Weekly Log 24-Jun to 30-Jun-2019: Texas Heat

Miscellaneous rambling:

• Definitely had a few "senior moments" when I was down in Texas, including when I got in the elevator and asked another guest if he could please push the button for Floor 2.  He responded, "Um, we're on Floor 2."  Duh.  Well, um, yeah, of course we are, I was just testing you.  Ugh.
• Driving through rural Texas, I was shocked to see the following sign.  You just can't make this stuff up.  Makes me just want to go off the grid.

Monday:  0

Tuesday:  4
Creaky, uncomfortable run at home, before uncomfortable, long day flying to Texas.  Was really uncomfortable stuffed in the back of the plane and was fidgety moving around.  Flight was delayed, and I met Mark in San Antonio airport after 1am, got to the car rental counter to find it closed for the night, and finally got to the hotel after 2am CDT (after 3am EDT).

Wednesday:  8 miles of walking!
AM:  Slept in, then a 3-mile walk of San Antonio Riverwalk and The Alamo.

Mark along the start of our Riverwalk walk.

The Alamo.  Site of the 1836 attack from Mexico,
where all 200 Americans fighting for Texan independence died.
Remember the Alamo!

Noon:  Aquatica Water Park, San Antonio.  4-miles of walking.  Part of the Seaworld umbrella, so Mark got us in for free with his employee badge from Adventure Island, Tampa.  Otherwise, it would have cost us $28 for parking and $60 entry a piece.  Fun and refreshing.
NB:  Dad wimped out on the waterslides that featured "drops".

Isn't this guy cool?
Touched him as he went by.  Kind of slimy, but fun.

Very hot and direct sun.  But lots of pools and waterslides for relief.

PM:  Natural Bridge Caverns.  1 mile of underground and above ground walking in very cool caves.

The formations were pretty wild.

At this outdoor popular restaurant (The Gristmill) where we had dinner,
the way you knew your table was ready was when
the girl wrote your name on the chalkboard.

Thursday:  5 run, 4 hike
Brutal heat in Austin, even in the morning, right around 90 degrees.  Just wilted.  Took the run very slow.

Hot.

Waffle for breakfast.
Guess which state I'm in?!

Mid-day 4-mile hike with Mark.  So surprised he picked this out, including the specific trail ("Homestead Trail").  It was an oppressive 94 degrees on our hike.

Mark (left) off-balance jumping across sections of the river,
before continuing to the trailhead.

Tight single-track in places,
but I welcomed the shade.

Open full sun sections like this were just horrific.

Interesting cactii along the trail.  Don't touch.

Ahhh!  Finally, relief swimming at the Upper Falls.
Quite refreshing.  We were able to swim right up to the falls.

Post-swim, back in the car for the drive to College Station.

Texas A&M main campus,
College Station, TX

Barbara Bush Floral Garden

Did you know that the Bushes are buried on campus?
I did not.  Straight ahead is where George HW was
buried just six months ago, Barbara to the right,
and their young daughter Robin out of the pic to the left,
re-interred from the family plot in CT.

Friday:  5 run, 3 walk
Ran along the beach in Galveston at 7:30am when it was "only" 84 degrees.  Run felt good, not great, but not terrible.

Galveston, TX.
Not the prettiest of beaches, certainly not as nice as Westerly
or Florida gulf beaches.  Still, a nice flat beach to run on.

Post-run, 2 mile walk on campus tour and then another mile walking along the shore and swimming with Mark before heading to Houston to catch a night's sleep before flying out.

This pier reminded me of Santa Monica Pier (CA).
A little bit of kitsch.  Mark got kicked out in the afternoon for
not wearing a shirt (aren't we at the beach?!).  So we went swimming
here instead.

View from our hotel room balcony.  Not ugly.
Post swimming in the Gulf, Mark and I ended up in this
pool with a swim-up bar, before changing and heading out to Houston.

To each his own, but I got pretty tired of hearing "y'all" by the end of the
trip.  "Are y'all ready to order?"  I can't speak for "us all" in the restaurant,
but Mark and I are.  Obviously I knew "y'all" is a southern thing, but I associated that
with SC, NC, and GA, and not TX.

