Friday, Saturday VT 100-on-100, Sunday off

Friday: 3.5 easy.
Saturday: VT 100-on-100. 3 legs:
5.3: 29:10 (5:30/mi);
7.2: 42:10 (5:50/mi)*;
5.0: 28:10 (5:42/mi).

21 miles including warm-up and short cooldown. I was pretty happy with each leg, *except for having to stop for a little over a minute during the middle leg to sort out some GI issues. I learned I shouldn't eat lots of raw hazelnuts and almonds before running hard... go figure. Had a really fun time with a bunch of friends and feeling optimistic about running well at Manchester. These paces certainly didn't come easy, but I have exactly 11 weeks to make something around 5:50 pace feel comfortable. Time to recover, and then go to work!

Sunday: Off; recovery day.

Total: 68 miles on 6 days. 79 miles on a rolling 7 days. Plan is to go easy this week with some light track work and and maybe to check out the Carlisle xc 6k.

Thursday, 8/15 Steady

Noon: 71:45 / 11 milesStarted steady, found a groove, couple pit stops, sub-6 for last 1.5 or so plus a short cooldown to make it an even 11. 670' elevation gain. The run came together pretty easily but still getting back to form. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/359418475. Hopefully this means I'm prepared to run around 6's for 17.5 miles (three legs) of the VT 100-on-100 Relay this weekend!!  + 3.4 mile shakeout at the Jaime's fun run in the evening. 14.4 total.

Wednesday, 8/14

57 minutes / 8 steady throughout the Ward reservation in North Andover. Fantastic views from Holt and Boston Hills.

Monday and Tuesday

Monday: 52 minutes / 7 miles on Andover trails. Tired but felt better toward the end.
Tuesday: 1:26:30 / 12.4 miles on trails at Winnekenni with Alliette and the last 6 with the varsity boys from Haverhill and Methuen. Pretty bonky near the end due to the increase in training recently but felt strong despite it. Progress!

It's been a minute! Update!

It has been exactly one month to the day since I last posted. On July 12th I embarked on the longest outdoor excursion of my life and it absolutely changed my perspective of what it means to be an everything-outdoors enthusiast! I was a youth leader for 5 boys entering the 9th grade along with two "sherpas" who led us through a flooded and confusing network of waterways. The days were long but the conversation was saturated with amazing insights and hilarious personalities. After a 3 days of paddling and a 3 mile portage, we finally arrived at Upper Lake Saranac. We paddled the length of Saranac which was breathtakingly awesome and continued for another couple of days to our eventual pick-up point. We gathered at camp for the final night which was a fun celebration for all of the groups who had been out on trip with food and festivities. And the proof that this camp has the right idea: the final morning before departure, every camper was bussed 8.6 miles away from camp and asked to run home. Obviously, I hadn't been able to run over the course of the trip, so I took the opportunity to rip it up in a pair of old Mizuno racing flats which I had been using as boat shoes. I covered the run in 51-52 minutes (nobody was there to give me the exact time when I finished). We arrived home on July 20th and I spent a few days resting on Cape Cod.

The part of the story I haven't shared is annoying. During the trip I got stung by a wasp. Said wasp proved to cause a localized reaction and an infection. Eventually I had to be "evac'ed" by car to the ER where I treated for a puncture wound and infection with a Tetanus shot and antibiotics. The antibiotics required that I not spend time in direct sunlight without risk of a "negative reaction". Well, while on the Cape I ran on a sunny day and my legs and arms broke out in a freaky rash and my throat and eyes got really itchy and my breathing became labored. I treated with Benadryl right away. I wanted to stop taking the antibiotics right then and there, but I didn't because 1) I had an infection! and 2) because my wife Lauren is a nurse and she advised me better. Long story made shorter: Carver at the end of the week was a bust because I again had a reaction to the sun before the race even started. 'Nuff said.

My moved have been infrequent since then. My knee was bugging me as I was coming back off of 8 days of no running on the trip. BUT, the silver lining is recent training is going better and better. The past few days are below:

Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday: 7 miles at the Whirlaway team practice
Wednesday: 4.5 miles with Alex in Westford

Thursday: 0 unplanned day off, but all's good.
Friday: 8 miles at 6:11/mile

Saturday: 9.4 miles roads 6:47/mile

Sunday: 10.3 miles roads with Tim Mallard 6:40/mile

Summary: 48 miles this week. Nothing crazy, but healthy and motivated!