I just poured myself a coffee and am not getting up till I get last week's runs down. Thursday and Friday I did a total of 10 miles in the fields. They are usually hard miles just because of the terrain. Also, I ran before the rain on Thursday so also had the heat to contend with. The nice thing about the fields (besides being able to start running as soon as I'm out the door) is I'm almost always rewarded with some wild life encounter.
Thursday I found out which tree the hawk couple has its nest in. One of them flew screeching in to the tree with a fairly large rodent dangling limp from its claws. Almost immediately, its mate took wing. They must still be feeding babies. I wonder when they'll fly the nest. Then I saw my turtle log. It was overflowing with turtles!
Friday's run, I saw two mom turkeys with their broods intermingled trying to avoid my interest. The turkeys have been very prolific this year.
Saturday Rick and I headed to Bradbury. When we got to the parking lot, a group of runners had already started gathering; none of them looked familiar. We did find Steve Day there a bit a part from the others. We chatted with Steve a bit, expecting to see Blaine and Erin and Chuck to be pulling in. The group of four other guys sorted of gathered at our car. Hmmm....I said something about not recognizing anyone, although one person looked familiar and sported an Inov8 hat. He said he recognized me. Sorry, Nate!
It seemed like it was time to get going. I was the only one that knew the course. So. I think I apologized that I wouldn't be going at a good enough pace (it was obvious just looking at the crew). Then Blaine and Erin pulled in! Whew! I was relieved. Mary showed up soon after. We waited a couple more minutes and then we were off.
Some how I was still the lead person. I wanted to go fast enough, but... somewhere short of four miles (on some wider part of the trail), I dropped back and asked Blaine to take the lead. He was more than happy to; after a fall he would be glad to see further down the trail than just the feet ahead of him. Bye! For a while, it was just Rick and I, but then we picked up Martin who didn't stay with the faster group.
Around 6.5 Rick decided to drop back more and told me to do my own pace. He was having ankle and achille issues. So I chatted Martin's ear off the rest of the Bruiser. He'd never done the race before and had only run at Bradbury one other time. I played tour guide and pointed out all my landmarks for miles.
I felt like I was pushing the pace on the O trail, but, the time didn't really reflect it. O well! It is sort of a Twilight Zone place. One pretty bad ankle twist near the end almost had me walking, but I know it's better to keep moving and ice it later. The worst part was wrenching the other knee when I was catching myself. Again, oh well, there'd be lots of icing that afternoon!
We chatted with the other runners who'd stayed in the lot after they finished. Another good day at Bradbury!
Sunday, I was dreading my run a bit because I was doing the shadeless fields and had waited till 11 a.m. to get going. It was already 86. Hot, yes, but a wonderful breeze had picked up. The humidity hadn't built in yet. I enjoyed my 4.5 way more than I thought.
It won't be long now before I am getting shots of adrenaline running the fields...I know from previous years that the snakes like to start sunning themselves out there. Almost stepping on a snake really makes the heart pound.
I apologize, but I'm not proofing this post.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday and a Wet Wednesday at Bradbury
Tuesday, I met up with TM Dora to run part of the Bruiser course. She'd already run with another friend for two laps of the Back Cove! I think driving up to the park after running, she probably stiffened up; our run started very slowly. About 3 miles in, she really started picking up the pace.
As always, we gabbed the entire way. The miles go much easier that way :) We did a little over 7 miles and called it good.
Today, Linda and I headed back to the Brad. The plan was for her to run the entire Bruiser. I decided to run it backwards. I hit the lap button at every mile marker, figuring it would be nice to make a note of where there's a mile left as well as all the other spots. This way, too, Linda would run her own pace and not feel like I was pushing her or that she was slowing me down.
We got out the door a little earlier than normal, knowing the weather was supposed to deteriorate as the day went on. I'm not sure when the rain started, but know we got in at least an hour of dry running. It made things more slippery when it came, but, it sure felt good!
I was surprised to meet up with Linda as early as I did. I think she pushed on the first half. On the return, we did our usual; I run ahead and come back. We were both pretty tired by the time we got to the O. I think I like it better running it backwards!
We made it back to the parking lot just as the heavy rain moved in.
Happy Birthday, Chris.
As always, we gabbed the entire way. The miles go much easier that way :) We did a little over 7 miles and called it good.
Today, Linda and I headed back to the Brad. The plan was for her to run the entire Bruiser. I decided to run it backwards. I hit the lap button at every mile marker, figuring it would be nice to make a note of where there's a mile left as well as all the other spots. This way, too, Linda would run her own pace and not feel like I was pushing her or that she was slowing me down.