Saturday:  0
Travel return day.  Up at 4:30am, showered and said goodbye and Happy Birthday to Mark, and drove off to to George Bush Airport (Houston).  Today is Mark's 21st birthday.  I'm glad his friend Joe came down to spend the weekend with him before Mark flies back to Tampa tomorrow.

Back into mobs of people and lines at the airport.  Ugh.
This is my 25th time in an airport this year.  Tired am I.
No more airports for ... um ... two weeks.

Long day of travel in congested airports (Houston, Charlotte, Hartford) on congested planes.  I bucked my own Scottish cheapness and paid $43 to sit in an aisle seat in Row 5 instead of crammed in an inside seat 30 rows back.  I think I got one of the most unfriendly TSA agents when I went through security.  For some reason, my cell phone boarding pass didn't scan, and she asked me if that was a screenshot as I wasn't supposed to use screenshots.  I said yes, and said I always use a screenshot, and further stated in fact that's what American Airlines recommends to do and it's printed right on the electronic boarding pass.  She raised her voice, said "That's not my problem.  Now get out of line, and when you get your stuff together, you can come back.".  Wow!  I don't think she's going to win the customer service of the year award; sometimes employees need to realize ultimately who their customer is that's paying their salary.

No delays today, but too much down time and sitting on planes and cars for me.  Was pretty creaky and stiff by the time I got home about 6:30pm.

Sunday:  4 run, 20 bike
AM neighborhood run.  Back to totally creaky and stiff.  Depressing.  Contemplated quitting in first 1/4 mile or so, but slogged my way through at about a 9-minute pace.  A lot of pain and stiffness for the rest of the day.

Evening ride with Matthew to East Beach and back Klondike / 216.  Felt really good on the bike.  Until I got off of it.  :(

Weekly mileage:  Why bother?  18 miles running, 15 miles walking, 20 miles riding

Weekly synopsis:  Managing through whatever malaise that I have.  Some days have been OK, but many of them uncomfortable and painful.  Just depressing when I erroneously thought I was past this.

On a positive note, although Texas would not be my choice to visit in June (or probably any month), I was happy to spend some quality time with my oldest son, Mark.  I am less than thrilled with his likely choice to study his Master's Degree in Galveston, but to be fair, that's for purely selfish reasons of having some unfounded hope that after Florida, he'd return to the Northeast.  I imagine we'll see him (and Brady) twice per year only (Christmas and summer), as it's a 26-hour drive from Westerly to Galveston, and Brady can't come on the plane (it has to be above 45 degrees and below 85 degrees at all airports, and that's not likely in RI in December or TX in June).

I thought there would be a lot of down time sitting around on the TX trip, but we really packed a lot into each and every day (mostly through Mark's planning).  I was proud of him for his maturation and planning, including pretty much his own prep for grad school (MS in Marine Biology) and lining up apartments to look at.

Weekly highlight:  Spending time with Mark and seeing some neat sights, albeit in sultry Texas.

Weekly lowlight:  Continued pains, aches, and discomfort, with no diagnosis.  When will I be rid of this?  Ever?

Weekly Log 17-Jun to 23-Jun-2019: A Turning Point in the Battle?

Monday:  0
Had a really rough night.  Just didn't sleep much at all, a lot of pain, difficult to get in and out of bed, both chills and sweating.

Tried so hard to mask my awkward and uncomfortable gait walking when I got to work.  Fortunately, either no one noticed or if they did, they didn't ask.

Called the doc as soon as the office opened, and took the last appointment left.  Even difficult to lower my corpulent mass into his chair, and raise it back out.  He explained the high reading on my C-reactive protein result only indicates that there is a lot of inflammation in my body, but doesn't indicate where or what.  While the Lyme test came back negative, he reiterated that false-negatives are the norm, especially early after tick bites.  Next step:  Repeat every lab test I had, add more detailed tests for ticks, test for Rheumatoid Arthitis (similar symptoms as Lyme), Procalcitonin (systemic infections/sepsis), and start a new regimen of Doxycycline.

