The Riv-AH!

2007 Grand Tree Series Race Day #2 - The Merrimack River 10 miler
It is interesting that anyone can wake up amazingly early if you *really* want to. Easier so in the winter and the reason involves 6-8 year olds playing hockey.
Once April is on the lead calendar page, getting up at with anything that starts with a FIVE just doesn't happen unless the FIVE is in the afternoon or something really unique is about to occur.
And so it is with the Merrimack River Trail 10 miler ~ AKA: The Riv-AH to utilize the local vernacular.
With everyone leaving for vacation except for me, there was nothing to do except go to this race or stay home and clean the house.
It took me a 100 minutes to Andover.
Last week was a bit of a bummer because I didn't break 3 hours (or the top 50) for the Northern Nipmuck. So, this week included only 2 shorter runs, both indoors and both shoeless - yes, running in socks-only on the FieldTurf fields back-and-forth. Not fast, not fancy but, by Friday, I felt refreshed and ready to go. This race is shorter and flatter and maybe I could do better.
The race gathering was pretty typical for a trail race. The giveway was the Start / Finish line which was actually a clothes line at one end of the parking lot between two trees that had a collection of previous Riv-AH race tees much like Tibetan Prayer Flags. Low tech.
And a pretty good turn out on the Saturday before the Boston Marathon. But, we have better weather.
I took a slight out and back on the course before the start (which I never really do). This actually told me things: 1) Wear shorts and not tights, 2) go with the fanny pack, 3) wear shades for sun and face protection, 4) you'll get muddy no matter how low the Merrimack River is this year.
The start had the whole field go from parking lot to a trail maybe 12 feet wide in the first 30 feet. I felt like having General Admission seating for a Who concert! But, it all worked out and by the first significant turn to go along the river 50 yards in, we were all in some version of a single track.
All in all, the first three miles is very traditional modern river park with a flat, dirt hiking trail except going under I-93. The embankment is made of large flat very slippery rocks with large drop offs on each edge. At least there was no visible glass or garbage.
The first 2 miles went by in 15-and-change and 3 went by at 24. All in all, a nice pace. Talked for a while to a man (Doug from Longmeadow) behind me. He warned me about a few landmarks and upcoming hills. Came in handy for the power-line hills at about 4 miles in. The hills weren't really long and weren't as steep as Soapstone's Killer Hill but the lead runner was coming back as we were going up the second part and that necessitated we get out of the way of the loonie as he went airborne past us. The rest of the way to the turn around was rolling, muddy and challenging (including a really good steep downhill with a creek crossing & subsequent fall. Back up and not losing more than a step was good but I did feel a good abrasion on my knee.
The turn around was a quick one at 42 minutes even.
The best part about out-and-backs is that you know what is coming up and have a tendancy to push a bit more because you know the conditions and the course. Even with some fatigue (and many ankle rollings over massively exposed tree roots), the power-line hills came and went with only limited power walking and the race for the last 4 miles was on.
The last 5 splits surpassed even my best hopes: 9:56 (including the powerlines and power hiking); 8:19; 8:27 7:31; 6:57. You gotta like any trail race which has a mile split that starts with a SIX and doesn't include your lifeless corpse sliding down an avalanche or rolling out of control down a scree.
The last half-mile or so was basically an all-out sprint by all the people within eyesight (except me as I had been going that hard just to catch up with them). The finish came mercifully in 1:23:39 for 10 miles and 87th out of 230.
Certainly a pace that I would have been happy with if I had been home training on road.
I got to stick around and chat with people after the race. A few more people recognized me by the boonie and I enjoyed talking with them about this race and the Grand Tree in general.
Interestingly enough, the one unifying topic seems to be the 7 Sisters - either you hate the course, or you've never done it before. Not too many people from this event who were *not* doing it this year.
And that is the next one for me to start preparing for.

Open Letter Time

Open letter to all friends, current and future members of ‘the Boonie-docks’,
I have only heard back from about 6 of you and I *know* that at least 39 of you have read this blog *at least* once.
Time now to drop me an email and let me know what you’re up to.
Today.
Newton’s Laws hold – a body in motion stays in motion. If you are sitting down, get moving. Anything. Break the inertia. Now. Not after the next television show. It is springtime whether or not the weather outside agrees.
Are you back to working out? Eating healthier? Both? Trying for a 10k road race this year? A trail race? A marathon? The MS Charity Walk? American Cancer Society Relay for Life Walk / Run? The six who have emailed me so far have these as goals. Awesome goals they are too!
Send me a story (and updates) as to why these are your goals and put your goals in writing. You’ll be at least 30% more effective the minute you write then and assign your name to those goals. If you want so serious commitment to change your life, allow me to post your story and name up here on the blog and when you have your moments of weakness, ping this page 24-7 and it can act like an anchor and bring you back.
You may also find support in numbers from others on this page.
Then we can all follow your achievements and set-backs (however temporary) as you set forth to accomplish them.
Don’t wait until tomorrow to do this ~ set your goals and act upon them TODAY.
Although he said it about running, Pre said it well for any activity that we can do. "You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement. "
Be good.
Crazy Paul