We got out the door a little earlier than normal, knowing the weather was supposed to deteriorate as the day went on. I'm not sure when the rain started, but know we got in at least an hour of dry running. It made things more slippery when it came, but, it sure felt good!
I was surprised to meet up with Linda as early as I did. I think she pushed on the first half. On the return, we did our usual; I run ahead and come back. We were both pretty tired by the time we got to the O. I think I like it better running it backwards!
We made it back to the parking lot just as the heavy rain moved in.
Happy Birthday, Chris.
Sunday - Long Day, Short Run
Ryan woke me at 5:25 a.m. (I'd gone to sleep at 2 a.m.) to head in to the balloon festival to see their last launch. We've gone for lots of years now; it really doesn't get old.
The threat of rain seemed to keep the crowd small. Some of the special, themed balloons didn't launch. There were still enough balloons to make it worth the early wake up!
After the balloons were all airborne, we rushed home. Rick was waiting for me to head to Bradbury for his introduction to the O Trail. I didn't know if all the hype would make it seem...less. Should have had faith in the O! According to the Garmin, we did just 2.5 from the start line to the O and back. That was all we had time for; Ryan needed to head back to Providence.
So, a quick shower for me. Ryan loaded his stuff into the car and we were o
ff. Ugh! Sunday of one of the last weeks of summer is not a good time to be leaving Maine. It took forever to get to the Massachusetts border where traffic actually improved. Ryan travels very light; it didn't take long to get him moved in. A quick trip to Antonio's for very yummy pizza and I was back in the car, very thankful for coffee!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Brouser (an O is in there this time!)
What a great day for National Trail Running Day! The weather was perfect: low 50's, dry, and sunny. Rick, Linda, and I headed for the TM group run at Bradbury. Appropriately, there were lots of Monsters there for the run. I'd list them, but don't want to leave anyone out.
Rick and I hung on to the back of the faster runners for a little over a mile and then ran at a very comfortable pace by ourselves. Somewhere before turning onto the Bat Cave trail, we found Four, looking at his map. He happily joined our little group; we had lots of catching up to do.
Rick peeled off at the O trail; he'd planned from the start to do an O delete. I have to confess that Four's company made the twisty 2.4 miles of the O much more enjoyable than my last solo running. Not far from the end, Blaine joined us; he'd been running it backward after already doing the entire Bruiser.
Later in the afternoon I did some field miles (my marathon training schedule had called for 18 today). Ryan joined me for 3 of them.
Oh, Linda, Bethany, and I were joined by Karen on Friday for just over 6.6 miles on the Bruiser course. We did the Lanzo, Ragan, and Ginn to start, but then ran down the snowmobile trail to get to the part of the Ginn that meets up with Fox West. We ran the rest of the race course from there except for the O.
Rick and I hung on to the back of the faster runners for a little over a mile and then ran at a very comfortable pace by ourselves. Somewhere before turning onto the Bat Cave trail, we found Four, looking at his map. He happily joined our little group; we had lots of catching up to do.
Rick peeled off at the O trail; he'd planned from the start to do an O delete. I have to confess that Four's company made the twisty 2.4 miles of the O much more enjoyable than my last solo running. Not far from the end, Blaine joined us; he'd been running it backward after already doing the entire Bruiser.
Later in the afternoon I did some field miles (my marathon training schedule had called for 18 today). Ryan joined me for 3 of them.
Oh, Linda, Bethany, and I were joined by Karen on Friday for just over 6.6 miles on the Bruiser course. We did the Lanzo, Ragan, and Ginn to start, but then ran down the snowmobile trail to get to the part of the Ginn that meets up with Fox West. We ran the rest of the race course from there except for the O.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
There's No "O" in Bruiser
Pathfinder may be doing O Trail repeats; I'm doing O Trail deletes! Linda, Bethany, and I headed to Bradbury yesterday for some work on the Bruiser. I planned to run the entire course; they were looking for something over six miles. Linda had been in touch with a guy (David) camping at Bradbury who'd run the Breaker and was interested in running the Bruiser course while there. The plan was he'd run with me. This seemed pretty sensible since he'd beaten my time by like 5 seconds at the Breaker (OK, it was his first trail race ever).
