tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33842329659081870482012-02-16T09:21:44.138-05:00The Way Running Should Be.middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.comBlogger2991100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-56816295017408482012-02-12T22:39:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:39:16.890-05:00

The Bradbury Whiteout, race #2 in the Bradbury Snow series, welcomed racers with cold temps, bright blue skies, and a gnarly mix of ice, hardpack, and powdah. The course was moved from the mountain side to the bike side of the park in order to find some snow stashes. While the conditions weren't quite what they were for the first race, at least we were racing on snowshoes, unlike many racers in

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-89391968115142791312012-02-05T22:08:00.002-05:002012-02-05T22:12:00.076-05:00

Last Spring I ran a 5K PR at the Mother's Day 5K and figured I'd have a long season of PRs given how little running I'd done before that. Indeed, I had already PRed at the Rivah 10 miler and a couple of weeks later I PRed at the Pineland 25K despite a run-stopping side-stitch. But the summer and especially fall races didn't pan out as expected, which really bothered me. How could my fastest

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-61499184812322309162012-01-23T17:51:00.003-05:002012-01-23T18:51:18.034-05:00

100m shy of the finish line and failing to chase down Andy and Chuck. Once a gap opens, it's damn hard to close it. Thanks to Maine Running Photos for this and other great photos. It was an awefully cold day to shoot pics! The Bradbury Squall, the first race of the Bradbury series, was a 3.5 miler on the Mountain side of Bradbury. After a snowless December and 1st half of January, we were

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-87356921239706571632011-12-11T22:07:00.001-05:002011-12-11T22:08:30.256-05:00

The 4th annual TMR end-of-the-season race was held at Thorncrag bird sanctuary and directed by Val, who marked out a sweet 1.4 mi loop with four segments: 1) steep climb on easily runnable singletrack2) a technicalish singletrack descent3) a longer climb with a couple very small walls that were run only because they were short4) a fun, extremely fast run-out on wide doubletrack I enjoyed the

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-26783589729757647522011-10-23T17:09:00.001-04:002011-10-23T17:38:34.610-04:00

Bond Brook is the new set of xc ski trails and singletrack mt. bike trails in Augusta. Overlay the east side of Bradbury on top of Pineland and multiply the elevation by 1.5 and voila! Bond Brook. This race was not on my radar until yesterday when I opted out of Mayor's Cup 5K for something closer. I'm not sure why as my weekly mileage is now half of what it was this summer and I haven't run more

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-81951447775948612312011-10-10T10:40:00.001-04:002011-10-10T11:03:08.406-04:00

Back in the spring, I asked Kevin Tilton about tapers and specifically mentioned Jim Johnson who races every weekend and I wondered what he could do if he, you know, tapered. Kevin thought tapers were overrated and mentioned that his best races were with little to no taper. I had heard this before from posters on the famous LRC message board but had discounted it as anecdotal evidence (which it

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-66322723275421151342011-09-26T16:54:00.000-04:002011-09-26T16:54:17.451-04:00

Ass hurts. Going out for a roller ski. Running downhill fast sucks.

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-44045568214835869432011-09-13T14:29:00.004-04:002011-09-13T21:37:25.269-04:00

This post is about solitaire, but it's related to my work so a little background on what I do. I'm essentially a computational biologist, that is, I study biological problems using computational methods. Computational methods are used when either 1) the scientist doesn't know math well enough to solve a problem analytically, or 2) the problem is too difficult or too long to solve analytically.

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-84535865361504164882011-09-05T10:04:00.003-04:002011-09-05T10:08:02.338-04:00

The evidence for what works in managing sports injuries is one of the more frustrating areas of health-related research that I've come across. During my MP run 16 days ago, I got a sudden calf pain that felt something like a cramp. At the time I didn't think it was a cramp because my gastrocnemius muscle (at least) wasn't obviously balled up. But maybe it was the deeper soleus. I assumed it was

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-23285694455208916972011-08-20T14:04:00.001-04:002011-08-24T15:00:54.943-04:00

Pop is not a good word for a runner. I have heard many people describe various achilles/calf injuries as occurring with a sudden "pop" and I never could understand that until now. No my achilles didn't rupture but while running up a climb on my MP run this morning my calf went pop and I suddenly was barely walking. I flagged a car and borrowed a cell phone to have Cacky pick me up. No injury has

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-59196785239378815852011-08-15T22:45:00.005-04:002011-08-15T22:55:53.959-04:00

Ever since my first Mt. Washington, I've been intrigued by the performance differences between running and walking steep climbs. Without diving into the research, I did my own experiment (non-randomized, two replicates that are confounded with year) using the summit trail of the Bradbury Mt. Breaker. First, here are my splits from 2010 and 2011. The 2010 splits come with an asterisk as I went

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-80424022148837161252011-08-12T14:31:00.006-04:002011-08-13T13:18:13.723-04:00

B2B 2010: 37:24 B2B 2011: 38:00 1/2 Empty: 1 minute short of my goal time at B2B based on MD5K 1/2 Full: Placed 180th (27th master) v. 193 (31st master) in 2010 1/2 Empty: Felt like crap by mile 3.5 1/2 Full: Finished race 1/2 Empty: Based on WAVA, should have been only 17s slower than 2010 because of age increase 1/2 Full: male runners over 35 y.o. and in top 400 who competed in 2010 and 2011

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-2870753590868569322011-06-26T21:05:00.001-04:002011-06-26T22:06:54.544-04:00

