Training Log Archive: Ari-o

I'm self-diagnosing myself with reverse Seasonal Affected Disorder. The first warm, sunny day with humidity I am lethargic, I just don't want to do anything, especially after a sangria at mother's day lunch.

That said, May is supposed to be drinking season this year (as opposed to the usual post-Birkie March) and so far I've done 7 Sisters and on a "rest" weekend a 10 mile trail race. Uhm, yeah.

Ooh trail race! Really close by (30 minutes up 93 without traffic, or when I looked yesterday evening: "1:12 with traffic") so I met Alex at the BU Bridge (she crossed to Cambridge; I was waiting in Boston) and bopped on to Storrow and on to 93 and whee, there in a jiffy. The race was delayed from early April when the course was still covered in snow. No word if running out on the river would have been allowed.

It was cool-bordering-on-cold and clammy at the start, but not bad for a run. I felt very sluggish on the run out and back for the warm-up. We went slow with a couple pick-ups on the way back (hello 6:30 pace) and then got ready to start.

And trail race! The RD was hilarious, kind of like Andy Milne in enthusiasm but with a thick Boston accent. He was yelling things like "47 minutes to the start"; it's great to have someone with such unbridled enthusiasm. As this is the USATF New England trail running championships, he said "we made some course changes, but as always the course is certified as about ten miles" and "the first water stop is at mile 2.74, then there's one at the turn around at, what, let's say 4.99, and on the way back at 2.75 or whatever I said before." Lots of chuckles.

Then they said go and I was lined up way too far back and the whole course jammed in to the trail and hole shot! People ran in to each other. I burned way too many matches the first mile to pass people, and despite the jogging for the first couple of minutes ran a 7 minute split. Then there was a little hill, then a bigger hill, and I was with a smaller pack, with Stas just ahead, and then we went up the power lines hill. All of a sudden we went from nice rolling trail running hills to oh jesus wasn't Seven Sisters last weekend? But it was done and we went to the turn around and I had a glass of water.

By this point Stas had run ahead down a hill with a woman trailing him, and I was running about even with another woman. We went over the big hill with relative ease and most people yielding and then down. She seemed to run downhills like me, picking not flying, but we got to one with good footing and a run out and I took big leaps and whee put 15 seconds on her. There were a couple more hills and then it was flat.

I was running alone now, but I kept thinking she was right behind me although I never heard footsteps on bridges or saw her on tangents. I was feeling rather lethargic and managed a couple miles in the 7:30 range until finally hitting the real flats and deciding to try to outrun whatever may have been bhind me (my own breath, probably). I did this, and caught the woman in front of me, and almost Stas, and then finished. It was a bit warmer and sunny, but not hot, and we ate some food and went home.

Even after depositing Alex and picking up Russo's I was home by 1. Success!

So I rode bikes with Eric. Who is a real cyclist, like does races and stuff. Left home and biked fast to Davis to meet him, and then we started biking wicked slow because apparently he has a race tonight. Nice ride, but I was cold and it was slow. Then I biked home and had hot soup and put on a down jacket.

Ride out to O. Got decent directions which I wrote on a piece of paper and attached to my handlebar. Worked well. Only borked twice, once going through Union instead of left, another when I missed the turn across the Mystic. Went the wrong way up Park St in Medford (contraflow bike lane, guys!) and then took the Fellsway (three lanes of traffic and no bicycle accommodations, come on DCR). Going around the circle on the right side was fine, and then the ride past there was good.

Changed in the woods and ran the course. Real orienteering for a Park-O, fun! No map in front of me, but from memory … mostly took trails to the first couple; probably could have saved a little through the woods, then flummoxed 5 (I think) taking the wrong route out of the control. Reoriented well and ran to 6, and then got caught between two green marshes but decided that since none of the green was that bad to bash through it. Nice reentrant to follow to 7. Spiked the next few and went down to take the trolley grade and bridge to 12 but buggered the circle (might be some extra trails) then ran back through the parking lot.

And the ride home! Lights. Check. Sunglasses in the pack. Check. Compass, dipstick and such left on the table? Uh, yeah.

Well I was in a rush to at least have some daylight!

I did okay with the route, skirting the rotary of death and going straight through Medford and joggling over to Somerville. Down through Davis, down through Harvard, and then clear roads to a green light for the start of the Putnam to Post Office segment. Ooh! Ooh! Time to punch the accelerator and OH YOU DUMBASS CYCLIST WHY ARE YOU RUNNING THE RED LIGHT? OH AND YELLING AT ME? I SHOULD STOP? FOR YOU, WITH NO LIGHTS, RUNNING A RED?

Die. Just go and die in a hole.

No improvement on my time. I blame a headwind, and this goddamn biker. I should have chased him down and read him the riot act.

Advanced - Splits

Legs still sore this morning from Sunday. I did half a stadium but then stopped as they were getting more sore, not less.

In other news, apparently I'm supposed to call the doctor RIGHTAWAY if I find a tick for prophylactic antibiotics. Too late now, just monitor and hope that a) I got the bugger off in time (14 hours) and b) it wasn't a lymey tick anyway. No rash, yet, or swollen glands; and I think the tired piece is from not sleeping quite enough.

C • Ticks 3