Motivated to Succeed

9:00 AM - Sunny and clear blue skies, temperature in the mid 50s at the start and about 65 at the finish. I wanted to get a long run in on the trails and decided to go over to Wilton. I wasn't sure what to expect, and the training plan I had initially planned for said 11 miles @ 9:35 pace, but I felt pretty good, and really pushed the second and third loops at the Wilton course. This was the same course that I did the summer series on. The first loop was awesome, felt pretty good the second loop, really had to try to hold it together for the third loop. Finished with a 1.5 mile cool down on the roads. Feeling pretty confident about the whole 1/2 marathon thing coming up in less than three weeks. Probably try to get one or two more 10+ mile runs in before then. Left knee was a little sore at the end because of all the steep downhills. 

Later I went to Saratoga with Harry and my mom and I emptied my checking account and bought a Toshiba laptop because it seems my desktop is fried. Every time it goes to load Windows it gets to the screen with the little bar going left to right to say it's loading and it just turns off within two seconds. So I found a laptop that's actually better specs than the desktop that I had. Jonn said he can help me pimp it out with Microsoft Office which will help a lot. I am just a little stretched with school and regular work. Found out I have to do a full unit plan and five papers within the first seven weeks of the semester which started yesterday. Oh happy days. I feel bad for Emmy because the lack of communication at her work has struck a new low. She went to work on a hunch to check her mail box and found out the semester started yesterday!! So she not only has missed two days already but has to plan for three more. Oh yeah to make things even worse they didn't give her any curriculum for the courses. What a joke. I feel bad I told her to take the job. I didn't know the bosses would be such unorganized nincumpoops! Going back to the run, splits were really fast! Fastest long run I have done yet! :) Splits for the run today were:

• Mile 1: 8:57
• Mile 2: 8:37
• Mile 3: 8:54
• Mile 4: 8:30
• Mile 5: 8:46
• Mile 6: 9:02
• Mile 7: 9:05
• Mile 8: 9:03
• Mile 9: 9:14
• Mile 10: 8:56
• Mile 11: 8:12

"No doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success, although if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons with no brains than with no shoes." - Don Kardong

8:45 AM - Sunny and temperature was about 56 at the start, 66 at the end. Went to Spa Park to do a run on the trails. Got there and there were a lot of people milling about. It's the last week of the race track so maybe that's why. Also saw a tour bus for some country singer. The grounds were a mess. There was a concert there last night or the night before I guess. Cans and cups everywhere. I love how people don't respect the carry in-carry out policies and/or are too lazy to bring their trash to the garbage cans. Hit the trails and did 2 x 5k loops and then tacked on a bit by the golf course to hit 7 for the day. Felt pretty good. Legs feel stronger. Some soreness from the last run I did. Splits were: 

• Mile 1: 8:51
• Mile 2: 8:22
• Mile 3: 8:38
• Mile 4: 8:07
• Mile 5: 7:42
• Mile 6: 8:24
• Mile 7: 7:30

2:30 PM - Sunny and hot. 82 degrees at the start of the run today. Late start because my brothers had to get physicals this morning for school and then all of us met up in Albany and went to Crossgates Mall. Mom bought me a couple pairs of pants and some dress socks because I basically have no money after buying two hundred bucks of dress up clothes and a new computer. :( I owe her big time! Now I have at least seven dress shirts though for student teaching so that's good. Went to Old Navy and saw they were having a sale.. five shirts for $5 a piece! You can't get a shirt for five bucks any more, even if it is via running a race! Now it's time for a quick dinner and then work tonight and work all day tomorrow. Hopefully going for a run tomorrow night at Spa Park again with Emmy!

The run today was pretty good. I drank a waterbottle on the first loop and stopped at about 3.6 miles for about :10 seconds to refill at the natural spring. There was a passle of little prepubescent girls screaming as a boy chased them on a bike and I laughed but took off quickly because their shrill voices hurt my eardrums! Ran up around the pool and was surprised to see that it was open! It's been closed two years and is now all of a sudden open almost on Labor Day?! Weird. Felt pretty good. I think the first couple miles were faster than I wanted but there were just so many people and I had to get away from them! I hate it when I have to dodge people and/or feel them watch me. It's one thing at races, but for nonrunners to look at me while I'm running feels weird. Splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:41
• Mile 2: 8:42
• Mile 3: 8:52
• Mile 4: 8:53
• Mile 5: 8:56
• Mile 6: 9:19
• Mile 7: 8:13

Can't wait for Emmy to come up this weekend. We are going to the Scottish Games on Sunday and then I found a freaking awesome race in Pittsfield on Labor Day... an 8 mile run up Mt. Greylock, the tallest mountain in Massachusetts! Figured it'd be good practice for the 1/2 marathon in a couple weeks. Oh, and I have to post pictures of the new puppy. We have officially named her Marilyn the Great of Galway, since she has a mole like Marilyn Monroe. She's adorable and full of energy and giving her older St. Bernard half sister (they had the same mom) Aggie a run for her money! Oh to be a St. Bernard owner.. life is never dull!