M 5.1 mi failed tempo on beach - 2 x 1 mile at 6:50/mi, St. Augustine beach T 7.1 mi road easy, St. Augustine beach (7:32/mi)W AM 5.3 mi failed road interval 4 X 800 (2:54 2:54 2:54 2:56) + 2 x 400 (1:29 1:30)     PM 4.8 mi road easy (7:21/mi) St. Augustine beachT 4.5 mi easy St. Augustine beach (7:26/mi)F AM 5.4 mi easy @ Back Cove (7:21/mi)    PM 6.2 mi, incl. 4 mi tempo (6:54/mi) @ Twin BrookS

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-55077478980255934232011-06-20T11:16:00.002-04:002011-06-20T21:46:46.878-04:00

Short sequel to "once a runner": Chapter 1. Too hot to runChapter 2. Too hot to runChapter 3. Too hot to runChapter 4. Too hot to runChapter 5. Running in Florida sux. I'm retirin' from milin' Life has brought us to Florida this week and the family is staying at my parent's house in St. Augustine Beach. I ran 8 1/4 miles last night along A1A starting a little after 9PM and it was still 88-90F!

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-22355865394484035922011-06-13T08:53:00.001-04:002011-06-13T08:55:59.244-04:00

Poor time-management skills on my part in combination with Cacky's birthday, my parents visit, and three functions related to Sam's HS graduation conspired to keep my away from the trails this week. The only upside is the Woodville/Field rd. loop is mostly dirt shoulder and cars are rare. Monday was a planned rest day. Wednesday was not. I almost missed thursday too but snuck out for a late night

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-72333837723117268882011-06-11T14:26:00.003-04:002011-06-11T22:15:56.307-04:00

I've been busy with my research and Cacky's birthday (she just turned 29!), Sam's graduation and have not had much patience for taking the time to trail run so I've resorted to three road runs over the past 6 days, which is more road running than I've done all spring. My goto road run includes the Woodville-Field Rd. loop, which has few cars, a beautiful dirt shoulder, magnificent farmland

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-41524481328365170552011-06-05T21:14:00.000-04:002011-06-05T21:14:11.818-04:00

Moved from Pineland phase (Daniel's tempo + hills + long run) to summer-of-malmo phase M 5.2 easy @ Pineland T AM 4.2 easy @ Back Cove w/ 10 strides; PM 7.7 easy @ TMR TNR W 7.9 @ Back Cove  w/ 4 X 800 @5K (2:50, 2:52, 2:52, 2:54) T 5.1 progression @ Back Cove F 9.4 easy @ Back Cove and East End hills S 6.1 easy @ Bond Brook (hilly!) S 11 w/ 4.5 mile tempo @ 30K pace Total mileage 56.5 May

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-37725545078184380932011-06-04T20:29:00.002-04:002011-06-04T20:33:59.837-04:00

I missed the Pineland run this morning because I wanted to be sure Son #1 had everything he needed today for his double header: 1) State Outdoor T&F meet in Augusta (he ran 4X8 and 800) and 2) Camden-Rockport HS prom. Cacky and I watched the FHS 4X8 team sail to second place with a really great run and we had about 4 hours until the solo 8 so we headed out to Bond Brook Recreation Area, which I

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-52081407427355253012011-05-29T22:49:00.004-04:002011-05-30T08:49:15.219-04:00

1st 5K: Fast The first 5K was rocket fast. Actually I thought the leaders went out quite conservatively. It was the chase pack of about 6 (what do you call the 2nd pack that has no chance of catching the lead pack?) that went out a little fast. My goal was 10s/mile faster than last years pace. Instead I was 15s/mile faster. I was in 10th or 11th place at the 5K marker. The only one in the pack

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-23452510391581099902011-05-26T19:37:00.000-04:002011-05-26T19:37:00.313-04:00

I've solved the mystery of my achilles pain last Friday. It raptured. No, not the whole tendon! Just it's soul. Clearly, the wonkiness that I felt Wednesday was my achilles' soul preparing to rapture its bonds from its corporeal host. The slight soreness on Thursday was the beginning of the rapture. And the pain during and after the run Friday late into the evening was the climax resulting in

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-64444545218010943902011-05-21T22:15:00.000-04:002011-05-21T22:15:12.963-04:00

Well it doesn't look good for Sunday's epic 25K battle amongst the cattle. I've managed to get achilles tendinosis and the progression has been rapid: wonky on wednesday, sore thursday, and painful friday. I will start x-training Monday, including pool runs, rowing, and roller skiing. I will probably try to do a little run late in the week for a last-minute test but I'll likely be conservative

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-41924028676432437512011-05-15T10:50:00.001-04:002011-05-15T21:54:09.144-04:00

This will be my peak week prior to Pineland. 61 miles and 3 workouts. All following the 5K on Sunday. Legs were tired through thursday but the recovery run on Friday did it's job. I realized that I don't put in enough race pace training runs before Pineland each spring and its kinda late now but I got one in today. M 6.4 easy @ twin brook (7:55/mi) T 8.7 tempo @ twin brook (6:38 6:40 6:30) -

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-13796332344972831752011-05-08T22:03:00.002-04:002011-05-09T07:08:11.184-04:00

Ran MD5K this morning and pulled off a PR by 8s (17:50). My last road 5K was the same race last year (17:58). I think I ran the race a little smarter than last year, which may account for the 8 extra seconds, but I'm hoping that it's actually better fitness. I guess time will tell. Most of the Dirigo guys were out for a training run and spectating and/or aged-up to M50-54 so I had what I think is

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-65237019027508542582011-05-01T11:14:00.000-04:002011-05-01T11:14:51.709-04:00