My lack of athletic endeavors is not
doing me any favors.  This was me weighing
in at the doctor's office before my appointment.

Tuesday:  0
Noticed and pulled a very engorged nymph tick off my right leg.  Mother Fletcher.  Very bloody.  Damn it all.  How long has that bugger had me as a host?

Be honest; can any of you actually read
this prescription?  Do people working in the medical people
study scribble as a course?
-------
Handed my PT my prescription and recommendation that
I received from the ortho doctor.
He struggled, but read it.  I was impressed, as it just looks like
garbled scribble to me.  

Wednesday:  3
Fun Run.  When the run started, I couldn't believe how creaky and stiff I was.  Should I just pull over and quit?  No, I definitely don't want to answer a bevy of well-intended questions after.  Maybe I can just finish the mile event.  Felt like I was working just to make a 7-minute pace, with lots of aches.  I went on to finish the 5K, but definitely did not feel good.  21:52.  I'd like to say I was just taking it easy, but the truth is it was work.

My gait looks pretty horrible here;
mirroring how I feel.

Thursday:  0
Got a call from the doc.  The first half of the second labwork series came in.  The bad news is that my C-reactive protein (normal is < 10) rose from 48 to 61, so I still have a lot of inflammation in my body.  The good news is the test for Rheumatoid Arthritis came back negative.

Friday:  1 walk
Didn't sleep too well last night with some nagging aches, but nothing like Sunday/Monday overnight.  Felt better as the day progressed, and the incessant rain finally stopped!  Went for a post-dinner walk around the neighborhood.  Pleasant.  No pain; minimal aches (hips and shoulders).

Saturday:  5
University Orthopedics 5K, East Providence.  What am I doing running a race with my ailments, and having BRR tomorrow?  I was asked to run for the Washington Trust (my employer) team, and given a code to run it for free.  Jana and I both ran.  I was expecting to run in some run-down area, but it was actually quite nice, especially on the East Bay Bike Path along the water.  Went on a 2-mile warm-up to ease out some of the creaks, and felt better afterwards and was ready to go.

A lot of the course was either right along the water,
or had views of same.

Ran my first two miles at 6:27, and final mile with some moderate uphill at 6:32.  Finished sub-20, barely.  Was I running all out?  No, but I was still working pretty hard.

I'm about three rows back, in BISS blue singlet,
about to cross the start line.

I passed this 18-year old at about 2.5 miles,
but he had a kick and blew past me at the end (you
can see me coming in behind him).

Done

I seem pretty happy for some reason

Not my usual 5K time and hope this isn't the new norm,
 but with the ailments didn't think I would get much under 22.

Sunday:  12
Back Road Ramble, Charlestown

Showed up at 6am to mark the course with Sergio and Jonathan.  Huge thank-you to the latter for reaching out to me and offering to help mark, especially given he wasn't even racing the event!  That really made the marking so much easier.

Not a very good picture,
but it was neat to see the mountain laurel in full bloom along the course.

When there are blow-downs,
mountain bikers typically create detours around them.
But this is a trail race, so I blocked it off ...

... and put the course back over the fallen log.
This is a trail race, right?

I've been on the YMCA race committee for six years now; I think longer than anyone else.  Sometimes I wonder if it's time to move on (from this or my WTAC VP/RD position or marking the course for the high school XC home meets), but I do enjoy running related functions and still enjoy giving back to the community.  When it is no longer a labor of love, it will be time to pass the baton.

Volunteers were dropping like flies today, so we would have to improvise and eliminate course marshals at two locations, where the short and long courses split, and then where they cut across each other.  Fortunately, we had marked well and I would remind myself at pre-race announcements to repeatedly point out the course splits and color differences in flags.  There's only so much you can do.

The race:  At the start of the race, Tommy 5K, Aaron and Brandon Tallardy, and guy in American flag shorts all went out quickly ahead of me.  I was concerned about running roughly six miles on moderately technical trails, especially given that I had barely run at all in recent weeks with my ailments and this would be my longest run since Cranmore.  (yeah, pretty pathetic, eh?)

