Sunday Circuit

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The idea came to me while I was reading up on the stages of the Tour California this year. What if I mapped out a 5 mile loop with a big hill and a sprint?

Well, I did it.

I took five laps of it this Sunday. Definitely going into the repertoire.

2WS: Two Win Saturday (5/14/11)

Win# 1

Event: Playworks 5k Run for Recess

Location: Franklin Park, MA

Goal Time: 21:30

Real Time: 21:19 (5K PR!, 1^st in Age Group!)

I had stuck with the leading group (less two guys way off the front) for the first mile. I looked down at my watch – 6:15. Well, there is no way I can keep this up. Fortunately, I noticed everyone else in the group was settling into a slower pace as well.

As I sat in the back of the group, I kept my eyes on Evan. My plan became to follow Evan and then on the last turn out sprint him to the line.

The Second loop is dominated by the Bear Cage Hill. The short steep at about the halfway point of the 5K usually breaks the contenders from the pretenders. While I was able to survive the hill with the contenders – I knew I felt like a pretender as I summited and ran to the LEFT.

Loop Three is all about the Wilderness. While most of the course runs in the shadow of White Stadium or within sight of Playstead, the Wilderness is a quick half mile loop into “wilderness” of Franklin Park. The group slowly stretched out at this point. The leaders of my group were able to pick it up and in the back we hung on. As I looked back, there were no runners in sight. I tried to pass the guy I had been following since the Bear Cage, but he sped up to keep me from passing. Fine, you run in the lead!

We came out of the Wilderness and made our way up the embankment that looks over Playstead. One of the guys who had been out in front was now stopped. As we passed him, I kept my eye on Evan who was still tantalizingly right in front of me.

We descended into the fields proper and across the grass adjacent to the discus pit (?). Around the first backstop, I kept with the acceleration. We ran back through the crowd, high-fiving Playworks students as we went. Finally, was the last turn at far backstop right in front of the zoo. This is where I was going to outsprint Evan; I didn’t have it.

I cruised in still at the back of the lead pack. 21:19; 14 second PR; 1^st in the 35 and over age group; and, a good bit ahead of the next group – which included the female winner. (Unfortunately, Evan still beat me by 11 seconds – bastard!)

Next, was a ride over to Doyle’s in JP for a couple of beers and some chicken fingers before I rode out to Woburn for my soccer game.

Win #2

Event: Opening Day of 11s Soccer

Location: Altavista Field, Woburn, MA

Final: 3-nil

Take one part good goal keeping and defense; add to that good opportunity seeking offense; put on a touch of a role player who can stand in the way well (me) and you probably are going to win.

We did: 3-nil!

Open Season on My Abilities: Sudbury Spring Sprint (5/8/11)

Race: Sudbury Spring Sprint Triathlon

Location: Sudbury, MA

Distances: 400 yard pool Swim/ 7 mile Bike / 2.3 mile Run

Goal Time: 50:00

Actual Time: 50:31 (Course PR by two minutes)

Rule Number one to going to a triathlon: if you have a dog that likes to charge at cyclists – DON’T BRING IT!

Last year we spent the entire wait time packed into the pool’s hallways. Fortunately it was 20 degrees warmer this year. This allowed us waiting for our turn to actually wait outside watching the race. This made the two hours fly by as each athlete went into the pool every ten seconds.

It also allowed me to see perhaps the rudest race spectator since Neil Horan (the priest who tackled Vanderlei Lima in the Olympic Marathon seven years ago). One woman brought a dog on a leash. However, it became obvious that this dog likes to charge at cyclists, since ever single bike that went by she had to restrain her dog from jumping out onto the road. On an open course cyclists have enough to worry about – cars, passing slower riders, potholes founded in winter’s frost heave. But this woman added an extra element of danger. Every time a cyclist went by this dog would lunge at the cyclist. She held it back every time, but it still required the rider to swerve left – into possible traffic.