M Rest T 8.8 m tempo intervals @ TMR TNR, 2 x 2mi 7:24 6:53 6:29 6:53 W 8.6 m easy (7:32/m) @ Back Cove with 8x strides T 8.0 m hell repeats 3 x bitch (2:31 2:30 2:3x) + 5 x Skillins (2:59, 2:59, 3:00, 2:58, 2:55) F 6.3 m easy (7:22/m) @ Brook Rd. S 14 m easy long (8:24/m) @ Pineland (w/ 6 barefoot strides) S 8.6 easy (7:55/m) @ Pineland (2 x Oak Hill) Total Time: 7:18:26 Total Dist: 54.3 m No

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-65481620082945231782011-04-24T14:32:00.002-04:002011-04-24T14:33:51.332-04:00

I've decided to post my weekly training summary in compact format. Its largely for my use but will also be open for anyone else to check out. I enjoy the occasional scan of other runners weekly training summaries to see how they are training. And its a lot easier to get a quick review than going through daily reports. LRC has a nice marathon training thread that is full of these with discussion,

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-49892023431564106662011-04-18T23:23:00.005-04:002011-04-19T07:27:03.279-04:00

Photo courtesy of Steve Wolfe Notes: My goal going in was to run even 7:50s with an occasional faster mile just to add some fun. Distance Cumlative Split 5k 0:22:56 0:22:56 10k 0:46:54 0:23:58 15k 1:10:28 0:23:34 20k 1:33:51 0:23:23 25k 1:57:07 0:23:16 30k 2:20:49 0:23:42 35k 2:44:01 0:23:12 40k 3:06:38 0:22:37 Half 1:38:48 1:38:48 Finish 3:16:16 1:37:28 5K - Everyone is flying by me

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-68425817205476675532011-04-10T16:28:00.002-04:002011-04-10T19:05:47.166-04:00

You won't find this in a marathon training schedule: My ramp-up for Pineland training has transmogrified into a reverse taper for Boston. After today I've now got long runs of 16, 11, and 10 miles since October 1st! While everyone else is tapering, I'm just trying to get back into some kind of running fitness (which seems to be working well enough). My focus has been on hills including a short,

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-45018452680503132272011-04-09T17:12:00.001-04:002011-04-10T23:05:33.935-04:00

Absolutely. Perfect. Weather. Trail Monsters Four, Andy, Ian, Emma, Chuck, Don, and I crossed state lines for the season opening Merrimack River 10 mile trail race. This race really is a must do every year because the field is top notch and the race is old school cool. Don and I did a 2 -2.5 mile warm up and I noticed several overgrown sections of the trail with skin-piercing brush. I stopped to

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-79068081374830612042011-03-20T14:13:00.003-04:002011-03-21T08:39:58.290-04:00

Following my bad day at the Rangeley Loppet, I was a little depressed and decided to switch gears to running. I took a week off (mostly), skied the Carl Johnson on Saturday, snowshoe raced the Granite State Snowshoe Championship Sunday, and have focused on running this week, including a short, sweet hill climb Friday in Hope, ME. I skied the Sugarloaf Ski Marathon Saturday. So, lots to review!

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-74520597658208024172011-03-14T23:01:00.001-04:002011-03-15T13:49:27.785-04:00

I love ski racing! I still suck at it, though. Saturday was the third year in a row that I've skied 5K loops at Great Glen. Two years ago it was the Nordic 300, which was 5 hours (300 minutes) of skiing a 5K loop. That was my first introduction to severe dehydration. Last year and this, I skied the Carl Johnson Memorial Ski-a-thon to raise funds for ALS. The Carl Johnson is a

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-25171002873968640562011-03-08T16:59:00.001-05:002011-03-08T22:22:11.416-05:00

March is for ski racing and Team Blackstrap (neighbor John and I) kicked off the season with the Rangeley Loppet. Lots of other friends raced too. This is the fifth year I've skied and the fifth year I skied this race. I "toured" the first year because I was too chicken to register as a racer, then raced the 25K (2008), 50K (2009), 25K (2010), and now the 50K again. I was shamed into the 50K

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-40906812861195435252011-02-27T15:24:00.006-05:002011-02-27T16:44:06.024-05:00

Bradbury Blizzard Race Report Sweeeet race! Ryan and Ian have absolutely dialed in their race directing skillz. Killer terrain. Trail marking perfect. Excellent sponsorship. Tons of loaner shoes from Dion (thanks Ryan and Chris). Love the informal prizes. Some serious carrots to motivate racers to shoe-the-line and race all three events in the series (cool badass winter hats for all badasses;

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-51377206566446906542011-02-20T21:06:00.001-05:002011-02-20T21:07:26.319-05:00

Boston is out. Triffit nailed it: my heart isn't in to it. Last winter I had a blast racing ski marathons in March and I want to repeat that this spring but I want to be better prepared. Coaching de-fits me, because, paradoxically, I don't get much skiing in. So any extra time that I take from my work/family goes to getting in long ski workouts. My kilometerage is not as good as two winters ago,

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-14436427573635542742011-01-18T10:14:00.001-05:002011-01-18T10:46:26.412-05:00

Sunday was the 2nd time in 4 or so years that I opted to run instead of ski. I wanted to go out for a late afternoon ski at Pineland because I had snowshoe run in the morning with TMR at The Brad. But I was busy working on a research paper and it got late and it was easier to just lace up the running shoes than drive to Pineland. Summary: 10.7 mile fairly hilly road run. The goal was a

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-24395015018818072322011-01-01T20:17:00.000-05:002011-01-01T20:17:43.616-05:00

1. 5K Snowshoe run with the dogs 2. 19K easy skate ski with JB. Hot, hot, hot. Oak Hill was great. Campus loop not so much. 3. 4K backcountry ski on snomo trails with Hugh. Snow a little thin in spots for the big rocks on the downhill trail.

