Girl Look At That Body! I Workout!

June 27th (Thursday): 6:30am wakeup. 2 miles (NT) on my own. Protein shake for breakfast. Chicken and avocado wrap for lunch with a couple snacks. Home to relax for a while (mentally preparing for the heat and the track workout) before gearing up for the car ride.

Over to Burnt Hills high school by 7pm. 2 mile warmup (14:49) through the neighborhoods. Walked over to the track and noticed about 30+ high school football players ready to do some track work on the homestretch. Hmm. A few odd looks as I walking towards the group (thinking this skinny kid is planning on joining the team in the fall?) Walked over to the starting line to change into flats and stride it out on the backstretch. I slowly approached the group and before I could say anything, one of the kids asks "You want us to stay clear of lane 1?" I nodded in agreement and thanked him. I was gonna talk to the coaches, but no need to anymore. I trotted down the homestretch and heard the kid say "Alright, move over to lane 2 guys!" Sweetness. Two days in a row. Genuinely nice people. Woohoo!

6x800, 6x200. 400 rest between the 8's and 200 rest between the 2's.

2:22, 2:21, 2:21, 2:19, 2:21, 2:18. Keep the rest honest.
32, 33, 31, 31, 30, 29. Boom.

6 miles on the track in 33:43. Laid on the track and could feel the heat radiating off my body. Walked it back to the parking lot to throw a shirt on for the cooldown. 2 miles (15:20) through the same neighborhoods as the warmup. With a freshly shampooed car, I placed my extra shirt on the back of the seat and a plastic bag to sit on. I need to purchase a couple beach towels for these occasions when my shorts are drenched with sweat and I am still sweating driving back to the house.

Home to make a open wrap turkey burger with peppers and onions topped with ketchup. Upstairs to crash after a nice 12 mile day.

Housed it down with a fork & knife.

Day of Smiles

June 26th (Wednesday): 6:20am wakeup. Out for the normal 3 mile (20:39) loop. Passed by a walker and exchanged greetings with a "Good morning!" Right after that interaction, there was a guy about to enter his car to go to work. I thought maybe it was too early or too ambitious to say good morning to him (so I didn't). I already passed his driveway and I hear "Good morning!" I reciprocate the gesture and continue on my way. I am about to take a left turn onto Walden Road and the guy was turning left in his car at the same. I got a friendly beep and a wave. Cool. When these type of things happen, it allows me to keep the faith that the world will be okay and there are still genuinely nice people out there.

Work 7:30am-4pm. Protein shake for breakfast. Burrito mix for lunch. A snack when I got home and Goup headed out around 5:30pm for the night. I ended up falling asleep soon after he left on the couch for a couple hours. Woke up at 8:15pm to a well rested body and ready for a late night run. All said and done, I was out the door by 9pm for 9 miles (63:08). Sporting the reflector vest and a big ole face of excitement. Lost my bearings in the back neighborhoods as I was exploring, but made it back safely. With a 1/2 mile to go, I usually pass by a huge grass field. This time (being 10pm) it was filled with lightning bugs (fireflies) and it reminded me of vacation for some reason. A comforting feeling and put me in extra good spirits.

 

Brightness!

Back to stretch, foam roll, and make a protein shake. Bowl of cereal for dinner and bed at a decent hour.

Smooth Focused Relaxed

June 25th (Tuesday): 6:30am wakeup. 2 miles (NT) with Goup. Protein shake for breakfast. Prepared double chicken/spinach/avocado wraps with French dressing. Some serious rain and hail at the end of the work day. No big deal. Just a passing shower, but craziness for a solid 15-20 minutes.

Home to snack and relax. Nature's Path crunchy granola bar for a snack. Some Gatorade. Chilled and out for a run by 6:30ish. Mapped out a run for a tempo 7 miles. Made sure to incorporate a few rolling hills throughout the entire run. Wrote it all down on a piece of notebook paper for guidance. One Newman-O for a extra boost right before the run.

 

 Organized chaos!

 

Damp, but still legible.

8.5 mile loop. 1st mile was taken as a warmup in 6:52. Started the tempo after that.

