Training Log Archive: Ari-o

I love this race. It's everything that is right about trail racing. Low-key. Wicked hard. Muddy, rocky, fun. It doesn't try to be anything that it's not, and it doesn't have to be. Just a half marathon of hills, rocks and roots. And mud.

I drove out alone—my friends all bailed with the forecast monsoon—in a driving rainstorm. At times I was down to about 50 on the Pike. I made it through the wilds of Western Mass (without my handwritten directions or cell service) with one hiccup. I went north to 116 one road early. A parallel error. But it worked out fine.

Spitting rain at the start. Number, bathroom, water. Aggressive shoes—Raptors—for the mud and rock (good choice). Ready, set, go. I started out at a good but not blazing pace and felt quite good, and was up with places 2-5. I was able to run about as much as last year, and a few more folks past me (Kehr was gone, as was Stas). I was running the hairpins with two guys, one in a red shirt and one in a hat. The red shirt guy—62!— ran ahead, and I was running with hat guy. I spotted a bottle of water and grabbed it, we shared it, keeping cool and hydrated. That helped. he ran ahead at the top, never to be seen again.

Coming down Overlook and Hopper, I tried to go fast, but it was slippery and wet. I heard footsteps behind me and it was a woman in a UMich singlet, she passed me on the downhill but I caught her on the ensuing up. Lots of water; splashing through puddles and streams. When we hit the short road climb I passed her singing "Hail to the Victors" which she was very excited about; singing along. (After the race, she said it gave her a second wind.) She kept up with me through that feed and the next section of trail, and my knee was starting to bother me, so I let her go ahead on Jones's Nose and she scampered off. We'd caught red shirt guy by this point, but he passed me on the downhill too. I really took it easy.

On the long uphill, I had my still dogging knee to worry about, and while not bonking, I didn't have a ton of get up and go. I had red shirt in sights, but only gained a few seconds on him and on the downhill, he took some back. There were lots of big puddles along here; it was a wet foot splashfest. Such fun! It spit rain a little here, too. I could have used a little more, to stay cool.

I ran some better splits on the steeper, rockier downhill but didn't make any progress on red shirt. Then I heard a guy behind me. Luckily, this is right about where the trail goes from steep rocky to slightly-less-steep but much-less-rocky-with-good-runouts. I decided to try to stay in front of him and my knee was much happier without the torquing. I had some gas left in the tank and pushed some, knowing there were a couple of flat sections and uphills. I hit the bridge and pounded the uphill and put several seconds between us, and kept that going. I caught a glimpse of red shirt and tried to close that gap, but it was not to be. Finished 10th, 8th guy, 15 seconds behind red shirt, 15 seconds in front of the next guy, and only 13 minutes off the lead. Much higher finish than years past, even if slower than last year.

Then I sat in the stream, and ate food, recruited people to O, and may have gotten recruited to do some coaching with Newton North next year (Alex had her juniors, two from North; they need a technique coach, and I could probably do a couple of days a week). Then I drove back on Route 2, which was very nice and didn't have traffic like the Pike. 10 minutes longer (fewer miles) and gorgeous, of course, too. Funny story: coming down off the summit, I got stuck behind someone driving very timidly. 5-10 mph under the speed limit, a lot of unnecessary braking, etc. I didn't go all Masshole on them (although I did attempt a pass at one point, but there was traffic oncoming; few passing zones anyway) but we did have 20 people stacked up behind me. I passed her on 91. It may have been the person I sang hail to the victors to …


Miles

2015	2014	2013
11:23	11:17	12:12
14:51	14:13	14:16
17:55	17:32	17:42
9:54	9:27	10:27
9:29	9:33	11:03
8:44	8:32	8:56
9:31	9:54	10:09
8:58	7:49	9:29
9:13	8:55	9:07
8:51	7:56	8:40
8:29	7:50	8:40
7:35	7:43	9:18
7:13	8:11	8:11

C • Water bottle 4

Bike with Eric after work. Headed out MVP and then up in to the Arlington hills. We worked our way across the side of the heights, and then took Eastern Ave up it. That's a hill! Slowly, though, but it was still some nice burn. Then as I was coming back through Davis I saw a guy who looked a lot like my uncle's friend. I went to say hi and he was walking next to my uncle, and cousin too. They invited me to have dinner with them but I had no lock for my bike. They insisted (them: oh, just bring your bike in the restaurant, me: no, that doesn't happen) but I said I could bike home and get back in 25 minutes—they'd order something for me. Well I sprinted back home, although I did hit some lights, changed, and then checked my phone. 3 minutes to a train. …

… I can make it to Central from my apartment in 3 minutes at a dead sprint. I was still breathing heavy from the bike ride, so grabbed a shirt, and bike helmet (Hubway home) and took off down Pearl Street. I dashed in to the station just as the train was pulling in and was able to get my shirt on (yup, I was the crazy shirtless guy in the T stop) before making the 8 minute ride up to Davis. My house to Davis in 11 minutes, try doing that in a car, or even on a bike (unless maybe you ran every light there was to run).

The Hubway ride home was leisurely.

Deck, feeling okay after a couple days off. Helps that it was in the 50s overnight so cool with a fan blowing, not too much sweat drench. Lots of push ups in a row, so I put some off until some sit ups showed up.

Street-O! Started at Bermans and then went around with a sheet of paper and clues, which is fun. I took mostly good routes, read ahead a lot, and, uh, it helps to know things like light cycles. Got hung up with construction (unmapped!) in MIT and then hit a long light at Cambridge Street in East Cambridge. Kind of fun the number of neighborhoods you can run through in half an hour.

Good day at NP. Not too hot (but very happy for the ice water bottle) for the running around. The best part is that my knee doesn't hurt. Greylock, here I come!

Thing out in Belmont, so a 23 minute ride each way. As fast as driving, basically.

Cool! Run to Whole Foods to get some pizza stuff as the oven preheated. Then, pizza!