Total Time: 1:03:01  Total Distance: 7.20 miles Average Pace: 8:46

5:40 PM - Sunny and blue skies. Went running after work. Emmy got to work right at 5pm when I was getting out. We went over to Spa Park and went jogging. There were two weddings going on and we were talking about how that could be us in just a little over a year! Yay! Had to do a modified loop because of the weddings and the parties going on. I was going to do about seven, but my legs were super tired from this weeks runs and being on my feet all day. Add to that the fact that I closed last night and opened today and only had five hours of sleep, and it was not conducive of a good run. Still, was happy I got to run with a cutie! Anxiously anticipating the Scottish Games tomorrow, and the super awesome mountain of doom race on Labor Day! :)

Total Time: 35:00 Total Distance: 3.5 miles Average Pace: 10:00

8:50 AM - After getting up early and eating some toast Emmy made me and some coffee, I headed from Pittsfield to North Adams to the Mt. Williams Resevoir off of Rte 2. Took about 45 minutes to get there and my little Chevy Prizm took some bumps and bruises on some dirt roads. I got there and registered with my 10.00 fee, day of registration only at this race, and saw the organizer for the summer races that I do in Wilton. I stretched at the car and waited for an interminable 40 minutes before we lined up to go for the 10am race time.

THE RACE

The Mount Greylock Road Race is an 8 mile uphill road race that scales the tallest mountain in the state of Massachusetts. It's summit sits at 3491', so I knew that today was going to be a test, as I've never done an uphill race before. I was nervous and lined up towards the back, figuring it was better to work my way up than to get passed and lose morale on the hills. I don't know about everyone else, but I always seem to lose steam after people start to pass me. The way up was steep, with several 10% grades. However, I never once stopped or walked! That is a feat in and of itself. I carried my car keys and my water bottle in my hand. I really need to invest in one of those water bottle hand holders!

The way up was good. I started in the back and then found a group that I paced off of at about the one mile mark. I would stay with them until about the sixth mile when the mountain leveled off and they took off at an 8:00 pace! Felt good and passed some of the early rabbits. Settled in behind three guys. I noticed that I was one of the bigger runners this far up the mountain. I am 6'2" and about 190 pounds fully loaded. Most of these guys were more about 5'7" and 150 max. Most of the front runners were even smaller. I guess today belonged to the tiny climbers among the runners!

There weren't really crowds going up the mountain, as the mountain is a tourist destination and the road wasn't closed for the race. It was funny to see all the license plates from NJ, CT, and MA and NY go by and people that hadn't heard of this race looking stunned out their windows. One of the guys looking out the window had his jaw open so wide I think I could see what he had for breakfast!

My goal today was to beat the race organizer from the summer series once I knew she was there. I wanted to break 11 minute miles for the 8 mile course which would put me at sub 1:28. I have never done this race or any hill race for that matter so I didn't know what to expect.

There was a really flat part in mile 6-7 that I didn't know was coming, but the veteran runners kind of knew. I was just concentrating on short fast steps stair climbing up the mountain. I did open it up to about a 9:00 pace when it flattened out only to try to stay in contention with the group in front of me.

The end of the race comes abruptly, made worse considering the heavy fog enshrouding the mountain. So cool to think we ran into the clouds today :) The road bends to the left around a bend and the finish line was a crosswalk from the parking lot to the Greylock Monument. Finish was a bit chaotic because there was a park ranger standing there collecting the $2 parking fee from vehicles going up. I grabbed a handful of cookies, pretzels, two waters and quickly headed back down the mountain as the wind at the summit was sure to give me chills the longer I stayed. Splits going up:

• Mile 1: 9:21
• Mile 2: 10:44
• Mile 3: 10:40
• Mile 4: 10:40
• Mile 5: 11:14
• Mile 6: 10:04
• Mile 7: 9:38
• Mile 8: 9:57

Total Time: 1:22:21 Total Distance: 8 miles Average Pace: 10:17

*After reading the results, found out I was 38th place & 2nd place in my age category!!

GOING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN:

It is a humbling experience to climb up one of nature's masterpieces, and I think that going down the mountain showed me the sheer awesomness of our world. I saw some of the slower runners continuing to make their way up as I started down and I shouted encouragement to them. I saw that I had beat Laura Clark, the organizer of the summer series by about ten minutes so I felt pretty good about that. Nonetheless I yelled "Way to go, Laura! Looking strong!". A lot of the runners were happy to be getting the support, and a few made jokes about running back down the mountain. One lady who was in second or third to last said, "Thanks so much! But if anything I should be encouraging you! You're awesome for running back DOWN this mountain!". That made my day :). I tried to hold consistent, and I knew I had reserves from going up. I just wanted to be consistent going up the mountain knowing full well I'd have to run back down the mountain to get my car.

