Big Fat Ass Weekend

Now that my Pineland training has officially started, Fridays are nearly always a scheduled day off. With the fat ass on Saturday, that made it a good fit for the week. Well, I didn't run, but I certainly used those same muscles probably much harder than if I had run.

Bethany and I set out to mark the course around 3pm, armed with orange spray paint and pruning clippers. I knew the two days of very warm weather and slight rain would have taken their toll on the trail, but...YIKES! Just 3 days earlier, the single track leading from our houses was very runnable. I'm sure it would have eventually broken down with lots of loops by lots of Monsters, but, it would have been good for most of it. We found ourselves breaking through almost every step, with snowshoes on! So we stomped and retraced our steps as best we could to get it packed. We'd gone just 1/2 mile in an hour.

At least we were to the snowmobile tracks and could stop our stomping. I had planned to run a bit between marking to finish faster, but we sank too much if we ran; I didn't want to make deep holes everywhere. Bethany had wanted to start spray painting in the driveway, I think! She was happy to finally start. We did an awful lot of laughing during all of this. It might have been a miserable task without her.

By the time (almost 3 hours in) we got to the last leg of the course , which was again single track and in very bad shape, we were just done. We pretended we were packing it, but never went back over it at all, let alone multiple times like we did on the first leg. The arrows that we sprayed at the driveway drained our two cans. Done. Now we just had to hope that it would cool down soon enough to firm things up.

I set my alarm for 6am and actually needed it! It was time to get all the hot stuff on the stove and then out to put the flags on the portion across the street (that's right, those 3 hours yesterday didn't include that mile). I think Rick, Linda, Bethany and I had just finished all the little details by the time the first car rolled up the driveway.

People and goodies just kept pouring in. I felt the excitement building. It's so cool to see everything coming together after all the planning and (needless) fretting. Bob Poirier brought another Adirondack chair he'd made as well as his odd friend, "Jacques"! I was really overwhelmed by the chair; what an amazing gift (he makes them himself along with lots of other amazing lawn furniture and such). He'd brought one last year, too...but that was my big 50 (still an amazing jesture, but a bigger event, sort of). Maybe my overwhelmed-ness accounts for me thinking Bob was actually going to run in that crazy get-up and humongous snowshoes.

After the race instructions (thanks to Jim and his big mouth for getting everyone's attention for me), we were off. I lead the way out onto that first stretch of single track. It had indeed firmed up, but people would sink deeply if they even hinted at not being squarely on the track. I heard a collective "yay" when we reached the well-packed and, apparently, recently groomed snowmobile trail. It was here that the faster runners went ahead. I was relieved not to have to push myself to try to lead the group through the first loop, knowing Beth and I had marked it well enough they wouldn't get lost.

About 1.5 miles in, Dora and I started running together : ) We chatted away, appreciating the day and all our Monster friends. A few times she slowed her pace when I was lagging. We finished up the first loop with Rick and George right on our heels.

Some food, some visiting, a change of shirts for me and then back out for the next loop. This time Mindy, Dora, and I set out together : D (see, an even bigger smile). I can't wait till we get our chick run (with all of us there) AND an Edna and Lucy lunch...oops, stick to the fun at hand!....More chattering, appreciating the day, cursing the wind, loving being a TM. I'm glad I was with Mindy and Dora; this was my toughest lap.

We stopped in one of the fields to talk to Linda Raymond and her friend, Amanda. They'd gotten lost on the way so weren't there for the group start. We realized we could gab all day, but should get going (they were headed the opposite direction). Unfortunately, Linda and Amanda were done and gone before I got to see them again. That's how fat asses can be.

Mindy and Dora were happy with two laps and headed in for well-earned food and visiting. I did a little of that, changed again and headed back out. Most of this lap I was on my own. I felt pretty rotten for the first 1.25 miles, but a bio-break got me right back on track. Ran solo till I met up with Zak Wieluns for the last mile and a half. I'd never met Zak and enjoyed getting to know him a bit. He'd run with Jim at Pineland the last two years and has just moved back to Maine from the Boston area. I hope we see a lot more of him. As we chatted, we got into "what-a-small-world" territory. He grew up in Friendship, ME and was home schooled. The woman that does our home school reviews for the state was his neighbor and also did his reviews! Wow! That lap was his final (4th) of the day. My 3rd and I felt better than I had all day. I knew I had another in me.

The house was beginning to fill up as more people finished up for the day. Ian and Emma had already done their four laps (it was so good to see them out there running together : ) I wish I could remember everyone. Ann and George were done and spreading their usual cheer. The beautiful cake they'd brought was untouched... I should have cut into it just so people wouldn't hesitate to take a piece; it was (is) yummy as well as beautiful.

So after a bit of visiting, a half of a beer, some time trying to shame Jim into joining me in a 4th lap,and another change of clothes, I was back out. Wow! That first single track was fairly un-runnable now. The crust had broken through over most of the entire length. I think I spent a little too long inside, I was stiffening up. Two miles in I also realized I should have had something more than 1/2 beer; I was starving and probably a little low on fluids. Still, the middle miles went quite well. I saw Bethany on her way to her longest run in her life!!! She was tired and happy. We laughed about trashing our legs the day before. She looked good. I thought we might be the only two out there. Then I saw Nate and Joe. They were going to get in all 50k+ (Those were TM miles...always a little more, rather than less!).

The last little bit of single track was even worse than the first (not surprising, given it was worse to start). I didn't even make an attempt to run it and walked the best I could. I did run to the finish up the drive to be cheered in by Jerry, Linda and Ann! Rick came out to greet me too.

I was happy to find TMs strewn around the living room,still enjoying hot food and goodies. Ryan and Jamie had run 5 laps (marathon distance) with hardly any breaks between laps. In fact, that seemed to be what all the runners getting in the most laps had done. Great job on a challenging course (wind and single track making up for a fairly gentle elevation profile)! I wish everyone could have stayed all day. I never want the party to end. I barely got to visit with Danielle with adorable baby Sam, Kate, my friend Judy and too many others. Oh well, thank you everyone!!! As Mindy puts it, I feel like a have a TM family.

I did very little else the rest of the day. I had talked about a moonlit final lap with Bethany, but we both bailed. Bethany drove down to Philly. I slept. Yay!!! I never sleep. It was good.

Sunday, I did the rest of the clean-up and then headed out for a run with Rick. We did the fat ass minus the messed-up single track. I was thankful to have flag picking up to do on the hill across the street; it gave me an excuse to walk it. We both felt good to loosen up. Then I was on the couch, under covers, drifting off for little catnaps the rest of the day.

PS. Pictures and mile totals to come