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-75668184999083702322010-12-20T09:32:00.005-05:002010-12-20T11:22:08.136-05:00

Well I fumbled the ball with Blackstrap Hell but Valerie scooped it up and scored a touchdown with the Till We Meet In Hell race. The format was simple - run around a 1.15 mile trail loop for 1:30. But the race was handicapped by race times from Bradbury. More on the handicap system later.The course was located adjacent to the USM-Gorham campus and featured a mix of cross country trail and single

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-18487439625115076092010-12-06T13:59:00.002-05:002010-12-06T14:02:15.629-05:00

Even though trail monsters don't stop when someone running in the group has to pull over and pee, you might be interested in my little experiment on the effects of stopping during your easy workout.

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-38367425295981700592010-11-26T19:27:00.003-05:002010-11-27T10:50:07.240-05:00

I've been rowing, and roller skiing, and hiking, and building trails, and even started running again this week. But mostly I've been resting and, after a long absence, contributing to my where's the beef blog.1. on why I got a metatarsal stress fracture2. a long and not very user-friendly (unless you like statistics) review of the most incompetent published paper that I've read.I also came across

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-70929811421652965852010-11-14T14:43:00.004-05:002010-11-14T16:39:55.269-05:00

No, but here is the long answer.At least as far as your health is concerned, there is no difference. Politically and economically they are very different so you can decide there.I'm posting this here because someone on letsrun.com innocently asked about the health of chocolate milk for recovery (which I think is a great source of carbs and protein) which quickly sunk into a HFCS bashing. Someone

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-70260952954847282012010-11-01T14:36:00.005-04:002010-11-01T15:53:52.520-04:00

Marathon Ascent (ft) Net (ft) Time MDF Baystate 430 -14 3:00:54 1.0051 Boston 578 -446 3:00:12 1.0012 Maine 947 -5 3:02:06 1.0117 Manchester City 1438 2 3:03:14 1.0181 MDI 1655 -7 3:03:52 1.0215 Sugarloaf 671 -567 3:00:07 1.0007 The above data are using my new

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-87859289748490705522010-10-30T10:55:00.016-04:002010-10-31T09:11:09.615-04:00

Chuck pointed me to Greg Maclin's site and it's excel calculator for predicting marathon times as a function of hills and turns. I've now wasted 1.5 days building my own calculator in R based on hills only. R is a statistical programming language and I cannot compile it to make a web applet. Sorry.Background info: Basically, every 0.05 miles, I compute a "pace adjuster coefficient" based on the

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-14568893032414009052010-10-21T15:03:00.005-04:002010-10-21T15:12:58.441-04:00

1. win Wolfe's Neck 5K2. win Pathfinder's 5K3. sub37 at Great Osprey 10K4. run in hell1. row on erg2. double pole on roller skis3. look for snow

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-92067217487603815092010-10-20T08:06:00.001-04:002010-10-20T08:06:55.525-04:00

The best laid schemes of mice and menGo often askew,And leave us nothing but grief and pain,For promised joy!

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-51501116106060608152010-10-17T14:08:00.006-04:002010-10-17T21:54:09.528-04:00

First, let me congratulate my running buddy Jamie Anderson for the BQ at the badass MDI marathon. Wooooohooooooooo! Sweet, we're going to Boston! I was very anxious last night and this morning and very glad that mad spectator Ryan was tweeting updates. I got the news at about the Freeport exits of I-295 (don't tell the state troopers!). Training has gone well this season and I'm in the mood to

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-16225725843191233062010-10-10T09:41:00.004-04:002010-10-10T13:22:21.789-04:00

Wow. Another stunning day to race. We've had a very hot summer/fall but have been extremely lucky on our race days. Twin Brook doesn't get any better than this.Given my marathon Sunday, I was unsure if I'd race. I took Monday-Thursday off and ran an easy 5 miles Friday. Marathon recovery went well. By Wednesday I had no soreness although I had calf soreness during my friday run. I had decided to

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-49031605969829741862010-10-04T16:08:00.007-04:002010-10-04T21:54:47.573-04:00

There. I've done it. It took me only 5 years of training!The race was almost perfectly executed. I placed myself upfront but started easy. I used 1/2 marathoners on the way out by running in their wake. They kept slowing down so I'd have to pick up the pace for 30-50 yards to quickly get to the next group. But then after the 1/2 turnaround it was just me. From the 1/2M turnaround (6.5 miles?) to

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-33328822451245069992010-10-03T15:01:00.001-04:002010-10-03T15:01:55.408-04:00

I'd have broken 3 : )

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-35096783714835023812010-09-27T11:22:00.003-04:002010-09-27T12:09:13.394-04:00

Humans look for signs to predict the future. We're pretty good at it, but far from perfect. Two contrasting signs emerged this weekend.1) My HR on the 7+ miles on the Oak Hill/Campus loops at Pineland was very low for my 7:49 pace. I had the static-induced HR spike during mile 2-3 but over the last 4.3 miles, which was net uphill, my pace was 7:43/mile and HR averaged 136.5 (77.6 MHR). Compare

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-70619987147892343052010-09-24T22:48:00.004-04:002010-09-24T22:59:00.402-04:00

I started my weekly Friday morning MP runs on Rt. 88 the week after Mt. W. way back in June. Today I blew it off. Instead I did a 2X Craig Cup at Twin Brook at my MP + 19s (with a 1/4 mile jog in between). I've looked at lots of people's road and Craig Cup 5Ks and about 20s/mi is a pretty good conversion so I was right on target. That course is fun to run at a brisk pace. So much more fun than

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-71533165603932065422010-09-21T15:07:00.007-04:002010-09-22T15:05:16.463-04:00

ante-script: I've made some corrections to my original post.My long run post sparked some spirited discussion and Danielle's comment raised the issue in my mind of: what is the optimal training for someone running 20 miles per week? or 30? or 40? I guess that depends if optimal is defined by general fitness, or not getting injured, or setting PRs (and if this, what distance race 5K or 100 miles?)