The first four miles were fun. I got to a steep part though and that really rocked my quads and knees. I think I got a full lower body workout today! At about four miles this guy whom I found out is named Randy came up on me and I started talking to him. Besides him one other runner had come down ahead of me and said a quick hey, but Randy I heard trotting up beside me and we struck up a conversation and ended up running the last four miles to the cars together. I found out he has done a lot of the trail races around western Massachusetts and he said hands down the WMAC races can't be beat. I am going to start researching them to do a few more of them. Also talked about grad school and how I am doing Curly's Trail 1/2 in a couple weeks. He said he might do the full marathon. I said I hoped to see him there. :). It was nice to have someone to talk to at the end of the run when I was officially drained.

Once I got off the mountain I shook Randy's hand and we parted ways. I stopped on the way back to Emma's and downed a Powerade in under a minute and then Emmy was nice enough to make me a lettuce, tomato, turkey bacon, cheese sandwich which I quickly devoured. Now it's off to get dinner and get ready for student teaching tomorrow! Feeling pretty good after a really great day!

• Mile 9: 9:11
• Mile 10: 9:26
• Mile 11: 9:30
• Mile 12: 9:26
• Mile 13: 9:03
• Mile 14: 9:06
• Mile 15: 8:57
• Mile 16: 8:00

Total Time: 1:12:37 Total Distance: 8 miles Average Pace: 9:04

*Totals for the Day:

Total Time: 2:34:58 Total Distance: 16 miles Average Pace: 9:41

GREYLOCK MAP AND ELEVATION CHART

4:00 PM - Today was my first day of student teaching!! I went to the Galway Middle School to meet up with Elaine. It's weird to call her Elaine, since she was my eighth grade Social Studies teacher and I always called her Mrs. V. Went to a couple meetings and conferences. Found out about the eighth graders I'm going to be teaching. They sound like pretty good kids. It should be a fun semester.

After school I went home quick and changed into running clothes and then went running on the back roads. I ended up doing a decent run, despite the long run and race yesterday. My quads and butt were super sore, but after about a half mile of easing into a run, I settled into a steady run. Went down Parkis Mills Road to Crane and up across Ballston Galway and turned around after 2.6 miles. Came back the same way. The way back was uphill. Wow. Was not expecting a good run like this. Feels good to have a productive day! Now time for food, shower, and getting ready for the first day of kids tomorrow! Splits today were:

• Mile 1: 8:32
• Mile 2: 8:48
• Mile 3: 8:38
• Mile 4: 8:12
• Mile 5: 7:57
• .26: 1:55 (7:18)

Total Time: 44:04 Total Distance: 5.26 miles Average Pace: 8:22

6:00 PM - So the last couple days have been super busy. Friday was awesome because besides having Emmy come to stay with us for the weekend (yay!) I was able to lead five periods of 8th grade social studies! It was a blast! I was nervous at first, but I think by the last period I was definitely more on my game! Then right after school came home and got dinner and then worked 6pm to 1130pm Friday night, and 830am to 5pm today. I'm exhausted. I had hoped to get about 8 miles in today after work but my feet were just tired and I felt a sore throat coming on. Everyone at my work is sick and stuff so I didn't want to push it too hard. This was my last speed workout before the taper to the race on Sunday the 20th. Also I put in a note to work that I am only going to be able to work on Friday nights now. I'm taking all day Saturday and Sunday off of work from now on to concentrate on student teaching. I might have to get a loan for gas money and stuff, but I think it's the best decision.

Went to the track with Emmy before dinner. It was overcast and temp about 67 or so. More people started to show up and there were a half dozen other people there when we left at the end. I started with a warmup 1/2 mile with Emmy, then changed into my Vibrams and did another two laps. Then decided to do 800s. I felt pretty good, just tired and my ankles were sore from being on my feet at work all day. First two repeats were done in lane 6, second two in lane 4. Then did a cool down mile with her :). She's absolutely a trooper for sticking with me! I felt super fast today, and a couple of the repeats show that some of my speed is coming back, despite being so fat! I weighed 189 pounds today! Ick!

• Warmup Mile: 9:26
• Repeat #1 (.57 miles): 3:33 (6:14/mi pace)
• Repeat #2 (.57 miles): 3:14 (5:42/mi pace)
• Repeat #3 (.53 miles): 2:54 (5:27/mi pace)
• Repeat #4 (.55 miles): 3:04 (5:37/mi pace)
• Cooldown Mile: 8:50

Total Time: 31:34 Total Distance: 4.27 miles Average Pace: 7:23

Overall felt pretty good. Didn't make my 40 miles goal this week, but I feel confident that I am getting into shape, even if my weight won't drop. I think I am getting stronger than I have ever been! So lucky to have Emmy there today to run with.

Cool fact: Emmy said she could hear me huffing and puffing from the other side of the track while I was running repeats.. sick! Means I must be giving a good effort, eh?!