About a mile in, near the beach that we couldn't run on this year (as the state had it blocked off and is assessing the feasibility of adding 96 campsites at North Camp), I caught up to Brandon and went past him.  (Flag Guy was leading the way, followed by Tommy 5K, followed by Aaron, and now me in 4th place.)  I was in complete no-man's land by the time we got to Sammy C's two miles in, and I took my time working through the rocky sections.  One benefit out of the very rainy spring season is that it was nice to see the streams flowing quite well (there are several sections you need to cross).  With about a mile to go, I was surprised to come up on the next runner.  No, it wasn't high-school runner Aaron, it was Flag Guy, and when he tripped on a root in the mud, it was the perfect time to go by him.  After asking if he was OK, he said yes, and just waived me on.

The road section was a blur.  I was going past walkers from the tail end of the short course, down the hill to Camp Watchaug, and done.

Final results:  44:45, 3rd place overall.  Full results here.

I finished a good five minutes behind Tommy (39:43) and just over a minute after Aaron (43:21).  My finish was not surprisingly at all much slower than recent years (2018:  40:29, 2017:  39:49), but I was just happy to be out there.  Played out on the water trampoline with Tommy, and got some lunch before awards.

Good representation from WTAC
on a beautiful sunny day

What I was not happy about was that the Chariho high school runners, who had volunteered to sweep the course, did not show up at all.  When called by YMCA staff, the response was "we forgot".  I was tired and ready to go home, but needed to go back out on the course now and pull flags and signs in the now hot sun.  This is feedback I will give to the Y, as this just has to change.

Weekly mileage:  20 run, 1 walk

Weekly synopsis:  Started the week horribly in pain and mercilessly pessimistic.  Ended the week feeling the best I have in three weeks and with a healthy and renewed optimism.  While two consecutive days of feeling good does not a pattern make, and I do have a some fear of a sudden repeat of these arthritic and painful symptoms, I am cautiously optimistic.

Weekly highlight:  Today (Sunday).  To run 12 miles and feel sore but otherwise good, this made me happy indeed.  With the day coming to an end (10pm), it looks like this will go down as the first day in three weeks that I had no pain at any time during the day!

Weekly lowlight:  Last Sunday night/Monday morning was an absolute miserable existence for me.  Painful and scary at the same time.  Fortunately, at this point, that does appear to my nadir of this ordeal.

Weekly Log 10-Jun to 16-Jun-2019: The Malaise Continues

Monday:  0
One more day off.

Tuesday:  2
I know, two sounds ridiculous and why bother, but I'm trying to ease back in to see if this works.  Besides, I wanted to check out reports of trail closure at the North Camp Beach.

Trail blocked before beach;
will likely need to reroute that section of BRR.

Only a short section of beach will need to be bypassed;
unfortunately it's probably the most beautiful spot on the course.
If you look closely, you can see a white temporary edifice at
about 2pm in this photo.

Fortuitously I ran into two DEM rangers, and took the opportunity to ask and learn what work was being done.  I was told they were investigating the possibility of offering camping in this area in the future.

I had pain in both hips and hamstrings the whole way, but it was a dull pain and not the whole body aches I experienced last Friday.

Wednesday:  5
AM:  2 miles jog/walk in Noanet Woodlands, Dover, MA.  Had planned to walk only, but felt good and added in some short run bursts.
PM:  3 miles at Fun Run week #2.  Felt really good!  Ran about 6:30 pace.  Is whatever this ailment reaching its end?

Thursday:  0
Pouring rain.  Late evening at work / vendor event, plus PT and doctor's appointment wore me down.

