The miles fizzle out...

Well another week well under plan and relatively lackluster, with no LSD.  I had hoped for at least 65 or 70 miles this week but the major run of the week, and possibly this training cycle, just didn't happen.

Monday - Stroudwater, 6 @10:22.  Sluggish run. The middle two miles on the power lines were a bit challenging with the tall grass, deep mud and baby hills that kicked my ass. Definitely feeling the Baldface loop today.

Tuesday - Blackstrap Preserve, 8.75 @10:23.  Another slower run than anticipated with an overall fatigue. Not sure if it's the efforts from last month, or just general tiredness from getting back in the swing of things. I hit a few repeats at the Preserve, then went up the gas line and continued three quarters of a mile up the road then back for a fun finish.

Wednesday - Fitzpatrick Stadium, 6 @8:39.  Ran with a client for his first mile test since he was a kid. We warmed up a mile and then hit it in the pouring rain and wind. He did great and held on till the end. After a mile cool down walking and jogging I continued on with some 800's (2:49, 2:57, 2:57, 3:17). I only managed four of the eight I wanted to do. Just felt exhausted and kind of flu-like. The first three were OK, but when the last one took 20 seconds longer it was time to stop I knew I was either over-worked, or sick.

Thursday - Hartford Reservoir, CT, 8.3 @8:14.  Ran with the RRCA crew. Great run first with two loops on the road, then an out-and-back on the trails with Randy Accetta.  Surprisingly gorgeous area.

Friday - Penwood State Park, CT, 7.3 @9:14.  Great hilly run mostly on trails and single-track with Lianna, Lisa, and Randy.

Saturday - Off to rest for the Pemi.

Sunday - I picked up Ian, Zak, and Andy at 4:30 in the morning on Sunday to head to the Pemigewassett Wilderness to run the gorgeous 50k in the White Mountains.  We were all super excited but a few of us were a bit under the weather.  I was getting over a strange fatigue-cold, and Zak was really just starting to feel his own illness.  About half way there we stopped for a bio break and coffee and were about to head on our way when my truck decided it wasn't going to start.  Bummer.  We tried a little of this, and a little of that and after getting a jump from a passer-by decided it was the starter.

After calling my insurance company they said there was no one in the area open, and they were sending a service/tow truck.  After all it was 7:00 on father's day as well as Sunday.  They stated it would be $200 for the tow and there was only room for two people, so we'd need a taxi for the other riders.  Another bummer.  We had hoped to get it serviced in Conway and just head out somewhere while it was being worked on.  No such luck.


Around this time a super nice young dude name Gage stopped by and tinkered around a bit giving his expert-ex-car-garage advice and proclaimed it was the starter.  He was cool enough to drive the boys back to Portland so they could get in a run while I waited for the tow truck.  Really awesome of him.  So I apologized to the boys and they headed off down the road with a plume of cigarette smoke billowing out the car windows.

Tow truck arrives 45 minutes later, gives me a jump, car starts.  Sweet.  So I just ended up driving back to Scarborough to replace the battery and didn't bother getting a run in.  I felt really bad that the boys missed an awesome loop, especially Zak who has yet to do it, but such is life. 


Time:  5:40
Distance:  36.3
Elevation:  3096

I'm not going to bother stressing about the mileage.  I was sick last week and had a bunch of things going on.  It was probably also a good thing we didn't hit the Pemi Loop anyway with both Zak and I not at our best, it might have gotten ugly...

Next week I'm going to try a dramatic, but hopefully intelligent higher mileage week.  Ian and I chatted a bit about the specificity of the Pemi Loop and how that style of hard hiking, climbing, and running is really not that similar to the VT conditions.  It was great last year when we used it to train for the 100MW, but this year maybe we could get in other runs and call it good.