10:30 AM - Sunny when we started, cloudy afterwards. Temperature about 77 or so. Pretty warm. Went to Spa Park with Emmy and we did the .6 warmup to fill the waterbottle and then stretched. Did most of the 5k loop together and then she broke off from me and I did a second loop by myself. Got progressively faster as the run went on. Calves and groin were a bit sore from the speed workout in the Vibrams yesterday. Felt pretty strong though today. Was super psyched after the 800s yesterday and then the good run today. We saw a lot of runners, more than I usually see, and found out it was because of a run going on there today. Also, hit 37.27 miles for the week starting last Monday. Sweet deal! New record for 2009! As I was finishing up the second loop I saw Emmy and we ran the last part together. I really pushed it, probably got down to about 6:08-6:10 pace for the last .25 miles. Emmy hung with me. I bet she had no idea how fast we were running. We finished within a couple seconds of each other and the same little old lady was there sitting on the bench by the finish line. She said the same thing to both of us, "Nice day for it!" She was too cute. We saw Saratoga's XC team doing a run and we walked to the car and then back tracked a bit and did a .8 mile cool down from the car and stretched, then went to work to drop something off and pick up recyclables. What a great run and end to the week! Splits were:

• Mile 1: 10:11
• Mile 2: 9:41
• Mile 3: 9:08
• Mile 4: 8:24
• Mile 5: 8:13
• .38: 2:46 (7:13 pace)
• .82: 6:59 (8:33 pace) cooldown

Total Time: 55:22 Total Distance: 6.20 miles Average Pace: 8:56

4:00 PM - After student teaching, which went great today! (Did a listening comprehension activity on the history of baseball with the kids) I headed to Wilton intent on doing a trail run and then hitting up EMS for a waterbottle holder for my hand (which they were out of!). Got to the trail head and a lady and her two dogs were coming out of the trail, though the lady was in a dress so I don't think she and the dogs were there to use the trail! Well she at least. Kept my eyes open for doggie doody as I completed one loop somewhat hard, and then eased off at the start of the second loop. Felt pretty good. Knee was a little tender but overall felt good. Arches of my feet still hurt from the Vibram workout. But it's a good hurt. At least I think so... haha! Man student teaching is kicking my butt. It's so much work! Hardly have a second to breathe, but it was nice because the last four or so days Emmy has been over which has helped things. She has done such an awesome job helping us clean up the house that Mom and Dad are offering to hire her! No joke! Splits today were:

• Mile 1: 8:15
• Mile 2: 8:00
• Mile 3: 8:26
• Mile 4: 9:25
• Mile 5: 8:46
• Mile 6: 8:36
• .22: 1:44 (7:56)

Total Time: 53:14 Total Distance: 6.22 miles Average Pace: 8:33

4:00 PM - Overcast, dark thunderstorm clouds. Had a very good day of student teaching, and then came home quick to grab food before I go with my mom and brothers to a college fair for my middle brother Jonny. He is a senior this year. Wanted to test something out, so I asked my mom and she found a CamelBak. I had tried to buy a handheld waterbottle holder yesterday at EMS but they didn't have any. So found the CamelBak but we don't have the bladder that goes in it. :( Going to go to Walmart and pick up a bladder I think. I didn't want to get caught in the rainstorm so I just tooled around the front yard with the two St. Bernards chasing me. I did 7-8 circuits up and down the driveway. It fits pretty well, I'm just worried about chafing around my neck area.  Has anyone else done trail runs with CamelBaks? Would be interested to hear your thoughts. Don't know if I'll run with it though since I haven't done any long runs with one before. However, this course is going to be super hilly, so I know I will both need the liquid and my hands free to catch myself before I fall.

Total Time: 7:58 Total Distance: 1.0 miles Average Pace: 7:58

4:40 PM - Partly Sunny with a temperature around 64 or 65 at the start. Actually might have cooled a degree or two by the end. Definitely fall weather now! Saw a couple other runners on the trail. One said howdy the other gave me the stink eye, probably because I looked like a freak. I was wearing my 2L Coleman MAX camelbak thing that I bought last night because it fit better than the one we had here. It's bright orange and I love it because I can shove snacks and my car keys in it while I run instead of carrying them in my hands. Only con of the whole run today was the SpLiSh sPLoSh SPlAsH of the water rocking side to side as I jogged. Felt good though during the run. Ran on the 5k Wilton course that I did the summer series on and I felt relaxed and was pretty close to some of my racing times! I hope this bodes well for the half marathon. I am excited just to have fun out there! Got an email with all the specs. Going to print them off and review them tomorrow during lunch, but for now must go and prep a lesson. Last day of their week long project on baseball. I'm going to help do a history of baseball park food! Haha! History teachers are crazy! Splits today were:

• Mile 1: 9:05 (loosening up and two hills)
• Mile 2: 8:50
• Mile 3: 8:52
• Mile 4: 8:50
• Mile 5: 8:46
• .3: 2:23 (8:09 pace)