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-48586704396285343152010-09-20T12:27:00.011-04:002010-09-20T20:49:17.119-04:00

For the last few years, I've been under the impression that a 20+ mile long run was the key workout for marathon training. Indeed, I thought the 20+ mile long run to a marathoner was like Sunday church to a southern baptist; we'd rot in hell before missing it. But reading the Running Times article on the Hansons' marathon training turned me into a a long run atheist.The article (and many threads

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-33999184049376561072010-09-17T15:23:00.004-04:002010-09-17T15:42:28.380-04:00

One of my goals this summer has been to race through training - that is avoid tapering before and rest days after races. Maybe I'm tempting injury fate?Sunday - 12 mile trail race @ Bradbury BruiserM - 4 miles, Dan Cardillo+ loop, very easyT - 5.5 miles, TMR TNR @ TB, very easyW - 4 X 2 mi at MP - 10s, Back Cove. 11 miles total. Felt good.Th - 5 miles at Falmouth Community Park, very easyF - 10

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-91202004473886347402010-09-15T21:16:00.003-04:002010-09-15T21:44:33.755-04:00

A key feature in the final phase of marathon training seems to be twice-per-week marathon pace (MP) runs.run 1) Canova, Hudson, and Hansons have their runners do intervals at slightly faster than MP. 6 x 1 mi at MP-10s (and other variations of 6 miles at MP like 3 X 2 mi and 2 X 3 mi) seems to be the bread and butter. High mileage guys seem to like 3 to 5 x 3 mi.run 2) The Hansons advocate the

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-31314474319117058742010-09-13T13:14:00.009-04:002010-09-15T08:33:26.741-04:00

Perfect racing weather and conditions for fast times at the Bradbury Bruiser Sunday. Typically, wet ground makes the many lateral push-offs on the tight turns tricky. This year, it was grab a tree and swing! I went out faster than I typically do but still got caught behind a train of fast starters that slowed. My 2nd mile was slow, either because I was too complacent running behind other runners

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-19748738969416431242010-09-05T19:57:00.004-04:002010-09-05T20:40:05.336-04:00

I took a rest day on Thursday and watched Chariots of Fire (instead of, you know, actually running). I love this film and don't find it in the least bit slow or dull. Even the Vangelis score doesn't bother me. It helps that I generally like period pieces. The movie does a great job developing the two main characters (Eric Liddel, the original flying Scotsman, and Harold Abrahams). The two

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-50566359247672283272010-08-30T13:56:00.002-04:002010-08-30T14:29:17.463-04:00

We've had a nice burst of trail building activity these last few weeks of summer in Falmouth. The top picture is on the segment of the Cross Falmouth Trail behind Falmouth High School. The picture was taken Friday afternoon - by Sunday morning when the Trail Monsters ran through here, the bridge was done, thanks mostly to Caleb Hemphill (thank him when you see him). The bridge makes this section

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-59403295877700906262010-08-24T13:28:00.003-04:002010-08-24T13:42:17.911-04:00

M restT AM 6.8 mi easy Mountain Rd. loop, PM 5.5 mi easy @ Twin BrookW 2 X 3 mi at MP-10s (6:33, 6:29/mi) @ Back Cove, total 8.4 miTh easy 6.1 mi at Community parkF 1 mi wu + 9 mi MP (6:38/mi - 4s fast!) - felt goodS 9.8 mi easy at BradburyS 16.1 easy on Woodville Rd. (7:38/mi)Total 62.8 miElevation profile of Sunday long run. Did inner Woodville loop clockwise then counterclockwise

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-26603967221336700632010-08-22T13:19:00.008-04:002010-08-22T17:40:36.301-04:00

In 4 years I've had three 205s and one 305.1 One 205 loss was partially my fault. I read the spec "water resistant to 1 m" and interpreted that to mean that I could swim with it. At the surface. Using the breast stroke. I swam about 10 m (out to a canoe) and the watch took on water behind the glass plate. Garmin kindly replaced the watch but...2 In discussion with the Garmin tech I was told that

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-70510765469431493092010-08-15T21:28:00.006-04:002010-08-17T12:35:36.815-04:00

This was my first pemi loop run. It was my first mountain run over 18 miles. It was my first run of any kind over 19 miles. Jamie has a post describing our run and Ian has a post from last year with cool Google Earth images of the route. My feet and legs were thrashed last night but have no residual soreness today, just a little stiffness that lasts about 30s after getting up from sitting.The

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-43611151469650526532010-08-09T10:45:00.005-04:002010-08-09T13:26:38.097-04:00

My penalty loop. The little bump before mile five in the elevation profile was the off-course section.Because of the many flaws in a 7 day/week, 365.4 days/year calendar system, the Beach to Beacon and Bradbury Mountain Breaker fell on the Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend this year, so several of us had to double up and run the B2B2BB or Quad B. The Beach to Beacon report is here.The

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-68480393628710737952010-08-09T09:42:00.005-04:002010-08-10T10:15:01.451-04:00

Ok I'll admit it. I registered for the B2B for selfish reasons: I wanted to see how I stacked up against other runners from the area. My expected pace based on Mother's Day 5K was 37:19, which would be a big PR (which was 38:12). But the 5K was in May and I should be in better running fitness after a great summer of running. But...I race only 1-2 10Ks per year and while I like the distance, I