1 mile: 5:36
2 mile: 5:25
3 mile: 5:21
4 mile: 5:21
5 mile: 3:53? (missed a small side horseshoe loop, but continued the course)
6 mile: 5:26 (some decent uphill and thrown off from the last split)
7 mile: 5:18
"Extra": 1:29

Ended up mapping out the tempo section of the run and it was exactly 7 miles. The loop: 37:50. 5:23 pace. Sweet deal. 1+ mile cooldown in 6:55. 9.1 miles in 51:38. Felt relaxed and just ran as smooth as possible. Stayed in the middle of the road where I could just focus on the path in front of me and the end goal. Some decent climbs that validated the time.

Back to stretch, foam roll, and make myself an avocado and chicken wrap for dinner with a protein shake. Blueberry yogurt and crushed up Newman-Os for dessert.

 

1/2 of an avocado. Sweet Baby Ray's. 

11+ miles on the day, iced any aches/pains, and bed at a decent hour.

Better Than AC

June 24th (Monday): No morning run. Protein shake for breakfast. Burrito mix for lunch. Work 7:30am-4:00pm. Muggy and sticky outside. Sweating just standing around observing. Stayed hydrated.

Down to Target and Home Depot immediately after work. Picked up a couple box fans, Clif bars, and car air fresheners (black ice) at Target. Roamed through all the aisles and departments. Over to Home Depot to pick up safety (ANSI Z87.1-2010) sunglasses for work and some Gorilla tape for the loose rubber molding on the driver side front door.

Storm ripped through Ballston Lake so waited it out with television. 10 miles (68:48) with Goup along the bike path around 7:30pm. Home to stretch, foam roll, and cook up my marinated chicken. Spinach, avocado, BBQ sauce and chicken wrap. Mmm. So good and yet so simple.

Made a decent Runningwarehouse order (trainers, half tights, and Body Glide). I set up my box fans (one pointed inwards in one window, the other pointing out another window) right when I arrived home (from the store) and closed my bedroom door. When I headed up to crash for the night, I stepped into a icebox. Felt amazing. Added a blanket to the the single sheet for the night. No big deal. Probably was about 8-10 degrees cooler in my room than the hallway.

 Reminded me immediately of Bob Wiles.

Weekend of Adventure

June 22nd (Saturday): 8:30am wakeup. Vegged out most of the morning with lots of eating. Protein shake, cereal, Clif bar, and some other random goodies. Eventually out for a run around 2:45pm. Drove over to the bike path (4 miles away) to explore the trail. Which way do you think I ventured? Two roads diverge and I take the one less traveled...

Pavement?

Dirt/Grass?

10 miles (70:13) all on trail, rock, grass and water? There was a river crossing that I couldn't get around without trudging through shin deep. Well, I tried rock hopping and miserably failed. Whatever. It was an out and back along the power lines and made a 2nd attempt on my way back. Slipped right off the rock and back in the water. All good. Rocking the trail shoes and thick socks.

Back to the house to stretch, foam roll and shower up. Ran some errands and hit up the Honda and Subaru dealerships around 4:30pm. Checked out all the Civics, Accords, Imprezas. I didn't bother communicating with any salesman since today was just a preliminary search. 

2013 Honda Civic EX.

2013 Honda Accord EX.

After seeing all the clean cars (the Subarus were just not as good on gas mileage), I brought mine to the car wash down in Clifton Park (free from my oil change the other month). It was an automated one on a track and once it was complete, a guy popped inside to bring it over to have it dried off with towels. He stepped out and waved his hand in front of his nose. I yelled over, "Does it smell?!" He nodded in confirmation. Hmmm. Stopped at Walmart to pick up oil, Gatorade, cereal, and DVDs. 

Filled the tank with gas and behind the gas station to use the vacuum station. Cleaned it out completely. Lots of recyclables, wrappers, and just random things. Threw away all the trash and went to town for 5 minutes (that's how much time it allocate for the $1.50) on the car. Stopped in at Hannaford's to rent the Rug Doctor with the tool accessory for 24 hours. 

