trying to get back in the saddle

Plenty of reasons why ('Life" being #1 on the list), but this trail season has not quite gotten the start this year that last year had. The full list could be a full blog report on its own.

Truth be told, I wasn't all that happy with how Oxford Dam went last August. The training after that was stale and although not slow by most standards, was showing small signs of over-training. That is why the last 3 miles at Oxford were so difficult.

Then, a challenge was presented (and I *love* challenges): to coach a Bantam Ice Hockey Team.

A long season it was, but it showed me where some joys in my life had been hiding. My blog on that season is chronicled at http://hockeyedge.blogspot.com.
By the time hockey had ended, the winter was done, my trail pre-season didn't exist and I needed some emotional time off.

Getting started again with the simple mileage has been far too challenging for something I really love.

I have run less than a half-dozen times since October. This includes not being able to do the full Soapstone 24K this past May 20th (not enough fitness base), but being able to run the 6K instead (and being more than a bit sore afterwards.
Then, I saw this from the good people at nuun.

UltraRunning from Matt Hart on Vimeo.

forget just givin' chills, I saw that...laced up and went for a 26 minute burst run faster than anything I have done since last August.

Let's hope that this starts a trend...

something to perk my day

An encouraging article from the BBC News Service.
"Running can slow the ageing (sic) process"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7554293.stm
People that stay active (in the study, runners were chosen) have a longer life and a higher quality of life.
Plus, onset of illness or limitations when they occur, occur later in life.
Basically, stay active.
I think I need a run later.

dam

When is 10.5 not 10.5?
When the race app says “more than 10 miles”
Today, I found out that 10.5 could mean as much as 11.3. It certainly felt like almost 11.5!
Not exactly what you want to hear when you can feel your fitness level falling faster than one of Wile E Coyote’s Acme anvils.
The Oxford Dam was one that came onto my radar last summer as well organized event with somewhat varied surfaces (including water) at a reasonable distance and good time of year.
Last year’s times for the people I run near showed a pretty moderate pace and good GT points.
Perfect.
The course starts on the Dam and heads into some great leaf coverage for simple rolling / hilly single track until about mile 3.5. Moderately technical – just enough to get you in trouble if you relax too much.
For some strange reason, I got the feeling like cramps were coming on as early as the 2 mile area (not good for an event labeled as ‘more than 10 miles’).
But, I was GU-ing it every 20 minutes and Nuun-ing it 8-10 ounces per mile. Was doing everything right. Almost taking in too much fluid maybe.
Then out onto some flatter single track into fields which seemed to absorb the heat way too easily and this was followed by the hill. The group I was with kept me on track for people were taking wrong turns all over the place. Coming back down the hill, I started to feel like I was fading. We hadn’t even hit the river yet.
More rolling single track and then a river crossing of about 25-30 feet and about 2.5 feet deep at its worst (I found that spot).
The water was moving, but not stupid fast.
Then, the twitches.
Man, I hate the twitches. Ominous.
Unfortunately, I obviously gave as much as I could give last Saturday at People’s and just didn’t do the little things to recover well this week. And it showed.
It is tough to go into an event not prepared – and internally faking it only gets you to the point of…
Cramps.
At that point, you really can’t fake it that you’re all that! (Sorry Dr. Jones) The lightning bolts from your calves to your arse kind of get in the way.
Traded walking and running and emptied fluid as I was able. More GU. Twitches held off until I decided to kick a few more ground things.
Serious bolts hit my hammies and calves around the water stop (supposedly 7.5, but there was a good 40 minutes of work after that).
What could you do? Run when you could and walk when you couldn’t run.
Seems like I wasn’t the only one out there with cramps today. Emails later that night let me know 3 people had the same kind of cramps – albeit later in the day.
I finished at 1:41 and change. Good for 72 GT points, which shocked me thinking I would be in the low 60’s. Lots of muscle damage running with cramps and a fair amount of flesh wounds on lower legs from rocks and upper legs from brambles.
Looking back, maybe without cramps a 1:35 could have been do-able?
Obviously, the training base and recovery were issues here.
One way to fix that…
when my legs work again

