Ron Hebert 8 Mile, Sunday, April 6

This will end my 'As-Flat-As-Possible' week. The St. Pat's race beat me up pretty good, sore left heel from the long downhill following Mike Butler, 42:24. I appreciate that some traditional speed workouts would prepare me for this kind of thing. Endurance is no problem but my race pace is weak, unfamiliar.

So now an enforced break from uphill running, only hiking is allowed. My current training strategies have run their course. There has to be both more time for flat faster paces, and more sustained climbs in the next three months before Mt. Washington. Only 2 months of flexible training leaves time for possibly 3 road trips to sustained climbs of 3+ miles.

The M+M marathon training run is pretty much on the shelf till July/August. A crazy 20 Miler on Mount Tom may be a better idea. I'll have a little 5K on Thursday to get some speed back under my legs before the long, uphill battle, Sunday at Hebert.

St. Pat's Road Race

This course has about half the elevation per mile of my runs. I should be served well by this and maybe PR my best 2 5K's. Under 40 sounds crazy, but that is possibly within reach. Haven't done the math yet, as fast as 6:15 and how slow on the hills? I think I can run 7's on the hill. I'm going to love it.

Whiting Reservoir to Lake Bray

Maybe I'll run this again tomorrow. Yesterday, I headed out on Whiting and decided to explore, got kind of lost! Nothing to drink, only t-shirt and shorts, 1:20 ish for 8.5 Miles. I'm unsure of the mapping so I want to run it again anyway. I find I have zero interest in tapering, simple as that. I want to run what I want to run. This one I can run fast on the reservoir for 2 miles before and after the trail silliness. Maybe I'll cut it short, cut out bray pond itself, just explore the red blazed trail I discovered yesterday.

The quarry is posted with huge signs for 'HIKERS' to follow a trail on the periphery, where I used to run on the road. The connecting trail between Whiting and Mountain Park road, at the back corner of the reservoir, is obstructed. Someone simply knocked 3 trees across the trail. No signage, just a pile of destruction to stop misuse. I do not misuse this area so I'll run right over it, I'll follow signage but this destructive crap goes on at Ashley too. I have no respect for what is done without respect.

East Mountain Complete (Lane Quarry to Cherry WMA)

Elks to Lane Quarry, Across the Ridgeline almost to 141, back to the Elks. This is a very ambitious run. I'm posting from work, where I'm just realizing how ambitious it is. I've mapped out 23 miles and 3000', which could take as long as 5 hours! Leaving the house with all preparations, I only took 2 long run bottles, good for about 4 hours. So, I'll have a cliff bar in my pocket.

The main goal is to tackle all of East Mountain from the Elks. The M+M trail follows the ridgeline where it can, and a lower lying parallel trail connects with the reservoir where I usually run with friends. The south portion of the M+M has to dodge a Quarry, but I'll run both the M+M and the ridgeline through the quarry property as it will break up the run nicely.

East Mountain

On Friday or Saturday, I'll be on East Mountain for a few hours of running. This is for a long one, taking the dogged unflagging persistance of my winter road habits to the trails. I don't plan to walk. Probably will Take the Cauldron Trail from Ashley to Bush Notch and hit the 7 mile Lane Quarry route, then come back through the Notch across the Ridgeline to 202, and back into the res. That is about 15 miles, couple thousand feet.

It is time for a long run, and I had been looking for almost 20. The trail adds significant time. Friday will be the best weather for awhile, and the only long run for over a week. I may tack on a five mile loop past 202, coming back along Cherry St. WMA trails or the White Lightning hill of the M+M.

Encore? I blew the race. I showed up too late, felt bad that and didn't bother to even get a shirt. I ran decent, passed people the whole way which really screwed up my sense of pace. Totally overtrained, over-taxed schedule wise from the Meineke mornings etc. Still a PR on their clock, and showed me my potential is much greater. Just get me out to the trails! .

Encore

Half Marathon at New Bedford this weekend, my first flat half. Tom D. who sprinted past me at D.H.Jones Finish, will be there offering an encore race! So Nye and I will drive down, meeting the club contingent. This week was kind of crazy running wise. Commuting to and from Meineke has taken me through Holyoke a few times, my long run in Southampton was lengthened and too fast - lucky not to be injured. My weekly mileage is simply climbing rather than tapering for this race. So long as I let myself recover, all should be well. I should run under 1:35:00, but have days to consider it and chill out.

Saturday: Dagobah

I had so much fun in the hills, I'm going to finish out the week on the trails. After working on the house in Feeding Hills, a night time visit to the Dagobah system. 'Tis the season for little green men right? In West Springfield, the M+M trail is diverted around a quarry and a sportsmens club from the ridgeline of East Mountain. It plunges down into a ridiculous twisting boggy gnarly swampy log choked obnoxious mile requiring Jedi discipline, thus - Dagobah. I'll say hi to Yoda for you, oh it will be raining.

Group Run Loop To Yeti

Thursday night's group run, and then a loop up to 'Yeti Bluff'. Adds 1.5 miles to any reservoir loop with 350' climbing. Should be beautiful, clear night, great view. The 20 miles Monday were amazing, 3 hours even. I've spent that long on 12 miles of trails. Sobering to imagine MoreFun race in May, then translate the amount of time that will take to road distance - Ultra? Possibly. Two weeks from now I should find a 4 hour trail to run. 'Time' by Tom Waits, Pichrtova doesn't bother with distance, only time.