Home by 7:45pm to shampoo the entire car. Boiled some water, added Dawn and Lysol multipurpose cleaner to pour into the Rug Doctor. Front seat and back seat 2-3 times over to ensure cleanliness. Watched Warm Bodies (the Zombie that is changing) with Goup. Pretty friggin funny. 

Bed at a decent hour to be the designated driver for the morning at the Adirondack Distance Run 10 Miler (aka the non-runner that will be driving from the start to the finish line since it's a point A to point B course).

June 23rd (Sunday): 5am wakeup. Oat bran and a protein shake. Carpooled in the Mom Volvo (Renee's car) up to Lake George. Arrived by 6:30am. Packet pickup and a 2 mile (14+) warmup. I was in shorts and a singlet. People were wondering if I was racing (defending champ), but I was just spectating. Watched the start and hopped in the car to the 2 mile mark. Made the mistake of parking on the right side of the road. Barely squeezed through the 7 minute pace herd.

Down to the 5 mile mark and parked on a side street on the LEFT for easy escape to the finish. Watched all the girls/guys pass by that I knew and continued down to the finish. Slow traveling so I was able to make a couple easy shout-outs around 7-8 miles.

Watched the finish. Chilled. 5 mile cooldown with a couple of the Fleet Feet girls on the rolling hills past Bolton Landing. On the road by 10:30ish. Back to Ballston Lake to take a necessary nap for 4 hours. Up to head out for a 2nd run by 6:30ish. 12 miles (83:31) on my own. 5 of the miles on the trails. Felt great on the legs. Hollered at by some a bunch of high school graduates at the party while I was semi-lost/exploring a neighborhood. Ended up being a dead end so I had to pass by them a second time. Greeted with, "There he is again! Whoo! Yeahhhh! You work that hill!" A friendly wave and thank you sufficed at a response.

Home to stretch, foam roll, and ice. Shower at some point. Burrito mix for the week. 2 pounds of chicken that I was gonna cook up, but ended up note. Marinated instead in the refrigerator. No worries. Bed by a decent hour. Tossed and turned due to the heat rising to the 2nd floor. Ughh! Box fans will be purchased.

Chili powder, hot sauce, chicken rub, pepper, Italian dressing. 

Runners on the back of the wraps package. Gotta be healthy.

19 miles on the day. 62 miles on the week with no real workouts, a day off and a distance day. Higher mileage this upcoming week with a couple solid workouts. Should be a fun one. Loon in 2 weeks.

Post Mount Washington Week

June 17th (Monday): Protein shake for breakfast. Burrito mix (leftovers from last week) for lunch. Normal day at work. Hit up the grocery store with Goup for a couple more things. Goup helped me out by driving down to Schenectady to R&J Auto so I could drop off my car (pinhole in the muffler turned into a decent one on the ride home yesterday from Keene over route 7 and the check engine light was on from about 6 months ago). Renaldo took care of me last time so I couldn't be steered wrong this time either (no pun intended).

Run at 7:30pm. 5 miles (35:18) with Goup. Easy run and wrap full of spinach/chicken. Bed at a decent hour.

Mouthful of spinach.

June 18th (Tuesday): Double day of running and lots of healthy eating. 3 miles (20:43) on my own in the morning. Oat bran and a protein shake for breakfast.

Work 8am-6pm. Stuck in training on a new tool that is coming in and its wicked intense/complicated. Productive though and will help in the long run. Spinach/chicken wrap with French dressing (I forgot I mixed it up this time and put different dressing in it, it was a pleasant surprise). Home to have a Clif Bar and some honey for a snack.

Out for a 2nd run. 5 miles (34:16) at 7:30pm. Baked up a sweet potato for dinner. Added butter, cinnamon and maple syrup. Mmm. Protein shake for a drink.

 

Uhhh! So good.

June 19th (Wednesday): No morning run. Training in the morning for the tool. Again, it was very beneficial once it comes the time to sign-off on it at the end of the year. Protein shake and oat bran for breakfast. Free pizza for lunch. Housed 5 pieces of BBQ chicken.