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-28800755948501508422010-07-31T23:07:00.004-04:002010-07-31T23:17:13.468-04:00

The horse isn't dead yet, but the flogging is doing a pretty good jobhttp://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/phys-ed-do-certain-types-of-sneakers-prevent-injuries/

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-6448225497476647692010-07-30T15:16:00.005-04:002010-07-31T21:00:10.758-04:00

(click on pictures to enlarge)The Sexton-Walkers have been in Highlands/Cashiers, NC with my parents and sisters and their families. We're staying in a big house on Lake Glenville; the same house we stayed in three years ago. My family used to spend a week at my granddad's cabin in Shooting Creek about 1 hr. west of here, but the whole area has many, many more summer residents than when I was a

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-90693521075149412772010-07-19T20:27:00.004-04:002010-07-19T21:22:39.485-04:00

The Mahoosuc Notch "loop" (click to enlarge)On Sunday, Bob Poirier guided us through creeks, thickets, rocks, mud, and alpine meadow on the infamous Mahoosuc Notch "loop". Loop is in quotes because you won't find this on any AMC trail map. But the loop is there, you just need to know how to find the AT from the old logging road past Frenchman's Hole at the end of Sunday River Rd. We did the loop

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-75977921912647012362010-07-11T21:33:00.004-04:002010-07-11T22:29:37.123-04:00

Moderate temps but humid air bathed 147 runners in the 3rd Bradbury Scuffle, the first of the Bradbury Mountain Trail Running Series. 147 runners? That's a wicked big trail race for these parts! Must have been all the kewl schwag donated by the gear sponsors, including Nathan, Smartwool, and Smuttynose (is beer gear?).The scuffle course is 6 miles of rolling singletrack and snowmo trail. No big

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-46039998767288243812010-07-09T13:02:00.003-04:002010-07-09T17:14:55.519-04:00

Reading Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear is like, well, running with the Buffaloes. Specifically, the 1998 University of Colorado (Buffaloes) Men's XC team. The star of the 1998 team, Adam Goucher, is not the hero of the book. Neither is the coach, Mark Wetmore. The hero, if indeed there is one, is really the training. Lear organized the book like a really detailed training log

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-11212645827883956102010-07-02T14:19:00.002-04:002010-07-02T14:48:20.323-04:00

I've decided to step up and run a marathon this fall. This will be my first. My training is going well and I'd like to see what the distance is like. I was thinking about MDI but it closed Tuesday. Then I thought about Green Mountain and while a weekend in Vermont in the Fall would be nice, I don't want the whole weekend to be spent stressing about my first marathon. So I'm going to stay home and

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-50786793021811366852010-06-30T22:22:00.003-04:002010-06-30T22:40:13.166-04:00

The graph above shows how I've increased my running mileage from my November low (zero miles!). Some notes:1. I took the last week of October and all of November off of running or training of any sort (with a tiny bit of roller skiing) to try to get rid of my gluteal pain that I had run with since May. Didn't work. Should have just kept running.2. Because of the craptastic snow, I actually ran

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-47652967876355364862010-06-26T10:04:00.005-04:002010-06-27T06:56:44.613-04:00

Some good running-reading from around the web:SI article on Chris Solinsky. Good read. Much of the article focuses on Solinsky's body type and durability. Jamie and I once had a conversation on body type and injury. I looked into the literature after this and read that weight or BMI is not a good predictor of injury rate.A pair of blog articles on strength training for runners. #1 is here. #2 is

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-79048226217093280482010-06-22T16:16:00.012-04:002010-06-23T20:09:50.625-04:00

Updated with three years of data! The above graph illustrates the joint times of all male sub 1:45 runners at the New Bedford half-marathon that also raced the Mount Washington Road Race the same year for the years 2008-2010. The black line is a simple linear regression. The red line is a simple linear regression but the New Bedford times are log transformed with the natural log. The blue line is

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-38834582962626734302010-06-20T10:17:00.005-04:002010-06-20T11:33:44.428-04:00

Tom Ryan, Carry Buterbaugh, Scott Brown and me: Top-o-the-world, or at least New EnglandMt. Washington Road Race. 7.6 miles, 4600 foot climb, average grade 11.5%. 2010 was the 50th running of the race. This year the race was also the USATF National Mountain Running Championship and the sole race in which the US National Mountain Running Team would be picked. So it was a deep, deep field.It was a

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-36473477544407261352010-06-18T16:12:00.004-04:002010-06-18T16:28:21.223-04:00

I went into the Mt. Washington Road Race last year with a sore gluteal region and noticed how good it felt after the race. Following the race, I decided to try running on a treadmill at a Mt. Washingtonesque incline (11.5%) as an alternative to my regular running. This lasted all of two sessions (treadmill running is boring). These were my first treadmill runs ever.The discovery of the incline

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-54724759407879703182010-06-17T17:24:00.007-04:002010-06-17T21:21:27.583-04:00

(The picture that should go here is found here).This past Sunday, five Trail Monsters invaded New Hampshire for the Exeter Trail Races 10 miler. Joining me were Floyd Lavery, Joe Wrobleski, Alosaurus Morisson, and new TM Andy Kiburis. The race is an important team event as the results are included in the emerging New England Dirt Cup, which at this point is a competition between two teams,

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-463786294822543782010-06-13T22:19:00.012-04:002010-06-13T23:01:49.497-04:00