I went to orthopedic doctor per my PT's suggestion, in order to assess whether any damage or movement from the hardware in my left shoulder from surgery 30 years ago.  The doc said no damage from surgery (that's good, right?), but definite concerns on my limited mobility and pain.  From x-rays, he indicated either bursitis or inflammation of rotator cuff, as well as some arthritis, and sent me back for 2-4 weeks of PT and see him again in July, or call if gets worse.  OK.  No swimming and no heavy lifting in the meantime, no reaching out to side with my left arm.  Was hoping to start swimming, but I guess I'm OK with those, except I'll be inconveniencing others on heavy items I need to lift. 

So what brought this on, doc?  Really doesn't know.  Either some type of infection or the mulch-lifting/spreading all day are both plausible.

Friday:  4
Worked in Providence today.  Got out early (3pm) and headed for Tillinghast Preserve.  Very, very stiff.  Wanted to quit after 1/4 mile and walk back.  Coaxed myself into continuing and finishing my longest run in two weeks.  Not painful, but rather sore and not smooth.  Ugh.  Filled my run with negative thoughts, such as will I die (well, yes, of course, but not likely from this), and are my running days over (this is not healthy contemplation).

Like my body, my running watch charger is broken, as in broken
into two pieces.  I improvised to hold the electrodes in place
with vice-grips, and it worked!  Replacement charger only $12 on
Amazon, so my 5-year old Garmin Fenix 2 lives on a bit longer.

Saturday:  4
Very stiff in the morning, so opted to skip running and work outside on yard work instead.  Painful to sit down and stand up, and makes a lot of creaking noises when I do so.  Am I 54 or 94?  By afternoon, I felt much better and went to Woody Hill to run a mix of single-track and dirt roads.  Super slow pace.  Not as good as Wednesday's Fun Run, but much better than yesterday.  3 highlights:

1. Turtle sighting just before starting my run.
2. Mountain laurel in full bloom, especially near Swamp Bypass Trail I built about five years ago.
3. No human sightings!

It turns out my car key does NOT start my mower.  Go figure.
Can I blame this ineptitude on my latest ailment?  Yeah, I didn't think so.

Sunday:  0
Had planned to bike to Mystic Y with Mikey to watch swim start at Mystic Tri, but it was raining, so we bagged it.  Ended up driving there and watching part of it, and in a twist of irony, the swim was cancelled and people were saying this format run-bike-run would have been up my alley. 

Weekly mileage:  [not sure why I bother writing this anymore]  15

Weekly synopsis:  A second straight not-very-good week.  The lab tests came back negative for Lyme, Babesiosis, and Anaplasmosis.  Now that I finished the full Doxycycline regimen and I still feel like crap, what is next?  The next round of lab tests came back with only one problem area:  inflammation off the charts (C-reactive protein should be between 0 and 10; mine is 48).  Now what do we do with that?  Call to the doc on Monday morning and go from there.

Weekly highlight:  The Fun Run.

Weekly lowlight:  Everything else.

Weekly Log 3-Jun to 9-Jun-2019: Aches, Pains, & Old Age

Miscellaneous ramblings:

• I heard on the radio this week that bike riding is an activity that almost 100% of those aged 50 and older have done, but only about 1/2 of millennials have done.  Can that be true?  If so, that's pretty sad.

Monday:  15 ride
Planned day off after Cranmore race.  Rode local Westerly roads with Matthew in the evening.

Tuesday:  4
Ran local roads before work.  Had the intention to run 6-7, but as soon as I started I felt the creakiest and achiest I have felt in a long time, and 4 miles was my own compromise as the other side of my brain was telling me to just quit after 1/2 mile and walk home.  Ugh.  I feel like every muscle and joint in my body is aching, and like I'm burning up.  Finished the run/shuffle, got home, took my temperature.  No, it's normal.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

Decided to pay Old Sawbones a visit.  Fortunately I could get in.  After asking a few questions, he said to me that it really sounds like I have Lyme.  Again?!  I did pull a nymph tick off my leg Sunday.  It was no bigger than a poppy seed, so despite my efforts to keep body hair to a minimum (TMI?) so I can see these nasty pests, who knows how long it was attached to me.  After two bouts of Lyme, two bouts of Anaplasmosis, and one of Babesiosis, I'm at least quite familiar with the course of action:  labwork and start right away on Doxycycline.