Down to Schnectady to pick up the ride. $180 bucks. Sweet deal. Check engine light off (loose ignition coil) and muffler patched up. Eventually got out for a run in the evening. 10.2 miles (63:57). Sweetness. 6:16 pace. Rocked it and the legs felt good. Fatigued still, but cruised the run. No workouts scheduled this week so that what happens. I get antsy, but it was a smooth run overall.

Witnessed this trike on the road back from the shop.

June 20th (Thursday): Protein shake for breakfast. Sweet Baby Ray's Spinach/Chicken/Avocado wrap for lunch. Stopped in at The Mill after work with some co-workers. Water and sweet potato fries as a snack. Home by 6:30pm. 10 miles (69:25) at 7:30pm with Goup.

Protein shake with a scoop of ice cream and some maple syrup? Aww yeah. So delicious. Plain tortilla and FaceTimed with my sister Erin. Bed at a decent hour. Not much food left and I need to grocery store.

June 21st (Friday): Normal day at work. Oat bran and a protein shake for breakfast. Work. Mixed it up (aka no chicken left) and made a pinto bean, spinach and avocado wrap for lunch. Stopped in at the grocery store after work for some serious shopping. Grabbed it all. Bananas, veggies, yogurt, organic soymilk, Newman-O's (healthy Oreo substitute), orange juice, meats (chicken and turkey), wraps, and other essentials.

 

Still just as dangerous as Oreos, but don't feel as bad.

Ended up taking a day off from running. Unscheduled, but the body/mind was exhausted from last weekend and the long weekend of work. It's all good. Bed whenever since it's the weekend. Planning on hitting up a couple dealership for preliminary searching of my next vehicle.

Pub Recovery

June 16th (Sunday): 7:30am wakeup. Najem called to grab breakfast. Stopped in at The Pub for the classic 3 early riser breakfasts.

1st plate: 2 eggs any style (overeasy), homefries, 2 pieces of white toast.
2nd plate: 2 pieces of french toast.
3rd plate: 1 pancake.

Butter on both. Real maple syrup for extra cost. Chocolate milk. $7.54 + tip. Boom. Starving and housed everything down easily.

 

Destroying.

Chilled and over to Fowler for an easy 5+ miles (38:25) around the neighborhoods. Over to Big W's (Wilson Perez's house) to see WP3 (Wilson Perez the 3rd, 1.5 year old cutie). He had just went down for a nap (fell asleep right before we arrived) so we waited it out for a couple hours. Salsa and chips. Played with him for a while before heading back to Fowler.

 Little bugger!

Played some catch with the baseball in the road with Thomas. On the road by 6pm. Home by 8pm. Dinner consisted of the Redbull, Chex Mix, Fig Newtons, and a water I bought at the gas station in Keene before I left. Bed at a decent hour.

Solid 61 miles for the week. 3 weeks until Loon. A recovery week and a couple hard higher mileage weeks.

Mount Washington Race Report

June 15th (Saturday): 6:15am wakeup. Bathroom immediately, changed up into the running gear, packed up and out the door by 6:50ish. Stopped at Dunkin Donuts (right down the road) for a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese. Back on the road to travel the 20 minutes down to the base of the auto road. Parked and straight to the port-o-potty. Chilled, saw some familiar faces (Sam Wood, Andy McCarron, Jim Johnson). 20:48 warmup with a bunch of different guys on the nearby trails at about 8:20ish.

Back to the truck to figure out exactly what I wanted to wear and carry with me. Powerbar gel inside the shorts in case of unwanted bonking. Decided on hat, singlet, half tights, and the Nike Streak LTs. Over to the line to be just one individual of a stacked field. Excited, nervous, and surprisingly calm all at the same time.

Off the line well (started in the 2nd/3rd row) to avoid any stupid mistakes. A relaxed 1st mile (6:50, roughly 30th-35th place) and working well with my teammate, Dan Princic (Paul Rudd look-a-like in my mind) from Whirlaway. Gauged off of Josh Ferenc and tried to keep him in sight. 15:20 (8:30 2nd mile) through 2 miles (courtesy of Dan's watch). Slowly picking people off each mile and staying as relaxed as possible. Dan and I were passing people on the left and right (simultaneously) through 3 miles (working well with each other).