Mixing up running sites is good for the soul. In addition to the usual Back Cove (but no Twin Brook), this week I ran:Falmouth Community Park - Easy recovery run. I don't like running these trails often because the field trails are very cambered but it is always fun to run. This week I did hill bounding on all the short steep hills - not repeats as is usually done; just each time I came to a

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-7362793576948998452010-06-10T15:38:00.006-04:002010-06-10T15:54:00.807-04:00

This is my response to Snowman's most recent post. At the risk of giving unsolicited advice, I'm offering unsolicited advice.If you want to run faster then run more frequently, longer distances, and at a good mix of speeds. I just don't think changing nutrition or cross training is going to take you where you want to go. You have limited time away from family and the more time you spend on a bike

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-58339746116082553132010-06-06T20:49:00.003-04:002010-06-06T21:11:03.812-04:00

What's not to love? a 2000+ foot climb, steady rain, cool temps, a ridge full of open ledge, good company, no crowds, BBQ bob's, a deadly snowshoe hare with nasty, big pointy teeth...the list is endless. Thanks Blaine and Dave for joining me! We need more of these road trips this summer.Training week - This may be my biggest mileage week evah. Not sure.Monday 3.1 mile recovery runTuesday 6.1 mile

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-37499118389141963512010-05-31T10:29:00.005-04:002010-05-31T11:33:08.218-04:00

The Grove, 17K into the race. Feeling very, very good at this point. But that didn't last long.Erik and Ian have outdone themselves. The PFTF was biggerer and betterer than ever. Day one was the short races: 5K, 10K, 5K barefoot, and 5K canicross. The 5K and 10K had good size fields for a cross-country race, especially given that each race was competing for runners with the other races in the

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-9198916796677466002010-05-28T14:09:00.005-04:002010-05-28T15:55:54.692-04:00

Review of: New Balance MT100 and Libby Hill Trails.I've avoided the New Balance MT100 because I've preferred a more flexible shoe. The MT100 is stiffened by, among other things, a plastic rock plate in the fore/mid foot. But 3.5 weeks ago I bruised the ball of my foot by landing on a rock during an interval recovery of my Blackstrap Hell repeats. First time for everything. I was wearing the New

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-37594079632689514062010-05-24T22:08:00.003-04:002010-05-24T22:25:34.440-04:00

Out and back, East Boothbay to Ocean Point; a real roller coasterMon - planned restTues - 5.9 mile fartlek at Twin BrookWed - 4X1 mile hard tempo intervals at Back Cove, couldn't maintain goal paceThur - 3 mile easy tempo on treadmill @ 11.5% grade. Felt goodFri - easy 7.5 at Back CoveSat - easy 8.5 at Pineland - last run there before the raceSun - 8.5 mi tempo on roller coaster road to Ocean

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-22011652818948057102010-05-16T10:06:00.005-04:002010-05-16T18:04:58.333-04:00

This was my peak week before Pineland. It was also not a well-planned week, as I did hard runs 3 days in a row, and 5 out of 7 days (including the race on Sunday, which I consider last week)Monday - unplanned rest day. My legs were tired.Tuesday - 8.3 miles at Twin Brook. Mostly easy, last 2 miles at fast tempo paceWednesday - 7.2 miles at Back Cove including Back Cove 5K at a fast tempo

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-46184539452466130972010-05-09T21:58:00.004-04:002010-05-11T20:59:28.176-04:00

Monday - 4 X .8 mile hell repeats, 7mi totalTuesday - AM: HR max run (2.5 mile), PM: TMR TNR @TB, 5 MiWednesday - 7.2 mi Back Cove, high HR, slow paceThursday - 4.3 mi Back cove + 2.75 treadmill @ 11.5% grade, race pace (10:46/mi)Friday - cross training - 9 holes of golf at RiversideSaturday - 8.2 miles at Pineland, easy, + 0.8 mi barefoot stridesSunday - AM- Mother's Day 5K Time trial, 17:58, PM

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-3477278029785284482010-05-06T22:14:00.003-04:002010-05-06T22:23:12.260-04:00

A "typical" training week for Jonathan Wyatt (from flotrack). Where can I find a 12-15% hill close to home?(From flotrack)Sunday: RACE (usually in the mornings).Monday: Travel Day, easy run 1hr. Tuesday: am. Workout: 8x3min on 12-15% hill (unless the race was a long one in which case I make adjustments with Tuesday an easy run of 1hr30).

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-59363416704494371952010-05-03T20:31:00.003-04:002010-05-03T20:43:17.104-04:00

Apparently I did hill repeats on a big boob tonight.

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-82984870569841295212010-04-25T11:36:00.003-04:002010-04-25T11:59:40.425-04:00

After last week's failed attempt to clear my posterior tibial tendonopathy, I decided to jump back on the horse and just go.Monday - 6.1 mile fartlek on Blackstrap Hill.Tuesday - 5.6 mile easy run at TMR TNR @ TBWednesday - 6.1 mile easy at Back CoveThursday - 6.2 mile tempo (3.5 mi @ 6:45 pace) at Back Cove. Friday - offSaturday - 5.3 mile run on Charles R. trail with son SamSunday - 12.3 mile

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-66149873139487495322010-04-18T22:29:00.005-04:002010-04-18T22:57:55.375-04:00

(my route as tracked by my HTC eris using MyTracks)I should be writing about the 50 miles I ran this week, including two days of doubles. But I'm not. I only ran 14.3 miles. I took Mon-Wed off following Sunday's bike ride, which immediately aggravated my left foot (medial part of the arch). Each day I considered going to the pool and pool running but I just couldn't do it. I just don't care

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-3527969581533549592010-04-11T19:41:00.005-04:002010-04-11T21:04:12.643-04:00