I actually hope I have Lyme now.  Sounds perverse, but if that's the case, I should be feeling much better in 2-4 days.

Wednesday:  3
Woke up and felt terrible again, like every muscle in my body hurts.  Decided no run, except Fun Run in the evening.

Found a partner in crime (Muddy) to run an easy 7-minute pace with.  The time went by fast, and this would be enough running for me today.

First week (of 10) of our club's summer fun series.  We had a small field of runners which I recognized more than 90%, and this was a fun small crowd, before we get big numbers mid-summer as the tourists come in.  (I also like seeing the numbers swell in the summer with out-of-state vacationing runners, but there's something intimate about the first week or two.)

Thursday:  0
Creakily got out of bed and thought taking a complete day off isn't such a terrible idea.

Went to PT to continue working on my shoulder mobility issue, and John recommended that I see an orthopedic doctor to assess whether I've injured my 30-year shoulder surgery repair.  Ugh.  Could this all be tied together?  Depressed big time.

Friday:  3
Afternoon shake-out in Woody Hill from Fallon Trail.  Felt absolutely horrible.  Creaky, achy, uncomfortable, painful, sick to my stomach, the latter presumably from the Doxycycline.  And I'm running Ascutney Mountain Race tomorrow?  Ugh. The only thing good about this run is that I was out in the woods and never saw any humans.

Entertained all sorts of negative thoughts, and decided it's best if I stop publicly posting on Strava for a while until I'm back to somewhat normal running, as I don't want to bring others down with my negativity and whining.

Saturday:  0
After borderline limping around the house last night with muscle aches, and getting up this morning feeling far less than 100%, decided to skip Ascutney.  Brightman had already told me I'll hate the race, and that's assuming good health.  Driving seven hours round-trip with muscle aches, sandwiched by a 3.7 mile uphill race that I won't enjoy and won't do well - why am I doing this?!  In order to complete the series, it looks like I'll need to run Greylock now on Labor Day weekend, but by then I should have long been back to regular strength.  Right?

Sunday:  0
The Lyme test came back negative.  Seriously?  Now what?  Unfortunately, it was just a voicemail.  Done running for a little while.

Could this be a false-positive and I really do have Lyme?  Could it be some other infection?  Made the mistake of looking on the internet, and freaking out whether I have rheumatoid arthritis, MS, etc.

Weekly mileage:  [can I write this in invisible ink?]  10 miles run, 15 ride

Weekly synopsis:  Just nothing good to say.  Not a good week.  Hopefully short lived, but nothing to base that on.

Weekly highlight:  Bike ride with Matthew.  It's the only activity all week that wasn't painful.

Weekly lowlight:  Pretty much everything, except that the week has ended.

Cranmore Mountain Race

Eight days after Wachusett Mountain Race, it was time to toe the line again.  After a week of lackluster running and aches (I know, excuses, excuses, ...), I wasn't feeling ready.  However, I definitely had some positive vibes pre-race, especially from how Cranmore veterans Steve Brightman and Leslie O'Dell described it and it seemed it would be a good fit for me.  I had stayed in nearby Jackson the night before, and got a decent sleep, showered, stretched, and picked through the hotel's free but mediocre breakfast assortment.  Ready to go.

Ten minute drive to Cranmore, and then a 1.5 mile warmup, where I ran into Maine Jeff Walker and ran and caught up with him for a minutes before race start.  I really still have no idea as to strategy for lining up or pace during these mountain races.  I started several rows back, and was relieved to hear from Leslie that the course was very well marked.  Obviously, the first loop (of two) wouldn't be an issue, but by the second loop I could very well be running alone in parts.

Looking up the mountain pre-race.
It would be foggy at the top for sure.

