Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Slow run through the Blue Hills with Alex, Sam, Rob and a couple of juniors. Pretty slow, and a lot of let's-turn-around-to-keep-the-group-together, but that's okay. I did scamper down one downhill and almost keep pace with Alex, that felt good! I need to get better at that.

Traffic jam on the way down due to an accident; if I'd decided earlier I totally could have done the Red Line-240 bus trick (although harder on Sundays with schedules) and gotten there just as fast. Or ride bikes.

Ah, yes, hills. More climb over <3 miles than the previous 7. I moved pretty well up the hills with Sam, and then we waited for Alex and Rob. "Hey Alex, want to run up another hill?" Does the Pope shit in the woods?

C • Yes... And no? 1

Ran to meet Alex and Ed at a highway interchange. Worked perfectly!

Took a run up the course with ACJ. As usual, it's kind of good to check out a trail race course so you don't get lost.

People's Forest race. Really nice park out in a part of Connecticut I'd never been to. Drove out with Alex and Ed, took a warm up, and ran. I'd been lax on getting enough sleep all week an slept a bit on the way out, but was still not feeling like I'd do great. But it was cool and cloudy, and figured I'd have a fun run.

I went out and pretty quickly fell in to the chase pack about a mile in to the race. We had a couple of points where the people leading the pack missed a turn; I think a lot of hiking allows me to see blazes, but a better-marked course would be nice (i.e. flour/lime markings don't work in the rain; streamers would be helpful and easier to see). I was going pretty hard but not killing myself to keep up with the pack, and at one point thought of running ahead but never quite did.

Once we were up the steep second hill, the pack split up, and then reformed when I ran up a blazed trail which we were told to follow, but the arrows pointed elsewhere, and a bit further along a runner who was ahead and had gone straight came back down and met with us. Trail running!

Anyway, I was mostly alone down the last hill and finished in 7th. Still not great at running downhill, but managed to move my legs pretty fast. Also, I can run well on rocks when some others don't, but the long downhills are a bit harder. Then I won some award (cupcake) and did a cooldown and slept in the car (traffic!) on the way home.

Quick cooldown back on the race course.

Three runs up the hill, and then a bunch of ups and downs, and for good fun I bounded all the little hills on grass.

Ran to Market Basket, ran through the empty store, and then ran down to Whole Foods to buy, you know, food.

Very late start, up to Adams pretty easy, then down quickly.

Poured rain all day with thunderstorms. Sad, no hiking. Happy, lots of baking!