SWIM – 400 yds

At around 9:30 I was lined up and ready to hop in the pool. I just kept rattling off the two things in my mind

1. Don’t take the first two laps too fast; and,
2. Start out in with aerobic swimming.

Strangely enough I did get the first one right. I took laps one and two at a good pace. However, by lap three I was swimming a bit too fast as there was a woman I wanted to pass. As I got to the end of lap three, she stopped to allow me to pass. While this was very nice, it put me in a bad spot. Now I can’t have this woman pass ME. It would seem rude to force the woman to pass me when she had been nice enough to stop and allow me to pass. This left me with never catching my breath until the last lap. At the last lap I hopped from the pool and out the door. I glanced at my watch as I entered transition – 9:05, 15 seconds better than last year.

Transition was fast, I threw on my shirt and put on my shoes (definitely need the elastic laces for next race). Hobbling out of the transition area I made my way to the bike start.

BIKE – 7 miles

I struggled to get properly on the bike as I entered traffic onto Fairbank Road. Between my wobbly legs and the wet swimsuit that had me sliding about the saddle, I could not manage to my feet into the pedals. Within a quarter mile I had my feet in the pedals and within a half I had gathered my breath from the swim.

The bike course is two 3.5 mile laps. Basically it’s a couple of small hills and one small-medium one on the back stretch. As usual, I spent the whole bike loop passing people. I actually lost a little time while I was stuck behind a slower rider and cars were passing on the left.

Fortunately, the biker hating dog had been removed from the course!

I turned back into the transition area from the second loop and looked at the time – 34:25 or so. (I assumed I’d get a split later, but the computer didn’t register me.) So it was a 25:20 bike split, 2 minutes faster than last year.

RUN – 2.3 miles

The run is an easy run through the backroads of the neighborhood around the Atkinson pool. It is flat and fast! That is of course if you can get out of the transition area. There were five or six cyclists who were starting their ride and having problems mounting their bikes as I was trying to start my run. I had to run outside of the cones briefly – to the chagrin of the guy with the megaphone.

While I tried to maintain a steady good pace, when I made the turn for home I realized I had blown it. My legs too easily accelerated. As I finished, I realized I had not left everything on the field. Well, maybe next time.

Rails to Trails to Rails to Trails (4/30/11)

Trip: Cambridge to Lowell

Distance: 60 Miles

Trails: Minuteman Trail and Bruce Freeman Trail

It was a beautiful Saturday and I decided to take a truncated version of my 92 mile Rails-to-Trails to Rails-to-Trails ride. Instead of heading all the way out to the New Hampshire line and taking the Nashua River Trail, I took the Bruce Freeman from Westford to Lowell.

Out and back on the 55 degree morning in four hours and in time for Picante for lunch.

Trials, Trails, wrong Turns and Turkeys: Blue Hills Trail Races (4/10/11)

Trials

Its 13 miles to Milton, we have a full tank of gas and full cup of coffee - HIT IT!

I definitely cut this one to the last minute. After hanging with Glenn and watching yesterday's Spurs-Stokke game with him for far too long - I had one hour 15 to get to Milton. I took Ajax Telemon and hurried down Mass Ave. My normal ride out to Milton would be down the Orange Line trail to Forest Hills and then thru Franklin Park. But when I got to Jackson Square I realized that was dumb since I can just ride the mile through Egglston and get to Franklin Park. Sure enough cut off a mile!

Made it in just enough time to get my number and stretch a bit. (better than the National Marathon.)


Trails
Race: Blue Hills Trail Races, Fox Trot 10 Miler
Location: Blue Hills, Milton
Goal Time: 1:30:00
Actual Time: 1:32:something

Last year I ran this exact same race. This year, however, I put this on the C level race. Sandwiched the weekend between the Dighton Rock 200K and the Voluntown 300K, I just wanted to get a workout. I figured 9 minute miles would be cool. They would have been!

Despite not living up to my own half hearted expectations, the race once again did. The Colonial Road Runners and their volunteers make these two races fantastic. (There is a concurrent 3 miler too - the "Bunny Hop"). They manage to make it both well organized AND low key.

I might do this one every year - regardless of fitness.


Wrong turns

En route back from the race, I rode straight up Blue Hill Ave to Franklin Park. I took a right only to ride RIGHT INTO the Doyles 5 mile race. I saw quite a few SRRs who were looking like they were running well - including Sarah who was one of the ones I'd seen yesterday on the Minuteman! (She probably thinks I'm stalking her runs now). Aaron Beer had a PR at Doyle's.