Loop 1 - Up:  The gun went off, and we start uphill right away, crossing a timing mat, and then entering a short single-track section.  I ran with Maine Jeff Walker for about 1/4 mile, before he pulled away for good with his mountain climbing prowess.  The first major ski-slope climb is 3/8 mile long with a 20% grade (Strava segment "false hope").  I power-hiked this and got passed by about 2-3 runner/hikers.  After that, we get a slight respite before the pain began.  Koessler Climb is only 0.2 miles long, but with a 400' elevation gain, has an average 37% grade with a maximum 53% pitch.  My calves were just screaming going up this section, which is just straight up a black-diamond ski trail.  At the top of the climb, Leslie is right behind me and after a short laugh that Furball is not with us, she advises we're pretty much at the top now.  Sure enough, while there's a short uphill single-track section here, it's completely runnable and the summit is in view.

Near the top of Koessler Climb,
with Leslie on my heels
(Really cool that these race pics are provided free!)

Single-track just before the summit

Loop 1 - Down:  Immediately after going over the rocky summit, you're led onto a twisty steep single-track down.  A half-mile forested single-track with an average -20% grade!  The obstacles included not only many stumps (it looked like the trail had just recently been cut) but also a number of runners themselves, as many runners faster than me on the ascent were now in my way on the descent.  Most of the runners were very gracious and just gave me way so as not to break my stride, and a couple that I came up on quickly I just yelled out "On your left" as I went by.  This part was an absolutely blast.  I know that Leslie was right behind me as I heard some of the course marshals or locals yell out her name.  Looking back on stats, I guess I done good on this trail as for the 73 runners that got on the new Strava segment "silky single @ Cranmore Mountain Race", I was 4th (the three ahead of me placed 1st, 3rd, and 5th overall).

Top of the mountain

Just before the single-track down

After the single-track, you're deposited into a ski slope that you traverse diagonally across.  There were streams running through it, and it was absolute mud, like ankle deep.  I think I temporarily slowed the pace and lifted my legs higher to hopefully avoid going down here.  I slipped and slid a few times, but stayed upright.  By the time you exit the ski slopes, you are very close to the start/finish line and start of loop 2.  The speaker system was very loud and I was enjoying hearing the runners ahead of me being called out, along with their hometown and lap 1 split.

Loop 2 - Up:  Not being a multiple loop fan, I had feared that starting the second loop would be a real mental challenge for me.  Surprisingly it wasn't.  I'm not sure if that's because it came up so quickly, or because I had already psyched myself out.  From the loud speaker announcements, I now knew Maine Jeff Walker was a good two minutes ahead of me, and Leslie was about 30 seconds behind me.  At any rate, the pack had really thinned out and I saw very few runners in front on me now, even on the ski slope climbs.  I passed two runners on the uphill, and got passed by one CMS runner in blue.  Whew, the uphill climbing is done!

Short and fun rock scramble at the top
By the 2nd loop, the fog was really socked in

Loop 2 - Down:  The good news is there are less runners congesting the single-track down, but the bad news is my legs are trashed!  I quickly caught and passed back the blue CMS runner that had passed me uphill, and then passed a few more.  I feel like some of the runners I passed might have still been on their first lap.  Is that possible?  Slid again in the muddy section, but no falls.  I gave it a good effort coming into the finish line, but was really completely wiped out.

Final results:  1:01:39, 19th overall of 190 finishers (exactly 90th percentile).  5th out of 37 in age group.

This was definitely both a very challenging and fun run.  I had been wanting to try this race for years, and it finally fit in my schedule.  Post-race I caught up with a few runners, and even introduced myself to a fellow RI'er (Chris Bessin).  With the post-race festivities and award ceremony being an hour and a half later in another location and having a 4+ hour drive ahead of me, I opted to skip that.  I was walking back to my car with the intention of at least coming back for a bagel and introducing myself to Paul Kirsch, but the no-see-um flies biting me and hiding in the mud on my legs was enough.  Got in the car and headed south.  By the time I got to Rochester, NH, my legs were pretty cramped up.  Enjoyed a hot shower at the YMCA there and a change into clean clothes.  I tried my best to clean up the mud and grime I left behind in their shower stalls!

Signs of a fun trail race!

Great race!  A lot of fun, free race pictures, well marked, and extremely well organized.