Training Log Archive: Ari-o

This was an excellent day. Super muggy and so I didn't want to do much around these parts, and called Lincoln and Jess to see if they wanted to meet somewhere and run up a mountain. After some discussion we settled on Bethel, and either a 12 mile loop or an 18 mile loop (the latter would be flatter, overall).

I headed out and was running less late, so went to the Good Food Store (which is the name of the store, and a description, and has bulk items I needed!) and got prepared food for post-run. Then we caravaned to the 12 mile option which was a good choice since it was already 3 o'clock. It was muggy, but breezy, and not too buggy.

Up Caribou Mountain, which started runnable and then got decently steep, took a left at the junction, great views from the top (and showers to the north, but not on us). Saw two people on the way up. Then down, with some trail finding on top, and running down the bottom, and a stop for water, and to the other trailhead. Saw three more people thereafter. The climb back up was almost as much and we passed several lovely cascades along the stream; this was just a beautiful trail. Got to the top and going down was steep, but quite runnable.

11 miles, 5 people seen. On a weekend (on a Sunday afternoon, but still).

But the best part was the finish. Because there was a great swimming hole. First, a little chute into it that you could stand in and get a nice cold water massage on your legs (for Jess, up to her thighs, for me, just to my knees). Then if you sat down the water would shoot you down the chute and into the pool of water which was so very refreshing. And it was breezy enough there weren't really any bugs so we got our food and had a lovely picnic.

This is maybe 6 minutes off of Route 2 and excellent to know about.

Exciting day today of …

Waking up to a downpour at 5 a.m.
Not getting back to sleep until 7:30 and sleeping until 10.
Spending most of the day doing my taxes (was waiting on one document, but done, and owe less than I'd planned so maybe I should buy skis!)
Watching rain nearby on radar
Baking a loaf of bread (came out excellent) and sourdough English muffins (coming along nicely)

Finally it cooled down so I drove up the hill to rollerski (I could walk half a mile and ski from there, but it ends in a sketchy downhill, driving to Kents Hill seems to make the most sense. Cool and breezy!

Down 17, then up the Thundercastle Road to the half mile of the Chase Road between the Church Road and Thundercastle. Which has a nice 25m climb which transitions from V2-V1-V2-V1. Repeats felt pretty good, and plenty of longer hills to do longer ones. Spent five times doing that, saw two cars in 25 minutes, and then back up the Old Kents Hill Road, where I got very warm despite having had most of the liter of water in my drink belt, because it is humid af and I was drenched in sweat. But no FDFs!

Morning shuffle around the lake. Very foggy and super muggy. Felt slow on the way back but not hot sunshine.

Last couple of days of strawberries! I fixed my bike some (I think the derailleur just needs to be cleaned out some, because I haven't cleaned out the derailleur in [censored] years) and if shifted better (but not great) but enough to go. Biked over pretty darned fast since I was pushing closing time, came back much slower with strawberries on my back and bonkiness in my tummy.

But yay for strawberries!

C • Strawberries on back and bonkiness in stomach 2

Thinking of, in a couple of weeks, doing 36 for 36. On the most reasonably-cool day near my birthday.

Of course, I am coming up stupid ways to do this.

Stupid: Bigelow Range (34.5 miles, so 1.5 at the end I guess?, 4k D+, 11h FKT seems attainable)
Stupider (but really about as stupid): Grafton Loop (36 miles, 3.5k D+)
Stupidest: Presi Traverse out and back (37 miles , 5.2k D+)

Taking suggestions for less stupid things a reasonable distance from Readfield.

C • Less stupid 3

C • More stupid 2

Run around the lake again. Nice in the shade, hot in the sun, luckily it was early enough it was mostly shade.

I took the trash up to the dumpster and then thought I was going to be running in between thumpers. This hope held until about 2 miles in when I saw lightning streak across the sky, and then the skies opened, but I ran Boston in this, so why not?

Kept raining all the way around, alternating between downpour and deluge. But it was nice and cool, so that was great, I didn't mind it at all. Harder to hear cars coming, luckily they are pretty sparse. And no close calls with lightning (also in a tunnel of trees/power lines most of the way, I told myself).

Then came down the camp road and saw a raspberry. This will be investigated further.

Legs properly shot after yesterday. Not really sore, just tired. And felt a bit off all day, probably dehydration. Need to drink more during the run. Probably eat more too.

Anyway, a lovely day here still and not humid at all, but I had calls that went late enough I was out for an evening roll, which was fine, because 50m or so was more than enough. Down 17, up the Chase Road, some DP/NP at the end of it where it's rolling and there is no traffic, then slow V1 back up top.

Run up Old Speck. Jess was going for the Strava segment (she recently got a notification someone had taken it) and has fresher legs (from sitting on a plane coming home from Colorado, and not commercial) and the altitude training she did there. Also she's fucking fast.

She ran off and made the summit in under an hour. I pushed hard for the first mile, got a bit warm and my legs felt a bit noodly, and slowed own for the rest of the way. It says 3.8 miles but comes in closer to three and a quarter.

Then we took a nice easy run down. I probably should have stopped for water earlier, once I did, it got much more pleasant (and the Sawyer Squeeze works so well and is nice and light). A bit overgrown in places and some blow downs to contend with (one of which ripped the side panel out of my shorts; Jess went under) along the way but the views on Sunday River Whitecap were superb. We made fine time and were at the road well before dark, before masking up to fetch the cars.

Last time I did any such activity with a non-pod person was skiing at Jackson with Lincoln and Jess damn near four months ago!