tough day to be a hero

2007 Grand Tree Series Race Day #1 - The Northen Nipmuck 16 miler
There were so many things that had me concerned about today. The weather wasn't ideal ~ too cold, too windy. My heel is dealing with a bit of bursitis. I know the treatment but hey ~ it still hurts coming down hills. No one ever claims that they've put in enough trail miles this early in the season. Certainly not me. The road is *never* the same as a trail. You don't really have to lift your feet on the road.
So, I awoke with a feeling that I should just stay at home.
I got in the car and drove off anyway. I like proving myself wrong.
My car's thermometer read 24ºF. But, it was a sunny 24ºF.
I barely got a parking spot because so many people were already there (45 minutes before the race). Curious to see how many people entered. I got out of my VUE to register and was hit with a blast of something straight from Chicoutimi, Quebec. Not a good way to be thinking heading to the starting line.
The start does what most trail starts do ~ gains elevation...quickly. Up hill for about 9 minutes. Areas that normally have dried out by now with the dry spring winds were soppy. So, with the clumping of the packs in the first 2 miles or so, no one gets to see or plan their footfalls and the shoes get soaked and mud packed before the first mile. Areas that are normally swampy or are ponds were still frozen for the most part too. I saw a guy in my early pack try to take an alternative to a log bridge. He sunk in all the way up his leg to his shorts (yes, he was wearing shorts) in a weak spot in the ice. It also meant that we could run over one of the larger swampy areas (frozen stiff) instead of running around it. That actually slowed us down more than anything because running across a 20-yard sheet of ice is not exactly easy.
This was more technical running than the same course last year so I knew it would be slower going. There was no foliage on the plants to see the branches, thorn bushes and new shoots, but plenty covering the rocks & roots on the ground because it didn't decay over the winter snow pack (non existent). As such, I took a bad hit to my right thigh on a thorn bush (cuts through the tights), a solid branch to the left quad (nice bruise) and a thin shoot whipped me in my right eye making it water for a long while. I never saw it. Ever try to see sharp rocks with a watery eye while you're running?
The first quarter went well at exactly 40 minutes, but in the second quarter, the technical running caught up with me. Coming down a very sharp hill turning half way down, I simply did not see the root (or rock or whatever). Tuck & roll or Superman dive was the only question as there was no way to stay on my feet. I chose Superman (good choice) and have the forearm bruises to prove it. The turn around came at 1:28 which was 3 minutes off of last year so not unhappy, but knew that the sub 3 hour finish was highly in doubt.
On the way back, some leg tightness and fatigue which I addressed with some electrolyte, more water and a Snickers bar. I figured I downed about 2 liters of water during this course. Didn't cramp too badly this year and actually did a faster final quarter this year than 2006, so I guess that I have something to look on the positive about. There was plenty of dried salts on my face even in the 30º-ish weather.
Final: 3:11:30 (my watch). That works out to 11:58 / mile. I had wanted to break 3 hours for this race as I did a 3:03 in 2006, but it just didn't happen.
It was just a tough day to be a hero.
Sometimes just getting up, showing up and surviving has to be enough.
Here is an article from a Nashua newspaper: here

'twas the night before Christmas?

On the night before Christmas, all the little children can't sleep and adults wondering if it will snow the next day.
Well, since we didn't get snow for Chrismas (we didn't get snow until well into January), *of course* it would have to visit us IN APRIL when we should all instead be outside brazenly showing all our pasty white and hairy extremities in balmy 60º or 70º F weather instead of desperately looking for our polarfleece mittens!
The late night forecast for race time now shows a toasty-warm 7am temp of 25º F with snow coming in....just about race time.
So, it is I who cannot sleep and my kids who are dreaming of snow.
Packing for race day for an over-preparer, boy-scout-ish, anal-retentive ATC is bad enough when it is two pair of shorts, socks and two hydrophobic (?) tees. My poor cute-ute is almost at the point where the snow shoes are going in!
Race night preparations. It started at 6pm and at 11pm, I am still going strong. Packing extra calories to keep my body temp higher - gummi bears, two GU, granola bar, electrolyte mix for fluid, Snickers bar, 2 liters of water (keeping it warm as it will chill fast enough out there), toilet paper, ziplock bags, medical insurance card, road ID.
Then there is the clothing choices I'll make at the start: extra tights, turtlenecks, sphere tights, Therma-FIT, Smart Wool socks, DriFIT undies, trail shoes (2 pair), regular sneakers that'll stay softer, extra laces, emergency whistle. Ugh!
I'll make some trail head decisions as to what goes and what stays. As I am only bringing my very small hydration bladder, most of this will stay in the VUE. See where the ch'i leads once I get there. Isn't that the way?
I'll try to post event results when I get home so y'all down south can enjoy the insanity of us northern folk.

blog, blog, blog

Welcome to the NoMagicBean blog.
You've obviously arrived here as a FOP (friend of Paul) or as a trail running loonie. Either way, welcome home.
Thanks to Lotto ~ the west coast king of the tri ~ for the suggestion of doing this season's race updates and client updates as a blog rather than fight the .html updating of my webpage all of the time. See Lotto's blog at davelatourette.blogspot.com.
Got a comment or an achievement? ping me an email. Same goes with pictures. I *am* an old fart, so remember that I did not grow up with a PC and all of this is new.

This blog starts out right at the right time. The first race of the new season is upon us and the countdown begins. We're HOURS away from the first start.
The 2007 craziness begins this Saturday April 7th at the lost outpost of Bigelow Hollow State Park (a far cry from Mrs. Winkie's Orphanage) - where they often find the corpses of lost hikers after the winter snowpack melts. From there, you head even farther into the woods over hill and dale until you meet the first real road 8 miles away. OK, so there is a dirt road about 4 miles in where a car becomes the de-factor rest stop with soda, chips, pretzels etc. But before and after that? You're on your own.
The 2006 event brought temps in the 70's and an arid environment. This year's forecast is for a cold (35ºF?), biting rain. BUT, hey...all hope is not lost - we may also get snow! :-).
With any luck, I'll drop an update at some point this weekend and let you know how it all comes out. I welcome any crazies to join me for some good chat along the course and pre-event / post-event happiness.