surrounded by People's

Peoples is one of my favorite weekends of the year...usually.
This year for a variety of reasons, i drove there 'alone'.
'Alone' is a very relative term in the Grand Tree because as soon as you get there, you run into 20 people to talk and joke with before the race.
Like last year, this morning was humid. But unlike last year, the sun was behind the clouds and the temp was in the low 70's at race time and not the upper 70's.
I had started the season with the outside thought that maybe I could break an hour here. I had dropped 6 minutes from 2006 to 2007 and neither had any assemblance of training. I was planning on utilizing the Assault for a good training event (here are enough hills there to train with).
BUT, the last few weeks at work, and with clients and with the Bantams have only allowed me to train TWICE since July 4th. Could I still do an hour? Would I at least beat my 2007 time?
One of my mini-objectives was to attack the first 2.5 miles of hills. That last hill *could not* be attacked IMHO, but up until then should be to reduce my overall time.
And I was better on climbs this year. Made up 90 seconds versus 2007 and even more over 2006.
It probably needed to be more.
Once at the top, I had trouble swallowing snot again. The guy I was running near seem to have a similar problem. His comment: "yeah, i recognized that sound". We talked and he gave me some good advice about it as he indeed seemed to have something very similar (right down the the same meds). He and I stayed within eyesight of each other the whole race.
Split 3 was bad. But then again, the third mile was pretty bad. 13:08 for one mile. that might be OK for the 7 sisters, but after a 9:30 and a 9:08, the sub hour was probably lost there.
But i didn't know it because i missed split for 4 and I had hoped to make up some serious time attacking the level and the downs hard this year.
By the time i got to 5 at 49:00, the goal of a sub hour was really over.
Not unless i sprouted wings.
And I would find out later that the winner would already be done by then (no kidding).
Coming down the wash-out hill right after 5, i deftly avoided all really dangerous footfalls, then psychologically relaxed right at the bottom.
B - I - G mistake.
I kicked a very solidly placed boulder with my left foot and fell to my right - head first - right at another boulder. for some reason, my right leg got out in front of me and saved me literally inches from face plant and i merely fell to the side of the second stone.
body parts all intact, but my right toe either compressed the heck out of the both MP and IP joints or snapped somewhere. As I type this, it is throbbing and quite painful.
Not good.
Even with the lighning bolts in my toe and the toe further abused by jamming it into the front of the shoe while running straight downhill, my legs started to twtich a bit at 6 and certainly had nothing extra to give on the final straightaway. I could not have done better today even though I wanted to.
Finished 1:04:38, which is about 40 seconds per mile slower than I had hoped for but is a PR for this course by over a minute. Once again, my training volume and intensity seems to be at fault.
Post race, most people went to the river and numbed various body parts. It was *awesome*.
I ended up sticking around enough that I won some Snicker's bars for being the next remaining 40-49 male who hadn't already won something nor had departed for home.
And 286 GT points left to pick up somewhere.

finally assaulted

For the last few years, the Soapstone Assault has hung out there as a tease – at the wrong time of summer if you work with camps, ideally placed right at the wrong time for mid summer illnesses, obligations etc.
Except this year.
I was told it is 5.4miler that seems like a bit more than a 10k. Basically, there are six approaches to the top of Soapstone Mountain in Somers, CT. The race app states 1800 feet of vertical climb and 1500 feet of vertical drop (one finishes at the top).
But, that seems like fun to me.
The start is based off of the Dipsea handicap system, so I got a 2:21 advantage – but there were plenty of very good runners who started out ahead of me. So, when my time came (some 20 minutes after Richard Busa), off I went to who knows what.
Going up the first hill, I caught one person I know one time group ahead of me (was I going out too fast?) and on the way down, I saw Matt Dawson strongly driving up.
Matt caught me almost at the top of the second climb, but my ‘downhill prowess’ kept me ahead of him…until we hit the bottom and he took off.
I saw him descending 3 and 4, but by the time I was going up #5 – he was finishing #6 (he finished in 50 & change – that is amazing).
I finally caught Richard Busa somewhere after 4, but it would seem false bravado to boast that it took one that long to catch a 78-year old.
Going up Quarry Hill (did we *really* just do that?!?!) my overall watch showed 54 minutes, could I complete #5, head down to the bottom and do Killer Hill in less than 6 minutes?
What descending Quarry didn’t take from me was quickly removed by the road to and the base of #6 Killer Hill ~ a 45 degree pitched climb for roughly 300 or so feet.
But, I kept the legs moving and ran up the fire tower in 1:01:16 – which should be a 58:55 time adjusted.
No Grand Tree points for this one and it doesn’t matter. A great challenging, but not insane event so close to home, plus early enough not to alter a whole day and getting to see some trail friends.
Next up – the social event of the summer – People’s Forest!

the stars align

when the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with mars ~
we’ve hit the age of aquarius here folks. I’ve been growing out much of my locks this summer in the hopes of changing the ch’i of staleness and headaches since Northfield.
Today, it seemed to work.
If not, at least I’ll be ready for the final scene of Hair.
In an effort to resolve this continual sinusitis, headaches and assorted respiratory system problems, I went to a EENT (who also happens to be a good friend) and the expected result was for an MRI of my entire head. I understood clearly what this meant (and I agreed) – let’s make sure that there are no growths or tumors in there.
And for the record, there are none.
The day after I got the results, I slept well for the first time in much more than a week.
BUT…
My septum looks worse that the pathway for the Olympic ski mogul course. It explains why my breathing is as tough as it is. There essentially is no straight part of this ‘should-be-straight’ item.
So, onward towards more trail races knowing whatever presents to me is not going to harm me further. Just suck it up and go with it. That I can deal with.

black bear mating season

as much as i enjoy the trail, life and work and my own aging body required me to back *way* off of training.
Like run twice since Northfield.
So, I did that.
and tried to catch up on work and life (both without success).
BUT we did get to catch up with most of our soccer friends at a great July 4th party.
and got in two good runs this week on some very humid days.
Skyline is Sunday and I just might do that.
Soapstone Assault is the weekend after and I think I finally will be able to do that...
finally!
getting back in the saddle doesn't seem that bad after some time away.
* * *
I did a bunch of reading recently. Including some work on the mating habits of black bears here. Apparently, their sex lives in Connecticut reach a peak around July 4th and therefore that is *not* a good time to be in the woods.
You see, mating often can last an extended period of time and with various partners. That's a lot of bear behinds that I don't want to run upon.
Which reminds me of a great quote from "A Walk In The Woods".
There appear to be several strategies for responding around different types of bears in different situations. Mr. Bryson felt that they should all be handled the same way. "The experts advise you not to run, but you may as well do something with the last 7 seconds of your life".
Well said.
I am still more afraid of seeing a catamount.