Amazing views behind us. 

32:40 through halfway. Feeling good and continued to execute my race plan of not blowing up. Take the hill one section at a time and "rest" (shake out the arms and a couple deep breaths) on any flat (aka didn't feel the extreme burn of the climbing in the quads and calves) sections. I tried taking my Powerbar gel and I could only muscle down about 1/4 of it. Didn't settle well and I put the rest back in my shorts (in case of an emergency).

Might of glanced to the left of me a couple times (courtesy of FarNorth)

Pow!

Once we climbed above treeline, the wind came whipping right over the road. I felt like my number was gonna rip right off my jersey. At some points, the wind was at your assistance and provided a helpful tailwind. At other stretches, it was coming almost straight at you and had to deal with it.

Side note: I saw Sage Canady's girlfriend (not knowing who she was at the time, all I was wondering was, "Who is this beautiful girl next to me?"). She was running on the far side of the road spectating and cheering the runners on.

 Sandi Nypaver (Sage's girlfriend) in the background.

The dirt road was a savior because it was softer and flatter. Cruised the best I could before the next serious climb. Caught Tilton and Pat Rich at some point in the last couple miles. I had no idea what place I was in and just charged to the finish the best I could. 67:37, 10th place. Sweetness! Great debut!

Boom!  (courtesy of SNAPacidotic)

Laid down on the ground immediately and felt like I was gonna throw up my gel. Kept it down and walked it off. Walked up to the summit. Greeted my parents and trotted inside to change into some dry/warm clothes. Changed the socks and shirt. Added hat, gloves, and lightweight jacket. Perfect. Ferenc and a crew were heading down the trail to the bottom. I ventured with them for about 2 minutes and turned around. Instincts told me to take the auto road. I did just that. Jogged down the first couple miles with these two random guys. I ended up having an extra hat in my jacket that I lent to one of the guys (he had gloves, sleeveless he raced in, and shorts - unprepared). We eventually made it past the wind tunnel and into shade/warmer conditions.

 Killing it.

 Keene State and honorary member.

Down to the bottom to change into casual clothes, grab turkey lunch, ice cream and chill under the tent. Ended up conversing with a guy that was from Brattleboro that knew Ferenc. Cool. He felt like he was sitting with a superstar after he heard how I did. I guess.

Thoughts on the race: Loved it. It was such a unique race/distance. I cannot wait for next year. Simple as that.

Trekked back to VT by 4ish. Stopped for a buffalo chicken wrap and fries in Lincoln. Napped for about 45 minutes towards the end of the ride. Over to Keene by 8pm to head out to the bars and met up with some alumni. Woohoo! Fun night and crashed at Fowler.

 Alumni.

Good looking crew!

 Classic.

Mount Washington Travel Day

June 14th (Friday): 8:30am wakeup. Double serving of oat bran and a protein shake for breakfast. Cleaned up, loaded the dishwasher, grabbed my laundry from the dryer (did my best to fold it while I was packing for the weekend). Triple checked that I had all my necessary items (flats, trainers, sunblock, warm clothes for the summit). Prepared some snacks and filled up all 3 of my Nalgene bottles with Gatorade. On the road by 12:15pm to Ferenc's in VT. Smooth ride with no problems. Always an enjoyable/scenic ride from NY to VT.

Healthy.

Route 121. 10 miles of windy dirt road. 

At the house by 2:15pm to see Ellie and Lena (dogs). Ferenc told me not to let the girls or they will run away since he wasn't there (and he wouldn't give me a ride). They were begging to get out the door while I was foam rolling so I had to stay outside. It was too difficult to sit on the couch and have them to whimpering at the door. I chilled on the swinging bench on the porch. Read an interesting article (on longetivity of humans and the related factors) in National Geographic while I ate my chicken/ranch wrap. The girls eventually quieted down. Ferenc home at 3:15pm. Waited for Boj and Najem to arrive so we could all carpool in the Toyota Tacoma.