Sadly, this isn't me. It's the race winner, Kevin Tilton. Doesn't he remind you of a Jesus Christ Lizard? The beautiful photo was taken by Scott Mason.Saturday, seven trail monsters raced the Merrimack River 10 miler in Andover MA. The race and trail were old school, the way races should be. Registration and awards/raffle are in a hotel parking lot. The race is a 5 mile out and back along The

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-91608684286753545152010-03-29T13:18:00.003-04:002010-03-29T13:27:57.400-04:00

Anyone know where Skier's Anonymous might be meeting soon? I skied 26+K at Great Glen with a friend yesterday. A nice easy ski - no hammering the up hills although we did hammer all the down hills. The snow was fast but very, very edgeable. Hero snow. What other sport combines such an awesome workout with the mad adrenaline rush of speed?But Great Glen closed yesterday. Rangeley closed yesterday.

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-18533212506115026002010-03-27T12:26:00.007-04:002010-03-27T16:41:10.765-04:00

(click on image to enlarge)Given the craptastic snow conditions in the GPA over the past month, I've been running on weekdays and skiing on the weekend. The "trail runs" on the above calendar are almost all Back Cove. Indeed I've not really hit real trails yet; only TNR@Twin Brook last week and SMR@Pineland this morning. I've been addicted to the long ski races on the weekends. Racing is over but

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-6340626240622591732010-03-21T12:32:00.003-04:002010-03-21T12:59:44.955-04:00

My post (high school) season addiction continues as I decided on Tuesday or Wednesday to register for the Sugarloaf Ski Marathon. Nothing like long endurance races without training! Forecasted temperatures were Friday night lows in mid 30's, 40F at the start and 55F high. Roger Knight and Boulder Nordic Sport East were giving free top coats, which was a tremendous help. The course differed this

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-58537947622496040242010-03-15T07:53:00.003-04:002010-03-15T08:19:33.726-04:00

Saturday I skied the Carl Johnson Memorial Ski-A-Thon at Great Glen Trails at the base of the Mt. Washington auto road. The race was a fund-raiser for ALS Northern New England (there is far less fund raising in the ski racing world than the running racing world). When I registered on Tuesday the forecast was for 50F and rain but the forecast kept improving and on race day we had nothing but

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-28359375757248767912010-03-08T20:07:00.004-05:002010-03-08T21:53:55.273-05:00

Last year's (blue) and this year's (red) race course. The Rangeley Loppet fell on a weekend with stunning spring air temps on top of deep, clean snow. Night and morning air temps were cold enough to keep the snow temp from rising to quickly, at least for the 25K. The result was moderately fast conditions. Perhaps the 2nd lap would have slowed a bit with temps reaching maybe 40F but unlike last

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-85752459748295493872010-03-08T07:46:00.003-05:002010-03-08T08:31:14.551-05:00

Two days of skiing:Bluebird skies and 45-50F.

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-43097411119585220352010-03-04T15:31:00.004-05:002010-03-05T12:28:07.463-05:00

I've skied most every day this winter, at least up until two weeks ago. But the frequency is deceiving. 90% of that was coaching, which involves a lot of stopping and watching and talking and doing stuff like fixing broken bindings and pole straps. The chart above shows my weekly mileage last year and this year. Some notes:mileage: 2008/9: 819; 2009/10: 399 (I'll probably

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-58366046361385338972010-03-02T12:48:00.006-05:002010-03-02T13:24:43.944-05:00

Race Loop (Red)Technique loop (Green)Fun skate loop (Blue)The Balsams had a decent deal this past weekend: $149/person/night got you race registration, a room, dinner, breakfast, and a 2nd day of skiing (alpine or nordic). Cacky, Neighbor John & Sarah, and friends Jed & Amy and I took the bait. My race report is here. Cacky, John, Sarah, Jed, and Amy all did the tour and their skis iced up badly

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-10400278328565988712010-03-01T14:22:00.006-05:002010-03-01T18:27:44.435-05:00

The Great North Woods 30K was, by orders of magnitude, the most frustrating 3 hours of my short ski racing career. The GNW30 is a classic race at The Balsams in Dixville Notch NH. The Balsams is one of the few grand hotels scattered about the New England woods that still remains (The Mount Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods is another). I've heard only great things about The Balsams, so when they

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-19866864190246105222010-02-26T08:20:00.002-05:002010-02-26T08:29:45.135-05:00

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

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-59321961862089462502010-02-24T17:21:00.002-05:002010-02-24T17:24:13.210-05:00

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.

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-10951298657285419332010-02-19T20:20:00.005-05:002010-02-19T20:47:18.902-05:00

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

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-67163126367024766292010-01-29T08:07:00.004-05:002010-01-29T08:41:11.922-05:00

On Sunday, three Falmouth Land Trust board members and one friend of the trust strapped on the bc skis for a tour of Falmouth. We started at the Lowell Preserve in Windham and finished Hannaford's on Grey Rd. Along the way, we crossed at least 10 conserved properties (Chase, Wilshore, BHP, Carr, Hadlock, Community Park, McGlaughlin, McCrann, Adam, River Point). This was mostly snowmo trail, all

middle.professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02370737843957507859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3384232965908187048.post-71628171667870212262010-01-21T08:47:00.002-05:002010-01-21T10:15:14.032-05:00

I've not done any Mt. Washington training since starting my Mt. Washington training. But I've skied every day, although generally not very long or hard. I cannot say I'm getting much endurance or strength training in. I am mostly focusing on technique. The reason I'm not getting long, hard skis in is because nearly all of my skiing is with the FHS nordic team and I'm focusing on, you know,

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