It was the incline feature. Really.

I need to get some long hill workouts in for Mt. W. Uphill training is also easy on the glutes. The problem of course is what goes up must come down, unless the up is on a treadmill. So yesterday, I broke down and payed $45 for a 4-month gym membership at USM. I did a short tempo run (16 minute tempo, 37 minutes total, 3.11 miles, 11.5% grade) on the treadmill. The horizontal rain had nothing to do with that decision. Really.

Fuck You Very Much

That is what I shouted to the weather gods as I started my lap around Back Cove at 4:30PM. In shorts. With my middle finger rigid and pointed at the sky. The run felt great. Rain, wind, and cold are invigorating.

FHS nordic rocks the town!

James and I just got back from Rangeley where we coached the FHS nordic girls to 3rd place and FHS boys to 2nd place in the State Class B nordic championship. Both results are really stunning because of the many ski powerhouses these kids had to compete against, including Yarmouth, Marranacook, Carribou, Cape Elizabeth, and Mt. Abram. Even more exciting, the boys won the Class B overall state championship (nordic + alpine. At both HS and college level, championships are nordic + alpine combined even though the teams are totally independent of each other). We were 11 points down to Yarmouth after the last Alpine event with only the classic race left. Our boys rocked the mountain, beating Yarmouth boys by 13 points and giving FHS the state title by 2 points! Yarmouth has won the overall title the last four years so this was huge. Even hugerer was the 6 firetruck escort through town, from the Gray Rd. Hannaford to the High School on Woodville Road, with all the kids hanging their heads out the windows and dancing to some Black Eyed Peas song on the bus' stereo system (which was really nice).