The infamous porch. Bike City.

Planning ahead.

On the road by 4:30ish. Some ridiculous music and good conversation. Made it to the base of the auto road by 7:15pm. Picked up our numbers and changed up for a short run in the trails at the base. Met my parents and handed them a bag for the summit (they are the best). 3 miles (21:02). Over to the Swiss Chalet in Intervale to foam roll and shower. 

Admiring from a distance.

View just to the right of Mount Washington.

Chillin to the max.

Down to the local pizza place for dinner. Sicilian style chicken and spinach pizza (executive decision by Najem and a solid call on his part). 4 slices destroyed. Dr. Pepper to wash it all down. 

Boom.

Back to the hotel by 10ish to get ready for bed and crash by 11pm or so. Repacked my bags, organized my gear for the morning and made a final bathroom break before bed.

Rancid Gas

June 12th (Wednesday): 3+ miles (22:31) on a modified morning route. Road work starting at 7am. Protein shake for breakfast. Burrito mix and Clif Bar for lunch. Normal day at work. Busy.

Home by 4:30pm to clean up the apartment (futon down in the basement, dishes, repositioned the couch to be more center with the television, and some other odds and ends). The house needed a solid cleaning on the first floor.

Injinji toe socks. Wicked comfortable.

Out for a run at 7pm. 10+ miles (66:53) on my own. Out and back route. Explored a mile of a old railroad bed that is dirt and grass now. Next time I will park at the start of the trail instead of running the 4 miles there. Definitely worth exploring. Burrito omelet for dinner. Leftover chicken and sautéed mushrooms in the omelet. Graham cracker ice cream sandwiches were made and destroyed.

 

Ate at the dining room table.

 Non-GMO. USDA Organic.

 The best.

Result.

June 13th (Thursday): 6:30am wakeup. 3 miles (21:05) on my own. Another modified loop due to construction. Oat bran and protein shake for breakfast. Fruit, burrito mix and Clif Bar for lunch.

Home by 4:45pm. Continued cleaning mode for a couple hours before getting out the door for an easy 5 miles (35:27) around 8pm. FaceTimed with Erin and Dominic to see how they were feeling on their marathon endeavors for the weekend. Updated the blog and just chilled for the rest of the night. Bowl of vanilla ice cream with pure New Hampshire maple syrup. Used graham crackers as a dipper/supplement. Late night snack that hit the spot. The burrito mix for the past two days has given me some terrible gas as a side note. Laying off of it on Friday for Mount Washington.

Leftovers with ketchup and Sweet Baby Ray's.

Not Sore? Cool.

June 10th (Monday): No morning run. Oat bran and a protein shake for breakfast. Work 7:30am-4pm. Chicken, spinach, and ranch wrap for lunch (paid off to cook up a bunch of chicken over the weekend for wraps and whatnot). Finished off the vanilla wafers. Clif Bar.

Stopped at the house to pick up the printer (without the power cord). Over to Target so I could exchange it. No hassles which was nice. The new printer was in a immaculate box so I knew I had nothing to worry about. I kept the receipt anyways. You never know. Purchased spray sunblock and aloe.

Back to the house to chill and do some dishes.

10.5 miles total (66:40 + 6xstrides in the parking lot). Legs felt great. It's funny that 3.7 miles of uphill pavement on an auto road doesn't make my legs too sore. 4 egg omelet with spinach, onion and mushroom. Ketchup and hot sauce. A solid recovery meal.

 Dyno-mite!

June 11th (Tuesday): 6:15am wakeup. Out the door by 6:30am for 3 miles (20:31). Work 7:30am-4pm. Taught contractor orientation. Smaller group, but worked out well. Another chicken, spinach and ranch wrap for lunch with a Clif Bar.

Pouring rain as Goup and I departed from work. Stopped at the grocery store for a few items. As soon as I walked in the door, I started chopping vegetables and preparing mad food. Ate a bowl of cereal as a snack. Ground turkey, peppers, onions, and rice. Mixed it all up with pinto and black beans. Added a bunch of seasoning, salsa, hot sauce and an avocado. Burrito mix in a big red bowl (lunch for the week).