When we got to the parking lot, David was just about to head out without us; we were late (can't skip Dunkin' Donuts on the way there no matter what the time). Quick introductions, runs to the outhouse and we were off. Being familiar with the course, I took the lead. Even though our times were nearly the same at the race, David is 28 and fit; I wanted to make sure I our pace was decent.
I hope he enjoyed the run as much as I did. Since he was new to trail running (not all that un-new to running altogether), we had lots to talk about. I was not really prepared for the humidity. I only brought 16 oz of Gatorade. David was even less prepared; he had about the same quantity, but it was just water AND he'd not eaten much at all. He hasn't found much in the way of running fuel that doesn't seem to bother his stomach. He's gonna have to work on that. He even gave me his GU. He only carries it for emergencies (like getting lost and needing food) because his stomach doesn't like that even while running. Nearly eight miles in, he was feeling pretty bad - a bit of nausea and lightheadedness. Wisely, he decided he would head back. Fortunately, we weren't far from the Link trail (off of Fox West) and I could point the way back for him.
Now I was alone and out of fluids myself, but still feeling pretty good. Chris's Garmin was not capturing the satellites well so I don't have the data, but I know we'd been running right along. When I stopped for a pee break, I couldn't believe how sweaty I was; the shorts were very difficult to get down and up. As I made my way up Knights Woods, I was convincing myself that I should skip the O Trail. It didn't take much; I really wanted liquids and I knew Linda and Beth would be waiting quite a while for me if I chose to run it.
Back at the car, I immediately downed another Gatorade. I called Linda; she and Beth were on the Link heading back. I ran out to meet them. They were pretty finished. Wow! None of us took the weather very seriously. Back in the parking lot, they marveled at my sweatiness. It looked like I'd just gotten out of a pool. I headed to the outhouse to change. I don't think I've ever left a puddle like that before (of sweat, guys). Yikes.
On the ride home, Linda's legs started doing the same cramping that she experienced during the Breaker : ( We all needed more fuel that run.
When we got to the parking lot, David was just about to head out without us; we were late (can't skip Dunkin' Donuts on the way there no matter what the time). Quick introductions, runs to the outhouse and we were off. Being familiar with the course, I took the lead. Even though our times were nearly the same at the race, David is 28 and fit; I wanted to make sure I our pace was decent.
I hope he enjoyed the run as much as I did. Since he was new to trail running (not all that un-new to running altogether), we had lots to talk about. I was not really prepared for the humidity. I only brought 16 oz of Gatorade. David was even less prepared; he had about the same quantity, but it was just water AND he'd not eaten much at all. He hasn't found much in the way of running fuel that doesn't seem to bother his stomach. He's gonna have to work on that. He even gave me his GU. He only carries it for emergencies (like getting lost and needing food) because his stomach doesn't like that even while running. Nearly eight miles in, he was feeling pretty bad - a bit of nausea and lightheadedness. Wisely, he decided he would head back. Fortunately, we weren't far from the Link trail (off of Fox West) and I could point the way back for him.
Now I was alone and out of fluids myself, but still feeling pretty good. Chris's Garmin was not capturing the satellites well so I don't have the data, but I know we'd been running right along. When I stopped for a pee break, I couldn't believe how sweaty I was; the shorts were very difficult to get down and up. As I made my way up Knights Woods, I was convincing myself that I should skip the O Trail. It didn't take much; I really wanted liquids and I knew Linda and Beth would be waiting quite a while for me if I chose to run it.
Back at the car, I immediately downed another Gatorade. I called Linda; she and Beth were on the Link heading back. I ran out to meet them. They were pretty finished. Wow! None of us took the weather very seriously. Back in the parking lot, they marveled at my sweatiness. It looked like I'd just gotten out of a pool. I headed to the outhouse to change. I don't think I've ever left a puddle like that before (of sweat, guys). Yikes.
On the ride home, Linda's legs started doing the same cramping that she experienced during the Breaker : ( We all needed more fuel that run.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Saturday and Monday
Saturday, Rick and I headed to Bradbury to work on the Bruiser course. We met up with TMs, Ian, Emma, Julia, Blaine and Erin along with a new trail runner, Christian. I planned to do the entire course; Rick had 6 to 8 miles in mind.
We all stayed together for almost 2 miles, but then the faster runners pulled ahead and/or Erin, Rick and I relaxed our pace. We chatted easily as we ran. Somewhere after crossing the snowmobile trail, still on the Ginn, Rick and I lost Erin.
