Miscellaneous Rambling:
- Is it rude to decline someone's request for you to switch airline seats, so they can sit together with their loved one? While I normally acquiesce, when a woman asked me last week so that she could sit with her husband, I looked at my spacious exit row seat, her sardines-style cramped seat three seats in, and I declined stating the fact that I had paid extra specifically to get the seat with more leg room. Neither her nor her husband argued, but didn't really say too much either. I felt like a jerk.
- Driving through 5 of the 6 New England states this past weekend, I appreciated that I was never on the same stretch of road for more than 50 miles. As with road runs, if the next turn is coming up relatively quickly, even though it's the same total distance and time, my perception is that it seems to go by quicker when the road changes. Contrast this with my humdinger of a long continuous road stretch that Google Maps GPS deflated me with last week:
494 miles?! Ugh.
It looks like we're going to be on I-81 for a while!
Back in RI. Dead tired in the morning from the long road trip, and leaving Texas at 3am yesterday, but somehow felt fine after work and went for a run at Bradford Preserve to check out the WHS XC course and WTAC Pumpkins course both having some overlap. The irony is that the Pumpkins course is just fine and needs no maintenance for October 5, but the high school XC course definitely needs some work before we setup the course for the first home meet in September 10. Yikes, that's just two weeks away; I better get organized.
Felt good on the run. My favorite part is still the Hansel & Gretel trail we created, a twisty single-track through the pines.
Tuesday: 5
AM run from the house on Misquamicut roads. Wonderful 48 degrees! Felt like an effort to run low 7s, but otherwise everything felt good.
Wednesday: 5
Was up in Providence for the day, and then my 12-3 meeting got cancelled. Since my 3-4 and 4-5 meetings were over WebEx (i.e., not in person), there was no longer a need for me to stay in Providence for the rest of the day. I had put running clothes in my car just in case, and starting my drive out of the city, pondered whether I wanted to run Big River, Tillinghast, or Arcadia. I settled on Arcadia, and of course the only area I know really well there (Hudson up to Breakheart Pond). It was raining, but I didn't care as it was 68 degrees, so I just went shirtless to avoid chafing. By the end of the run, it was pretty much a downpour, and a blast! Must have missed a trail turn somewhere, as I ended up on Route 165, but that was OK as it was a very short section and actually fun splashing through the puddles and running rivers on the road.
Thursday: 5
Four days in a row running?! Wow, what's up with that? Just feeling really, really good running lately. Finally! Yes, the rheumatic issues are simply masked by the Prednisone, but pending what the rheumatologist says in four weeks, that's likely my immediate course of treatment anyway.
Anyhow, ran in Woody Hill at lunch from Fallon Trail. Was angry at the additional housing development going on there, as it blocked both the trail and access to the trailhead parking lot. Huge ugly piles of rocks, denuded trees, and mud were in its place, as noisy machinery continued stripping the woodlands while belching foul smoke into the atmosphere. It reminded me of scenes from "The Lorax" that I read to my kids 15 or more years back, although in my ranting Strava post I wrongly attributed the Lorax character as the bad guy instead of The Once-ler.
Anyhow, after I calmed myself down, I did actually enjoy my trail run on very quiet trails.
Friday: 0
Had planned to go out and run 8-miles around the pond, but then I realized that would result in this week's mileage being more than double each of the past three, and I'm trying to have some modicum of sensibility in building back up. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Saturday: 6
Slept in (7:30am). Drove down to Weekapaug Breachway and snagged one of the last free parking spots. Kind of made up my meandering run as I went along. Best part for me was in Cove Road area when I repeatedly ran into (not literally!) the same youngster and his dad on bikes. He was probably about 6 years old, and I loved that every time I saw him, he would count how many encounters we had (4 total) and get as excited as a puppy dog to see me and wave to me from far away, usually exclaiming, "Dad, it's THAT guy, AGAIN!!". Just as I derive pleasure from the attention of puppy dogs, it did also bring a smile to a old man to see the joy and friendliness of a child.
Easy, easy pace of about 8-flat, but notwithstanding, the best I've felt running in a long time!
Went for a refreshing short swim in the ocean, and hung out for a few minutes at the Innlet, eating an apple cider donut (I believe a favorite of Tommy 5K), drinking an iced coffee, and of course checking up on what's happening on Strava.
Sunday: 8
Mount Greylock Road Race, Adams, MA
Race substitute: I had not originally planned to run this race, but when I dropped out of Ascutney Mountain Race in early June when I was having all sorts of rheumatic ailments and having trouble walking, I needed to pick up another race if I still wanted to finish the USATF-NE Mountain Race Series (6 out of 8 required), and Greylock all of a sudden was in. While I am still awaiting official diagnosis (rheumatologist appointment in three weeks), the likely diagnosis of Polymyalgia Rheumatica from two doctors and current treatment and dosage have me feeling back to normal, even if masked by Prednisone.