Prepared dinner for the night as well. Asparagus with minced garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. An Idaho and sweet potato cut up drizzled with maple syrup, ground cinnamon, salt and pepper. Chicken breasts with minced garlic, fresh squeezed lemon juice, mushrooms and onions, and paprika (for color). Tossed everything in the fridge.

Over to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake high school for a workout. The goal was 10x400 and 10x200 with full rest. 2.5 mile warmup (16:22 plus strides). Felt out the first few intervals and decided to cut it short. 8x400, 7x200. A couple obstacles that threw me off from the start. Main gate was closed so I had to jog around the back way (wayyy longer). A steeple was located in the first 3 lanes on the turn into the backstretch (didn't notice before the start). Some high schooler was practicing the high jump and told me not to move it as I was moving it off the track. I moved even with bits of broken glass in the 1st lane. I ain't running barefoot. I shouldn't need to worry.

8x400: 74, 74, 73, 72, 72, 71, 70, 71
7x200: 34, 34, 33, 34, 33, 32, 34 (lost count, oh well)

I didn't force any the times and just cruised. The next gear wasn't there, but fast enough for what I am attacking this upcoming weekend. Sloshed back to the car through the poorly drained soccer field. Short cooldown of 1.5 miles (11:04) and home to "make" dinner (aka toss everything in the oven at different times). Mmmmm.

Bed at a decent hour after a hot shower and foam roll session.

Yum.

Ascutney Race Report

June 9th (Sunday): 6:45am wakeup. Ellie (one of Ferenc's dog joined me after I woke up). Gathered up the belongings and out the door by 7:15am to met up with FyffeDog at the park & ride. Stopped at the Irving gas station (Dunkin Donuts located inside) for a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and a couple Glacier Freeze Gatorades.

 

Loves being under the covers.  

 

Not my bike.  

Arrived at the base of Ascutney just before 8am. Registered and chatted with some of the guys before a warmup. 2+ miles (16:xx) with Newbould, DoubleJ, Ferenc, and Fyffe. Changed into flats and no shirt. Legs still a bit tight, but feeling good. A few strides before the start of the race.

 

Right after the warmup (Courtesy of Ian MacLellan).

Off the line well and relaxed into a large group for the first 1/2 mile or so. It flattened out for a few meters and decided to throw in a strong surge to open up a decent gap. Maybe VCM would allow me to "outclimb" Ferenc. Nope. He's too tough. Continued climbing/charging before being joined by Ferenc for a short while around 2 miles I believe. He passed me and I stuck on him for maybe 200-300 meters. Maintained 2nd place to the finish at the parking lot. Solid finish in 30:38. Jogged off, ate a slice of watermelon, and drank some water before trotting the single track up to the summit tower for amazing views. Back down to the parking lot for awards. Realized that Ferenc and Fyffe (my ride) already made their way back down the auto road. They thought the awards were at the bottom. Oh well. Floated the descent back to the car.

 

Grinding it out (courtesy of SNAPacidotic).

Fyffe, Ferenc and I purchased some kielbasa and chicken sausage to avoid bonking. I grabbed a thing of chocolate and Sunkist orange soda. The bonking hit Fyffe hard right after we left the store. Coca-Cola was his savior. Back to Ferenc's for grilling and chilling. Once our bellies were satisfied, we biker ganged it down to the beach area of the nearby river for a cold soak.

Fyffe headed out after we got back. Ferenc and I just chilled outside. I ended up falling asleep on the recliner chair for an hour or so. Remembering that I hadn't eaten my Cowtale (delayed gratification) popped me right out of my seat to chomp it down. So good.

Changed up for a shakeout run. 5+ miles (42:26) at Grafton Pond trails. Legs felt surprisingly good, but kept it easy through the switchbacks and muddy terrain. My legs will be grateful for the shakeout and into Mount Washington.

Back to NY by 8:45pm. Bed by 11pm.