Rick stayed with me till just over 7 miles and then headed back getting in around 8 miles before he was done. So, just me for the rest of the miles. I enjoyed them all till I realized around 9 miles that 8 oz of liquid really wasn't enough for this run. I don't know if that's why I hated the O trail so much or what. I've never even disliked it before...Oh, I've found it perplexing, discouraging, and lots of other adjectives, but always enjoyed it in some way...Not Saturday. I was so glad to finally recognize when I was nearly done.
So, I didn't have a great run, but there were some very good things. It was the first time in a long time that Emma had joined the Monsters on a Saturday run. Yay!!!! Also, slowly (knock on wood) Rick seems to be fighting back. That would be Yay- squared!
Sunday was Rick's last day of vacation. We decided to spend the day in Portland again. Had a great lunch in Ri Ra's and enjoyed the city.
Today, I ran the fields around here. A lot more territory has opened up to me since the farmers have all hayed recently. I didn't get out till 2:30, but glad that's when I went; I had a great wildlife encounter. Cresting a small hill in the farthest field, I spotted (tee hee...it was already spotted!) a fawn. I stopped. (S)He was watching me. We stared at each other for what seemed like 5 minutes. So I decided to talk to him/her. Still just stood looking at me. Finally I said something the deer didn't like and (s)he bounded zig-zaggy away. The fawn seemed pretty big to still have its spots, but, well, Yay!
My nearly 6 miles took nearly 60 minutes.
We all stayed together for almost 2 miles, but then the faster runners pulled ahead and/or Erin, Rick and I relaxed our pace. We chatted easily as we ran. Somewhere after crossing the snowmobile trail, still on the Ginn, Rick and I lost Erin.
Rick stayed with me till just over 7 miles and then headed back getting in around 8 miles before he was done. So, just me for the rest of the miles. I enjoyed them all till I realized around 9 miles that 8 oz of liquid really wasn't enough for this run. I don't know if that's why I hated the O trail so much or what. I've never even disliked it before...Oh, I've found it perplexing, discouraging, and lots of other adjectives, but always enjoyed it in some way...Not Saturday. I was so glad to finally recognize when I was nearly done.
So, I didn't have a great run, but there were some very good things. It was the first time in a long time that Emma had joined the Monsters on a Saturday run. Yay!!!! Also, slowly (knock on wood) Rick seems to be fighting back. That would be Yay- squared!
Sunday was Rick's last day of vacation. We decided to spend the day in Portland again. Had a great lunch in Ri Ra's and enjoyed the city.
Today, I ran the fields around here. A lot more territory has opened up to me since the farmers have all hayed recently. I didn't get out till 2:30, but glad that's when I went; I had a great wildlife encounter. Cresting a small hill in the farthest field, I spotted (tee hee...it was already spotted!) a fawn. I stopped. (S)He was watching me. We stared at each other for what seemed like 5 minutes. So I decided to talk to him/her. Still just stood looking at me. Finally I said something the deer didn't like and (s)he bounded zig-zaggy away. The fawn seemed pretty big to still have its spots, but, well, Yay!
My nearly 6 miles took nearly 60 minutes.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Slow and Slower
Thursday I headed to Thorncrag in between a Walmart and Hannaford stop (I swear, the people in Hannaford must think I never shower!). My knees were feeling a little better as was my arch/ankle. Unfortunately, my right hamstring decided to ask for attention.
Good thing there were other things to keep myself occupied with. I enjoyed seeing various people multiple times on the trails. It makes me happy to see the Sanctuary get used so much. I had to smile at this huge kid running up the main trail. I'm sure he was a football player getting in shape for the season. I'd hate to get drag nearly 300 pounds up that grade!
Almost at the end of my run, I saw my pair of pileated woodpeckers. I hope they're nesting.
Today, I headed to Bradbury with Bethany. It was her first introduction to the Bruiser course. Bethany was surprised that the Scuffle looked totally different running it in reverse! We just did a bit over 7 miles and needed to call it a run.
Good thing there were other things to keep myself occupied with. I enjoyed seeing various people multiple times on the trails. It makes me happy to see the Sanctuary get used so much. I had to smile at this huge kid running up the main trail. I'm sure he was a football player getting in shape for the season. I'd hate to get drag nearly 300 pounds up that grade!
Almost at the end of my run, I saw my pair of pileated woodpeckers. I hope they're nesting.
Today, I headed to Bradbury with Bethany. It was her first introduction to the Bruiser course. Bethany was surprised that the Scuffle looked totally different running it in reverse! We just did a bit over 7 miles and needed to call it a run.
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