Panicked arrival: On race day, I simply copied/pasted the address on the hosting website (Berkshire Running Company), but unfortunately it brought me to the wrong place (Greylock Visitor Center). This was 7:49am against a starting time of 8:30am. Their website (in my opinion as an RD) is really quite poor and offers no course map, photos, etc. Went to ask about the race start at the Visitor Center, only to find out it's closed until 9am! Scrambling on Internet searches on my phone, I found the race has an FB page (I don't use FB, so I previously never saw this) with a different address for the start, which when I plugged it in to Google Maps, I got a time to location of 30 minutes. It's 7:55am now! Yikes! Panic. I bombed it up and down dirt roads and arrived at the race start at 8:22am (eight minutes before start). People were lined for the race, and I had just enough time to pick up my bib (fortunately I had pre-registered) along with some weird translucent timing things you attach to each hip, and perform my daily constitutional. In fact, I was literally just exiting the loo as the air horn signaling the race start went off ...
Race 1st half: Since the race has just started, it means I'm behind the back of the pack. That's OK as I really had no expectations and figured I'd likely be walking parts of the race. After less than 1/4 mile, there was plenty of room to pass for the rest of the race. By the second mile, there were a number of people now walking as I passed them. While I had no desire to walk at this point, I feared later in the race if I encountered more people walking, I would have to fight off the half of my brain that would ask wouldn't I be more comfortable if I just joined them and walked? Fortunately, unbeknownst to me at the time was the fact that Mile 2 would be my steepest (501') and slowest (9:57) of the day. It was towards the end of Mile 2 that I passed GLRR green singlet and he would be with me for the next five miles as he alternated his walking steeper parts and running the rest.
Race 2nd half: I constantly saw GLRR green singlet in front of me. He would get a little ahead of me with his running, and then come back to me when he walked. I pondered what GLRR stood for. Between VT being so close and green being their state color, I was thinking some flavor of "Green Mountain Road Runners", but couldn't figure it out. Green Lakes? Great Lakes? Green Leprechauns? At about Mile 6, we left the constant shade and had some occasional sunny exposed and hot sections. Fortunately, at this point in the race, there were many level and even some downhill sections. I came up on a runner that was taking off his shoes and socks. What is going on? After I passed him, I heard a constant slapping sound behind me and glanced back to find him running barefoot on asphalt while carrying his shoes and socks in his hands. That must be awkward. At mile 7, I passed GLRR green singlet for the last time, as he gave me some encouragement. An easy uphill finish and done.
Final results: 1:09:03, 28th out of 194, 7th in age group. Full results here.
So I am happy with those results? Well, absent any qualifier, I probably wouldn't be, but the fact that I'm back running again, have full mobility on my mornings, and finished this without walking and on zero training, you bet I'm happy! 5 mountain series races down, 1 to go (Waterville Valley on 9/29).
By the way, I found out that GLRR stands for Greater Lowell Road Runners. I wasn't even close.
Weekly mileage: 35
Weekly synopsis: 35 is the highest mileage since late May, when I came down with the rheumatic issues. In fact, it would have been more, except that I'm trying to be deliberate in carefully building up miles. I'm feeling really good!
Weekly highlight: Mount Greylock Road Race. I surprised myself, and kind of actually enjoyed it!
Weekly lowlight: Deforestation and mess at Fallon Drive blocking trails and trailheads. What price progress?
Tuesday: 5
AM run from the house on Misquamicut roads. Wonderful 48 degrees! Felt like an effort to run low 7s, but otherwise everything felt good.
Wednesday: 5
Was up in Providence for the day, and then my 12-3 meeting got cancelled. Since my 3-4 and 4-5 meetings were over WebEx (i.e., not in person), there was no longer a need for me to stay in Providence for the rest of the day. I had put running clothes in my car just in case, and starting my drive out of the city, pondered whether I wanted to run Big River, Tillinghast, or Arcadia. I settled on Arcadia, and of course the only area I know really well there (Hudson up to Breakheart Pond). It was raining, but I didn't care as it was 68 degrees, so I just went shirtless to avoid chafing. By the end of the run, it was pretty much a downpour, and a blast! Must have missed a trail turn somewhere, as I ended up on Route 165, but that was OK as it was a very short section and actually fun splashing through the puddles and running rivers on the road.
Thursday: 5
Four days in a row running?! Wow, what's up with that? Just feeling really, really good running lately. Finally! Yes, the rheumatic issues are simply masked by the Prednisone, but pending what the rheumatologist says in four weeks, that's likely my immediate course of treatment anyway.
Anyhow, ran in Woody Hill at lunch from Fallon Trail. Was angry at the additional housing development going on there, as it blocked both the trail and access to the trailhead parking lot. Huge ugly piles of rocks, denuded trees, and mud were in its place, as noisy machinery continued stripping the woodlands while belching foul smoke into the atmosphere. It reminded me of scenes from "The Lorax" that I read to my kids 15 or more years back, although in my ranting Strava post I wrongly attributed the Lorax character as the bad guy instead of The Once-ler.