Total Time: 46:47 Total Distance: 5.30 miles Average Pace: 8:50

I've always read in the many books that make up my running library that "You're only a virgin for the first time." The first time is special with any race distance, and I wish I had had a blog when I did my first 5k, 10k, 1/2 or full 'thon. Thankfully I do for this race that I did today because it was by far THE MOST FUN I'VE EVER HAD DURING A RACE IN MY LIFE! Maybe it was the excitement that came with trying something new, the very real possibility of "hypothermia, hyperthermia, exhaustion, animal bites, sprained and broken ankles" that lured me to Pittsfield State Forest in Pittsfield, MA. Maybe it was sheer stupidity. But despite the rookie mistakes I made today, my experience at Curly's Trail Half Marathon not only has solidified my desire to do next year's event, but has shown me that trail running is where the true fun is at. It's not like road running where you can just space out (Found this out the hard way several times today, especially at Miles 5 & 12). There is greater respect and comraderie from one and all. And people seem to share my desire for "running in the moment" and "enjoying the scenery". Man what a memorable run.

WARM-UP: Woke up at 5:45 this morning with a sore throat still lingering. There was a thick fog outside, but that eventually wore off about an hour into the race. I got dressed, made some coffee and got my race gear in order. Thankfully I was at Emmy's since I drove after work yesterday. Filled up my Camelbak, but didn't end up using it because my friend from the Saratoga Stryders, Laura Clark, brought an extra waterbottle holder that she let me borrow for the race. She was doing the full marathon, so after I finished the half I dropped it off at her car. Got my shirt and bib number and then went back to my car. Temperature said 37 degrees in the fog. Most of the trail runners were wearing winter clothing. I felt like the odd guy out. All these veteran runners seemed to not only know each other, but also know the secrets that come with trail running. At the prerace meeting @ 7:30 they were all downing Hammer Gel and weird concoctions of some of the weirdest looking racefuel I've ever seen. It must have worked though because they all took off so fast! The one downer at the Pittsfield State Forest is that there are no bathrooms at the Lulu Area where the race starts and ends. As the bathrooms were over a half mile away, I decided to opt for jogging into the woods a quarter mile and then back again. Took some of the sting out of the cold. Did .5 miles in 6:00.

THE RACE: The race started promptly at 8:00. I got the water bottle holder from Laura about 20 seconds before the race started and slipped it on. We wished each other good luck and soon the "Ready, Set, GO!" echoed from the race director, a slight and tiny built little lady named Beth who had more energy than my entire 8th grade class. We took off hard, as there was a last minute change on the course and we were told the first 3 miles were pretty flat. It was out into the trails and winding left and right and left again.

The first three miles were 9:04, 9:33, and 9:56. At about the third mile we passed the parking lot again and then beared to the right and up a huge hill. Miles 3-5 were tough because they changed to single track going up alongside a brook (I believe Lulu's Cascade). Footing was tough sometimes and treacherous. I almost slipped and fell into the brook on a wet slap of rock. It was here that I started to think about the wisdom I've read in all the ultra books "Fast-hike the uphills, and run the downhills". This would be something I would follow especially after getting lost between miles 5 and 6.

"LOST" : The course was marked with orange and blue pin flags and orange tape hanging in the branches. Despite being told to keep aware of my surroundings, somewhere between mile 5 and 6 I got caught looking down probably to keep from slipping and falling. I ended up heading right and up and over a small hill instead of bearing left. Luckily another guy did the same thing as me, and he came back to me after about ten minutes of running. We talked and decided that we must have missed a turn. He was doing the full marathon and I was doing the half. We turned and jogged back and caught a third would-be-wanderer on the way back. Got back on track after doing an extra 1.5 miles. Fun fun! It wouldn't be a very good first experience at trail running without stories, would it?!

RACE (continued): One of the funny things about this race is that they had papparazzi during the first three miles. And about every .25 miles there were various stuffed animals stashed on logs, in trees, on stumps. It was kind of funny because you didn't know if y ou were going to see a monkey, panda, squirrel, beaver, etc. etc. around the next turn! I got back on track and hit up the aid station around mile 5.75. I filled my bottle with half water and half HEED, grabbed 3 or 4 cookies and a fig newton and headed out. Did about .3 miles on pavement before heading back into the woods. Finally caught up to Laura and explained what Ed and I had done. Turns out the other guy lost is also a Stryder! Miles 4-7 were: 12:51, 12:13, 12:23, 12:56.

Mile 8 was a tough mile with some hard uphills but then it leveled out. I started catching people and passed about six people during this mile as I got back on course. A lot of people were curious as to my "Fast Speed" since I was so far back in the pack. Mile 9 found us running down a very rocky ATV trail. Looked like a glacier had carved out the trail and left all these rocks in the dry river bed. Was fun weaving back and forth. Just before mile 10 I caught up to two more people. Mile 8 was 12:34 and Mile 9: 12:02.

