for at that point, you have only a 5K left).

Yet, the 10 Mile mark did not rejuvenate me. Unnngh.. It wasn’t until later as I reached near the peak of the last big hill that I caught it. An older couple was watching us run by at the edge of their driveway and the guy behind me said: “Hell of a hill you got here.”

To which the gentleman responded: “I’ve been walking up this hill for 30 years, you can run up it once.”

The smile released something in me and I was able to carry myself to the end. While it wasn’t a PR, I did win the Clydesdales 211-225 division.

One race; one win this year!

Tino Pai,

Jesse…

Shoeing the Blues (1/25/11)

Gobble Gobble Gobblog: Four Miles on Thanksgiving Morning (11/25/10)

Race: Gobble Gobble Gobble 4 Miler
Goal Time: 28:00
Official Time: 31:24 (Actual Time – 30:15)

Thanksgiving morning. The chill is back. 4 Miles just is not long enough in this weather. By the time your legs are really warm – there’s half-a-mile left!

On the plus side, in my Deion Jersey I did high-step the finish line.

The Zenyatta Strategy - with a Twist: New England XC Championships (11/7/10)

Distance: 10K Cross Country
Goal 1 - Don't Come in Last
Goal 2 - 47:47
Actual Time - DNF

Well, seeing last years times I knew I would have problems hanging with the pack. And I did. My strategy had been to hang back, run slow and pick up speed at the end. At one mile in the back we ran 6:15 - not slow. But I was in last!

Then as we came out of the Bear Cage Hill, I stepped on a root and exploded my ankle. Now I was REALLY hanging back. By mile 3 I was pretty much toast; then I took a wrong turn in Albuquerque. Busted ankle on the wrong turn with no teammates to help the scoring for - I pulled out of the race.

It was probably my first DNF - ever.

Disaster!

Lost in the Woods on All Hallow's Eve (10/31/10)

It all started with a simple thing. I signed up for the USATF New England Cross Country Championships. On November 7th, there will be a 10K Cross Country race.

A few weeks later, Tim - my realist racing advisor (should probably talk to him BEFORE races more often) - and I were discussing the upcoming race. Tim informed me that not very many slow people would show up since it was a "championship" and it may have been a mistake for me to sign up.

Well, upon reading the fastest times from last year, I can say once again my realist racing advisor was correct and I am "stupid." Yeah, there are som fast people in this race.

I know what you are saying: "Okay jagoff, but how does this get you lost in the woods on All Hallow's Eve?"

Well, I figured if I did a training run that was harder than the one I am racing this weekend, then maybe I won't come in last at the Championships.

So, Sunday I hopped on the bike and went to the pool. After my swim, I rode north up to the Malden/Meffa line on East Border, locked my bike and went into the woods for a run. I was able to follow the Cross Fells trail and meet up with the Rock Circuit trail for what would be a total of about 6 miles. That is of course if you do not lose the Rock Circuit trail - if you do that you might be screwed!

I was running over the rocks and through the trails aimlessly (well, not "aimlessly" my aim was to find the rock cirucuit trail!, unsuccessfully). The sun tipped lower and lower and I became more desperate to get out of the woods.

Meanwhile, I found it hysterical that I was horribly lost in the woods, not in the 100 Mile Wilderness or Northern NH or anything but in Malden for Christ's Sakes.

Almost an hour later, I heard a road and trampled not down a path but straight through the bushes to emerge - "Crap, I'm over by Oak Grove!"

Well, its only a mile and a half to my bike.

Tino Pai!

Jesse...