I am excited for Washington because it's just only uphill. I just need to deal with the constant discomfort and I should be good. Easier said than done. Ascutney was a good preview, but only a taste of the pain I will experience next weekend. Get pumped!

16 miles on the day and 61 miles for the week. Semi-recovery week before Washington, then a couple weeks of hard workouts before Loon.

Bellows Falls

June 8th (Saturday): 7:30am wakeup. Chilled on the couch. Texted Ferenc to see what the deal was for the weekend. Shoot to arrive by 4pm. Cool with me. A Clif Bar for a snack and out for a run at 10:30am. Easy 7+ miles (51:17).

Back to stretch and foam roll a whole bunch. Legs still had some junk in them, but the week was dedicated to heat and ice (foam rolling once it was bearable). I made a whole bunch food since I needed to fuel up for Ascutney as well as the lack of cooking for the week. Serious protein shake with about 10+ strawberries in it. 4 egg spinach and omelet with cheddar cheese for breakfast. Cooked up a bunch of chicken with dry rub, chili powder, Italian dressing and hot sauce. Whipped up a baby spinach (organic), ranch dressing and chicken wrap for the car ride over to Vermont. A load of laundry in the morning hours. Washed dishes and unloaded/loaded the dishwasher. Wanted to come back to a semi-clean house.

 

Uhhh yeahhh!

On the road by 2:30. 2 hour ride of smooth driving. Destroyed the wrap about halfway through the trip. Just what I needed. Gatorade to wash it all down. Ferenc's by 4:30pm. Over to Grafton Pond trails for an easy 5 miles (37:21) with the dogs. Soaked in the river for 10 minutes. Cold, but wicked refreshing. Just what the doctor ordered, an ice bath.

Back to the house to chill and figure out what we wanted for dinner. Pizza and salad. Down to the grocery store for the necessary items. Delicious pizza and salad. Cowtale was purchased for dessert. Forgot about it so it was pushed to a reward for post race. Django Unchained was the feature presentation and it was epic. Holy cow! Jamie Foxx was intense and the whole thing keep my attention for the 2.5 hours. Bed by midnight. Pumped me up for the race.

Rest Of The Work Week

June 5th (Wednesday): I was gonna get in a couple miles in the morning, but I was too tired. Work 7:30am-4pm. My computer access was disabled so I was scrambling the first 1/2 hour at work trying to figure it out. Breezed through the contractor training in just over an hour. Usually it takes 1.5 hours. I forgot what I had for lunch.

Swung up to Saratoga to meet a couple coworkers to go over the respirator training program for Colden. Ended up having a few drinks and made the right decision of crashing at my buddy's house in Saratoga.

 

Delicious.

June 6th (Thursday): 7am wakeup. Work 8am-4:30pm. Easy day at work. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Drove down to Target to pick up a few things. Checked out the printers and found the one my dad emailed me about a few weeks ago. Sweetness! Home by 5:30ish. Opened up the printer and there was no power cord or the extra ink cartridges. Boo. Clearly a previous return from someone else. There was only one printer left and the box wasn't in pristine condition.

Out for a run at 6:45ish. 10 miles (59:43). 7 mile tempo in the middle on the Zim Smith trail (flat/cinder) in 38:51. Legs were sore, but felt good to get some turnover in them. Forced the soreness out.

With my legs extremely warmed up, I was determined to foam roll the shiznit out of my legs. Felt amazing. Protein shake for dinner and a bowl of cereal. Bed at a decent hour.

June 7th (Friday): Easy day at work. Protein shake and oat bran for breakfast. Huge serving of burrito mix with organic red peppers and pinto beans. The norm, but without the cheese. Bomb-diggity. Stopped in at the Recovery Room with some coworkers for a bunch of waters. Ended up eating some food (wings, nachos, and chicken tenders) and hanging out until about 8:15pm. Fun time and relaxing. Back to the house to get out for a easy 8+ mile (58:06) at 9pm. Burping it up all run. Tums before and after the run to calm the stomach.

Protein shake after the run. Chilled and slept on the couch.