I Run

I just finished reading Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes. It's been out for about three years now, but I happened to come across it recently and bought it. The book recounts the trials and tribulations that the author endures on his ultramarathon treks, sometimes running non-stop for 100 or more miles. He tells of running the Western States Endurance Run, the first marathon to the South Pole, and the Badwater Ultramarathon, which starts in Death Valley at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and ends 135 miles later at the Mt. Whitney Portals at 8100 ft. elevation. I found that at one level I could just shake my head and laugh: better him than me. But...at another level I could imagine going a little beyond the marathon distance, maybe 50K (30 miles). And after that, maybe 50 miles. And after that...? Vermont does host some ultra endurance events so it's not like I'd have to travel far (except by foot!) . And I have some experience with the terrain. And I do like to run long distances. And you see how easy it is for me to talk myself into doing something that insane. Dean's book is certainly inspirational, but it's also dangerous. My family would kill me if I took up ultramarathons.

I was shooting for 69 miles this week by jumping right into Pfitzinger's 18-week/70 mile schedule at week 11. I managed to eke out 60. Maybe not a good strategy, but I feel the need to experiment. I'm toying with the idea of alternating higher mileage slow paced weeks with faster paced lower mileage weeks. My 20-21 miler today was pretty brutal. The humid, hot weather didn't help, but my pace should have been better. I did race the NFI 4.4 miler yesterday, but I felt that I recovered from that pretty quickly (though it was yucky out there yesterday too). It could be the accumulated mileage over the past week. I figure I'll give it a couple of weeks to see if my pace improves over the longer runs.

It's time to start training. I may run a marathon this fall. So far I've been ambivalent about another marathon. After Boston, what's left? Of course, there's more to marathons than Boston, and I figured it would just take some time for me to get back into the marathon swing. It helps to have other motives. That is, I could go back to Portland, Maine to run that marathon and tie it together with a mini-vacation (Portland is a great town). And I have a friend who may run the half marathon, which means I'd have some company. So with that notion in mind, I've been putting in some miles and trying to figure where in Pfitzinger I'm supposed to be (18 week? 12 week? 55 miles/week? 70 miles/week?). It's all a little seat-of-the-pants at the moment, and I'm trusting I'll know what my body needs to get marathon fit. The past two days were pure crap, hot and humid plus heavy rain. I got totally soaked yesterday on the Sweet Pond trail and had to take off my glasses in the woods because I could see better without them. The weather today, however, was great. Dry, in the 70s to low 80s. I ran 14 miles, part of it on the trails around Sweet Pond, then down to Leyden, MA via the steep Simon Keets Rd. and Zimmerman Hill. My legs are shot. Even got a beautiful blister on the inside arch of my left foot.

Northeastern Family Institute will host the 2nd Annual Run (and Walk) For Kids on Saturday, July 19th, 2008. This 4.4 mile loop will begin at The Brattleboro Reformer and will continue up Black Mountain Road. There will be prizes, and fresh fruit and drinks for runners at the finish line. Holly Levesque will be on hand to give free massages before and after the race. Pre-registration is $10.00 and registration the day of the race is $15.00. All proceeds will go towards camp and camp related expenses for NFI children in foster care in Windham County. The race begins at 9:00 a.m. Questions can be directed to Lydia Mahan at NFI 254-2558.

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It wasn't as hot this year. There was still some humidity, but overall the conditions were a lot nicer. I went out a tad too fast and paid for it a bit in the end. Somehow I still managed to win my age group (27:08) even though there were plenty of much faster (and even older) runners in front of me. New this year was the emphasis on renewability: cups at the water station were completely biodegradable and reusable water bottles (courtesy of Eastern Mountain Sports) were handed out at the end already filled with water. Organization was top-notch. And there was still plenty of time to catch the parade after all the awards were announced.

Results are here.

Donna Smyth, race director, sent this announcement to the Red Clover Runners mailing list about this upcoming race on July 4, 2008 in Brattleboro:

The Bill Powers Memorial Firecracker 4 Miler begins at Living Memorial Park (directions) at 9:30 a.m. The race ends at the Brattleboro Town Common.

Registration begins at 8:30.

Cost = $10

Environmentally friendly amenities: Water stop ar 2 mi.(bagasse cups made from rice by-products are compostable), organic cookies and bananas at the finish, Eastern Mountain Sports water bottles (complete with water inside them) at the finish line, overall and age-group prizes furnished by Burrows Specialized Sports, West Hill Shop, & Duttons.

VOLUNTEERS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS: finish line / results, refreshments, and water stop. Please contact Donna Smyth at wildcx@comcast.net or call (802)257-2015 to volunteer.