As I came up on a huge uphill I saw another guy walking up it. After a couple minutes I caught up to him and found out his name was Mike and that he was upset because he thought this was a road race. I didn't want to make him even more irate but if he had only checked the website and/or read the application fully he'd have known what was in store! He was complaining and saying how he wanted to drop out at the next aid station, etc. etc. A bad apple. I didn't want him to get to me. So after awhile I kept quiet and let him listen to his iPod and stew over his predicament.

The second guy I came up on was the guy that I ended up running the rest of the race with, Wayne Wilhelm (age 42). Turns out he's from CT and we started talking about all kinds of history stuff because his twin girls are 11 and started middle school and absolutely love history. Talked about how he went on a cruise to Europe including stops in Rome, France, England, Pompeii. He was a really friendly guy and we settled into a really good pace. Miles 10-14 were: 14:08, 12:42, 11:05, 12:36, and 11:39.

Only other mishap came after the aid station at mile 10 (which was actually moved to mile 11; sucks for Mike because he wanted to drop out and probably had to run another mile to actually do so which seems pointless to just quit a race so close to the finish line. Eh, whatever. At the last aid station I refilled my HEED (which I'm really liking now!) and grabbed some FigNewtons and took off with Wayne. We jogged a bit on pavement and then got the turn into the woods. The ladies at the aid station told us the last 3 miles were downhill so we were pretty stoked about that. Got the conversation going really well, but then I stopped paying attention and took a spill at about mile 12. Cut my right hand on the palm a bit, but nothing bad. Actually it helped me in that my right quad had been tight until I fell and the knot was gone when I stood up. Had one other mishap on a root, but caught myself and got to the finish. I finished in the same time as Wayne. I couldn't bring myself to beat a guy that I just ran the last four miles of the race with. He's training for a marathon in October in Newport. I told him he'll do awesome! I was all smiles as I came down the hill to the finish. Someone had a cowbell, Beth the race director was clapping and yelling, and then I saw Emmy!! She made it to the finish for me! I was so happy to see her at a race that I was proud of finishing! I got my medal and shook hands with Wayne and then hugged Emmy. I got more food and then she and I ended up going jogging on the roads to do a cool down before coming back to the car. Ran a mile about 11:50 pace. I felt awesome!! What a great race! I only wonder how I would have faired had I not gotten lost.

Ended up getting 22nd place and was the 2nd 1/2 marathon runner in the 20-29 division, and the first runner under 25 years. Actually, I was the youngest runner in either race!!! Didn't get any swag though, as the race was small and only winners got stuff. Felt really great. Next year will be awesome!! Race Time: 2:44:32 Race Distance: 13.10 miles* Average Pace: 12:33

*= Really was closer to 14.6 or .7 miles because of getting lost.

This was the longest I've been on my feet running since I did my second marathon in 2007. Ran total about three hours for the day. Had a blast. Can't wait for my next race.

After the race I went to Emma's house, showered, changed and then went to North Adams to celebrate Skyler's 3rd birthday with family and friends. We had a great day. Just got home about 8:30 pm tonight. Going to have to prep early tomorrow a.m. for school I suspect. Oh cool fact was that we walked down the road from Skyler's house and went walking through a park. Saw the only white marble dam in the United States, operated from about 1845-1947 when the buildings burned down. Some really cool natural bridges and rock formations there! Today was truly a perfect day.

About 50 meters from the finish line with Wayne Wilhelm. He got 21st, me 22nd

3:30 PM - Overcast and temperature was in the mid 60s today. Today was a test of trials and tribulations. The kids were pretty good except just had so much energy. I was drained because I have had a sore throat for a couple days (since Thursday or Friday) and as of yesterday it moved from a sore throat to congestion and I can't stop sneezing. Halls cherry cough drops were my only saving grace today at school. I am going to try to get to bed by 9 or 10 and get some much needed rest. Felt like I needed to get a jog in since I haven't run yet since the race. My quads screamed at the start of the run and on most of the downhills and uphills my legs's various muscles were tender, but it was a good ache. I earned this fatigue and it's a good feeling. Cruised around the block which is funny because "around the block" out here in the country ended up being over five and a half miles. Going to stretch, get a shower, dinner, and then homework. Run today was awesome. Almost stepped on a baby garter snake and also got chased by a dog. All is well though. Absolutely flew around the hilly course, average 8:19 a mile!  Note: First run with my 20 oz. Ampiphod. Felt pretty good. Wished that there was some kind of barrier between the plastic and my hand because my hand got all pruney form sweat. Splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:43
• Mile 2: 8:22
• Mile 3: 8:10
• Mile 4: 8:07
• Mile 5: 8:35 (huge uphills)
• .64: 4:54 (7:42 pace)