Turkeys

Saw an entire rafter of turkeys (I swear a flock of turkeys is a "rafter" - look it up; I had to).

The 2nd Annual Where the Hell Have You Been All Winter Ride (4/9/11)

Factory at the end of the Blue Heron Trail

Ride: Charles-Minuteman (West) Course
Distance: 53 Miles

It was the first beautiful Spring day of the year: perfect weather and a Saturday.

Thursday, I discovered a new trail. "Discovered" in the Columbian use of the term, that is. There were hundreds of people already using it, but I discovered it. The Great Blue Heron Trail runs from Watertown Square out to the Moody Street Dam in Waltham.

So, this morning when I worried whether I had the energy for the Cape Ann Lighthouse Arrow I planned, I decided to do my Charles Minuteman Ride that passes within 3 miles of my house three times.

From Central I headed all the way to the Moody Street Dam. The trail has boardwalk, asphalt, crushed gravel and dirt. It heads through the wooded Charles River Reservation. It is an absolutely gorgeous course.

Upper Charles East

After a jaunt around Fresh Pond and up and down the Minuteman (where I saw four SRR's on runs), I rode into town on the Boston side of the River. Oh my god, Where have all these people been this winter? I might prefer the river without people. By Mass Ave, I gave up and rode home.

Bloodied Black and Brevet: Dighton Rock 200Km Brevet (4/2/11)

Steve, me and Chuck after 11 hours on the road

Event: Dighton Rock 200km Brevet (124.7 Miles)
Location: Bedford, MA (Western and Southern Exurbs, Borderlands State Park, Dighton Rock State Park)
Goal Time: 11:30:00
Actual Time 11:00:00 (PR for 200km)

Okay, so it’s not an impressive PR: it was not as hilly as New England Randonneur’s usual 200km; and, I have a better bike this year. However, considering I didn’t train for it at all – it was fantastic.

Brevet is basically a timed bike ride. It lays somewhere between an average person doing a half-marathon and a cycling century. And, in order for it to “count” you have to do it in a specified amount of time. The 200Km’s time limit is 13½ hours.

By 5:45, I was on the road from Central Square heading the 14 miles to Hanscom Field. I would guess around 35 or so riders started the ride at 7:00 am.

I was still waking up when I had the drama of the ride. Under pressure going up a hill in Lincoln – TWANG!!! – my chain fell off. Crap! It’s not there. Unnngh, my chain BROKE!

Fortunately for me, the two people I was riding near – Steve and Chuck – were prepared. They had tools pieces and know-how. It was great to get rid of the drama that early!

After we had gone through Natick and Sherborne, we rode down a small bumpy road near the Easton, Sharon Town Line. As I swerved to avoid an archipelago of potholes, I tipped a bit of mud that made Ajax Telmon feel like it was on ice and WHAM! I was down on the ground!

My leg got trapped in the frame as I went down and there was a punch to my calf muscle. I got up stumbling around and trying to walk it out as my left hand bled through its road rash. Fortunately again Steve and Chuck were there to assist.

We were only 3 miles or so until the next controle (checkpoint) at Borderlands State Park. So, I figured I might as well at least ride to there. The problem was the 30-degree angle that my handlebars were at. I had to face toward the curb in order to keep the bike going straight!

My hand the next day

My leg a few days later

Controle 1 - Borderlands State Park

Within 10 minutes we were at the first control. Almost instantly I had some small tools and I had fixed both the handlebars and the break/shifters. In fact, it was so fast – I forgot to take a picture of Ajax Telemon broken.

We had a brief respite at Borderlands before the short jaunt to controle #2 – Dighton Rock State Park.

The course was almost an out and back. So after Dighton Rock, it was a turn-around. We stopped at Pizza Market in Taunton where I had a meatball sub for lunch.

The remainder of the ride was uneventful. By mile 100, I was pretty shot and got back to Hanscome on desire alone.

We pulled in right at 18:00 – making it exactly 11 hours. This beat my last year’s best by one hour and eight minutes.


After a rest at the finish, I was able to pull myself together to ride home over the Minuteman Trail and pull into Central Square and a chicken shawarma platter - 153 Miles on the day!