Anyhow, after I calmed myself down, I did actually enjoy my trail run on very quiet trails.
 |
| On a positive note, the Woody Hill Marsh is still secluded and idyllic. |
Friday: 0
Had planned to go out and run 8-miles around the pond, but then I realized that would result in this week's mileage being more than double each of the past three, and I'm trying to have some modicum of sensibility in building back up. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Saturday: 6
Slept in (7:30am). Drove down to Weekapaug Breachway and snagged one of the last free parking spots. Kind of made up my meandering run as I went along. Best part for me was in Cove Road area when I repeatedly ran into (not literally!) the same youngster and his dad on bikes. He was probably about 6 years old, and I loved that every time I saw him, he would count how many encounters we had (4 total) and get as excited as a puppy dog to see me and wave to me from far away, usually exclaiming, "Dad, it's THAT guy, AGAIN!!". Just as I derive pleasure from the attention of puppy dogs, it did also bring a smile to a old man to see the joy and friendliness of a child.
Easy, easy pace of about 8-flat, but notwithstanding, the best I've felt running in a long time!
Went for a refreshing short swim in the ocean, and hung out for a few minutes at the Innlet, eating an apple cider donut (I believe a favorite of Tommy 5K), drinking an iced coffee, and of course checking up on what's happening on Strava.
Sunday: 8
Mount Greylock Road Race, Adams, MA
Race substitute: I had not originally planned to run this race, but when I dropped out of Ascutney Mountain Race in early June when I was having all sorts of rheumatic ailments and having trouble walking, I needed to pick up another race if I still wanted to finish the USATF-NE Mountain Race Series (6 out of 8 required), and Greylock all of a sudden was in. While I am still awaiting official diagnosis (rheumatologist appointment in three weeks), the likely diagnosis of Polymyalgia Rheumatica from two doctors and current treatment and dosage have me feeling back to normal, even if masked by Prednisone.
Panicked arrival: On race day, I simply copied/pasted the address on the hosting website (Berkshire Running Company), but unfortunately it brought me to the wrong place (Greylock Visitor Center). This was 7:49am against a starting time of 8:30am. Their website (in my opinion as an RD) is really quite poor and offers no course map, photos, etc. Went to ask about the race start at the Visitor Center, only to find out it's closed until 9am! Scrambling on Internet searches on my phone, I found the race has an FB page (I don't use FB, so I previously never saw this) with a different address for the start, which when I plugged it in to Google Maps, I got a time to location of 30 minutes. It's 7:55am now! Yikes! Panic. I bombed it up and down dirt roads and arrived at the race start at 8:22am (eight minutes before start). People were lined for the race, and I had just enough time to pick up my bib (fortunately I had pre-registered) along with some weird translucent timing things you attach to each hip, and perform my daily constitutional. In fact, I was literally just exiting the loo as the air horn signaling the race start went off ...
Race 1st half: Since the race has just started, it means I'm behind the back of the pack. That's OK as I really had no expectations and figured I'd likely be walking parts of the race. After less than 1/4 mile, there was plenty of room to pass for the rest of the race. By the second mile, there were a number of people now walking as I passed them. While I had no desire to walk at this point, I feared later in the race if I encountered more people walking, I would have to fight off the half of my brain that would ask wouldn't I be more comfortable if I just joined them and walked? Fortunately, unbeknownst to me at the time was the fact that Mile 2 would be my steepest (501') and slowest (9:57) of the day. It was towards the end of Mile 2 that I passed GLRR green singlet and he would be with me for the next five miles as he alternated his walking steeper parts and running the rest.
Race 2nd half: I constantly saw GLRR green singlet in front of me. He would get a little ahead of me with his running, and then come back to me when he walked. I pondered what GLRR stood for. Between VT being so close and green being their state color, I was thinking some flavor of "Green Mountain Road Runners", but couldn't figure it out. Green Lakes? Great Lakes? Green Leprechauns? At about Mile 6, we left the constant shade and had some occasional sunny exposed and hot sections. Fortunately, at this point in the race, there were many level and even some downhill sections. I came up on a runner that was taking off his shoes and socks. What is going on? After I passed him, I heard a constant slapping sound behind me and glanced back to find him running barefoot on asphalt while carrying his shoes and socks in his hands. That must be awkward. At mile 7, I passed GLRR green singlet for the last time, as he gave me some encouragement. An easy uphill finish and done.
Final results: 1:09:03, 28th out of 194, 7th in age group. Full results here.
 |
| Just yards from the race finish. Beautiful up here! (Pic courtesy of Jana) |
 |
| Post race at the summit with Kevin |
So I am happy with those results? Well, absent any qualifier, I probably wouldn't be, but the fact that I'm back running again, have full mobility on my mornings, and finished this without walking and on zero training, you bet I'm happy! 5 mountain series races down, 1 to go (Waterville Valley on 9/29).
By the way, I found out that GLRR stands for Greater Lowell Road Runners. I wasn't even close.
Weekly mileage: 35
Weekly synopsis: 35 is the highest mileage since late May, when I came down with the rheumatic issues. In fact, it would have been more, except that I'm trying to be deliberate in carefully building up miles. I'm feeling really good!
Weekly highlight: Mount Greylock Road Race. I surprised myself, and kind of actually enjoyed it!
Weekly lowlight: Deforestation and mess at Fallon Drive blocking trails and trailheads. What price progress?
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