Total Time: 46:54 Total Distance: 5.64 miles Average Pace: 8:19

3:55 PM - It was parly sunny, hot and humid. It was probably close to 80 degrees when I started my run today after school. Still feeling crappy from the cold I got from the kiddos. I don't know if I'm going to get a run in tomorrow or Friday as I have parent/teacher Open House tomorrow night and then I got right from school to work on Friday. Sucky. Got Harry to go behind me on the bike today which was nice. We both decided there was too much traffic though! I think part of the reason I pushed the pace a bit early was that I was with Harry and also wanted to make sure we got off the main roads and onto some back ones. Ran into my mom and Jonn in the van just at about the 4.2 mile mark where I had to go up a huge .5 mile long hill.  They waved and so did I, though I was basically saying "Watch out there's a car behind you!" Pretty exhausted but have to do a lot of stuff today including revamping a lesson plan I am getting observed on on Friday. Ugh! Why does it feel like there's no time in the day?! I feel so stressed. Splits today were:

• Mile 1: 8:28
• Mile 2: 7:55
• Mile 3: 7:52
• Mile 4: 8:13
• Mile 5: 8:57
• .64: 5:11 (8:05)

Total Time: 46:38 Total Distance: 5.64 miles Average Pace: 8:16

4:00 PM - Gorgeous fall day. Sun was out and the leaves are just starting to change. Had a long day at school. Zipped home to get in a run before Parent Teacher Open House Night at 6:30, and I was finishing up the run and one of the neighbors dog (the one that always barks and chases me and the one that came out in the road at me today on the way out on my run today).. the dog came out in me. So I stopped and yelled at it to go home.. and it jumped at me. I put my arm up to protect myself, and he clamped down and bit my right hand. I have a gash on the top and bottom of my hand. Now I have to go to Parent Teacher Night and explain why I can shake people's hands. F my life. It hurts so bad too! Stupid 80 or 90 pound mut dog. My mom's going to check to see if it's gotten it's shots or anything because I might get rabies and foam at the mouth. Emmy wouldn't want that!  But I didn't cry. I might have to go get antibiotics you think? :( Splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:13
• Mile 2: 8:02
• Mile 3: 7:59
• Mile 4: 8:15
• Mile 5: 8:44
• .64: 5:02 (7:55 pace) - DOG BITE!! OW!

Total Time: 46:16 Total Distance: 5.64 miles Average Pace: 8:12

2:30 PM - Sunny and blue skies. Crisp and cool. Temp only in the low 60s maybe at best in the sun. It was windy and you could smell fall in the air. You know that smell you get with the leaves falling that it just smells like fall... Saw a lot of leaves that already were starting to change colors.

Friday was a long day for me. Woke up at 5am after not being able to sleep well. Had to get up and prep for my lesson. Was in charge of leading 5 lessons for 8th grade social studies and I didn't know what to expect, because it was my first formal observation by the rep from the College of St. Rose. I teach 2nd through 6th periods, and usually by 6th period the kiddos are either super hyper or just dead to the world before lunch. Everything went really well though, only two minor critiques. I have to try hard not to use "you guys" when referring to the whole class because I guess it is sexist and a no no. And I guess I missed a young lady in the back that had her hand up so I have to make sure not to let kids shout out before calling on whomever raised their hand. Other than that, she said my delivery was right on, I had smooth transitions, and she said that I was pretty much "a natural" and that it was a relief because some people she has observed I guess don't have the same presence in the classroom and have a long way to go to get to that satisfactory level by the end of the student teaching experience. So overall I was pretty happy! Then I had to go right to work in my school clothes and worked 4pm to 1130pm, and then 9am to 2pm today (Saturday). Was pretty tired. Only got about 7 hours max sleep last night, though it felt good to "sleep in" until 7:30am this morning!

Wanted to take a minute to mention a book I read on Friday. Read it during lunch and couldn't put it down so I read it and finished it before heading to work during my kids's learning lab period. It is called T4 and is a novel in poem format that recounts the life of a young lady during WWII that is targeted by the Nazis not for being Jewish or a Gypsie, but because she is considered "disabled" since she is deaf (result of a bad fever and ear infection when she was 16 months old). It recounts her struggles as well as her relationships, romantic and familial. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read or that has a high schooler.

Went to the 5k course in Wilton Wildlife today after work. Changed in my car and then hit the trails. Way too many people were using the trail. Normally at most I see one other person walking a dog. But today I saw no less than 6 groups of people! Saw five dogs, a bunch of kids, including a couple boys going the opposite way that kept saying "Hi! Hi!" when I went past them the first two times, and then the second time, the older was carrying a stick like a samurai sword and pointed it at me as I approached. He goes, "Wait! You're still running?! Man I feel lazy!" Haha. Kiddos are cute. One little dog was off a leash at the start of the run, a little thing. I was approaching it and three ladies at the crest of a big downhill so I said "On your left." One girl jumped. Then the dog started following me, and I was a little nervous because of the whole dog attack thing on Thursday before Open House. Don't know why I was afraid of that little puny thing today though. Then one of the girls yells "Benn! Benn!" after I passed them. I stop and turn around and I'm like "What?!" And the girl is like, "Uh, no not you. That's the puppy's name." I go, "haha that's my name too! How cool! See you, Ben!" And took off. Felt strong. Other than that didn't have to break stride at all. Ran the whole run continuous. Felt really good. Stretched afterwards. A small coughing fit just because still can't shake this dumb cold! Now time for a shower and mucho homework! Splits today were:

• Mile 1: 9:00
• Mile 2: 8:21
• Mile 3: 8:14
• Mile 4: 8:26
• Mile 5: 8:30
• Mile 6: 8:07
• Mile 7: 7:51
• .2: 1:28 (7:13 pace)

Total Time: 1:00:00 Total Distance: 7.20 miles Average Pace: 8:19

10:25 AM - Woke up this morning and it was pouring outside. Was chilly and foggy to boot. Made coffee and then started some homework after feeding the dogs. Did another part of my unit plan that's due in a couple weeks. There was a break in the rain, so I seized the opportunity and drove to Spa Park. Ended up doing circuits, doing the 5k course, then around the golf course . Did that twice, then did another 5k course for good measure. Felt pretty good. Finished right when the rain started again. Overcast and temp only in high 50s maybe during the run. Felt good considering the run yesterday afternoon and logging over 20+ miles in the last 24 hours. Felt strong. Love my water bottle carrier too :). Going to grab a shower and then do some more homework and hopefully get to talk to Emmy. I can't wait until December once I'm done with school! Will be so much better! Splits were:

• Mile 1: 9:29
• Mile 2: 9:06
• Mile 3: 9:31
• Mile 4: 8:42
• Mile 5: 8:41
• Mile 6: 8:46
• Mile 7: 8:29
• Mile 8: 8:48
• Mile 9: 8:34
• Mile 10: 8:32
• Mile 11: 8:47
• Mile 12: 8:40
• Mile 13: 8:51
• .32: 2:44 (8:37)

Total Time: 1:57:45 Total Distance: 13.32 miles Average Pace: 8:50

7:25 PM - Dark, cold, windy. Clouds moving fast in the sky. Rained all day and then stopped just before I went running. Yesterday was a crazy day and went right from school to class until 8:30 pm. No time for a run. Today, pretty much same story. Got out at 2:30, home at 2:37 and then worked on lessons until 6:30 break for dinner, a bit more and then got in the car and drove to the track. Just got home. My dad was still at the school and said to me when I got home, "You're crazy, Benn! Running in the headlights at the track?!" I go, "What headlights. I was dancing in the moonlight!" Had the Cat Stevens Moonshadow thing playing through my head. Felt pretty good. I warmed up with 1 mile and then stretched a couple minutes and then ran the rest of the run without stopping, doing 1 mile repeats with .25 mile recoverys (generally did the recovery .25s in 2:15-2:30 I think). Repeats were goal 70-80% effort to estimate a 1/2 marathon pace on flat ground (not that I have any flat or fast 1/2s this year :(). Got progressively faster! Woo hoo. Great run! Now off for a shower and more homework before passing out. Woot. Splits were:

• 1.11 mi warmup: 9:36 (8:39/ mile)
• Mile Repeat #1: 7:30, .25 recov. 2:16
• Mile Repeat #2: 7:23, .25 recov. 2:20
• Mile Repeat #3: 7:18, .25 recov. 2:20
• Mile Repeat #4: 6:55, .25 recov. 2:28
• Mile Repeat #5: 6:50
• 1.07 mi cooldown: 8:49 (8:15/ mile)

Total Time: 1:04:21 Total Distance: 8.25 miles Average Pace: 7:47

6:30 PM - Overcast, windy and rainy. There were soccer games and xc practice after school so I used the first couple hours to revamp my lesson for tomorrow. I developed some cool activities about Civil War spies including a cipher disk where students get to decode some messages and encode their own. Then I am going to do a short demo about Civil War medicine with props and try to get kids thinking about infections, bacteria and the likes. Went to the track with Harry. He stayed in the car to do homework but found out later that he lost one of his contacts so he had to wait to come come before doing any of it. Oops. Told him I was only doing a 45:00 run today so I wanted to stick to my promise. Stretched and then eased into the run. Did about 2.25 miles one way and then 3.5 miles the other way. Couldn't figure out why I kept missing the 1 mile lap splits and then I realized I had turned the autolap feature off yesterday. Only took me 5 miles to figure that one out! From what I remember, I did the 3 mile mark in about 24:15, 4 miles in 31:56 and 5 miles in about 39:30 or something. Ended up running just over 45 minutes to hit an even split. Stretched and went home to have dessert with the family. Cool to get in a good run, but now back to doing lesson plans and such. Student teaching is way too exhausting especially for the amount you get paid (which in case anyone is wondering is nothing!).

Total Time: 45:08 Total Distance: 5.75 miles Average Pace: 7:51