So Maybe I Don't Know the Way

I have a tendency to think I know my way around places that I don't really know my way around.

When Beth and I were training for the Three Creek Century way back in 2006 (the last time Beth rode her bike more than once in a calendar year) we did a 60ish mile ride the week before the century as our last long training ride. Beth was relying on me to know the way since we were on roads that I had often explored, but she had never ridden on.

I explained to her, "we'll have one really big hill at first - it's not super steep, but it's long and from there on out it will be relatively flat."

So we made it up that first "really big hill" and kept going, I leading the way. The thing is, I didn't know exactly where we were going, I just had a rough idea that if I went this direction I'd eventually make my way back to Dillsburg.

Beth made it up that hill, no problem. Like I said, not super-steep just long. It was a lot of spinning in low gear. Unfortunately, it wasn't too much longer that we hit the hill. By far, the toughest hill I'd ever climbed on my bike. Beth was seriously afraid that she'd stall out and tip over, so we both stopped part way up and walked our bikes up (not easy to do in road cycling shoes).

The rest of the ride Beth whined over every hill that we encountered; "I thought you said this would be flat!" But I guess I had it coming - if you're guiding someone on a ride, you should at least know your way around.

We had a similar situation this past weekend when we visited Colonial Williamsburg with my parents. (See pictures on Beth's blog.) On the way down we were stuck in traffic on I-95 and watched in pure envy as drivers in the HOV lane (now inaccessable to us) flew by.

I made a mental note of this, and on the way back I jumped into the HOV lane at my first opportunity. What I didn't know is that the HOV lane never exits back onto an expressway. We went from I-95 to I-395 to be dumped out into the middle of Washington, DC.

At first I thought we might have a problem. Then I saw the Washington Monument spring up over the horizon and I knew we had a problem. Fortunately the route back to I-95 North was well marked and we made our way up toward Baltimore for a bit of a detour home.

Fortunately, Beth took this little misdirection on my part much better than she did on our bike ride. Maybe that's because she didn't have to pedal.

P.S. - I totally went back to that huge hill later that week and climbed it. I was sucking a lot of air by the time I reached the top - but I made it!

Week Log: March 22-28

Tuesday: run 4.1 miles, 41 min. IT band stayed pretty quiet, would have gone further but was short on time.

Wednesday: bike 15.6 miles, 59 min. Windy and cool. Left the heart rate monitor at home and just had some fun out there.

Friday: Run 6.0 miles, 1:09 Took the day off work and did a trail run in the morning. IT band behaved pretty well, but 6 miles might have pushed the envelope a little. I guess we'll find out when I run again next week.

Total: Run 10 miles, Bike 15 miles

Not a great week - I was just too busy to get the mileage in that I probably really needed. Actually, I was too busy to give my IT band proper treatment most of the week, so I hope that didn't set me back at all.

Hopefully I'll get back in the groove some this week, but it will be another busy one with another weekend away from home (Junior High retreat time).

The Tale of the Strange Liquid

Since this story is pretty well-known at work, I guess there's no harm in putting it on the internet for the whole world to see.

During my Senior year of college I lived in a two-bedroom apartment with four other guys. It was smelly and crowded, but entertaining. It made the 2-bedroom apartment I shared with Scott after college seem downright cavernous.

One day several of us were sitting, watching TV when my roommate, Jason said from the kitchen "hey, what's this on the floor?"

I went over there to investigate and saw a small puddle of orange liquid. An intelligent person would have said, "I don't know" and then taken a paper towel and cleaned it up.

I, on the other hand, have an insatiable curiosity so I needed to find out what this liquid was. I sniffed it. Nothing. I thought for a moment and decided to taste it., then I dabbed my finger in the liquid and at the very moment I touched my finger to my tongue, I heard one of my other roommates say, "that's where the garbage was sitting before I took it out."

Garbage water. I never brushed my teeth so thoroughly in my life.

Double 0

Double Zero can mean pretty good things.

If you're in Her Majesty's Secret Service, it means you have a license to kill (supposedly).

It's also a record label, featuring artists such as The Smoking Popes, The Honor System, Duvall, The Red Hot Valentines, Split Habit, Ryan's Hope, and Amazing Transparent Man. None of whom I've ever heard.

However, double zero in bowling (or perhaps more appropriately "0 -") is a bad thing. That's what I did for the first time ever in league play.

You see, the lane conditions were lousy and I was having trouble controlling the hook of my ball. I kept moving further and further left, until finally if I missed my target by more than a couple boards to the right, the ball would fall into the gutter.

It happened twice on the first ball. In the second frame of the second game, my ball got away from me and descended into the gutter. I had a spare in my first frame, so this gutterball was especially damaging. Fortunately on the second ball I recovered and got a nine.

A few frames later the same thing happened. The first ball got away from and dropped in the gutter. I turned to my teammates and said "at least this time it wasn't on a spare." Then I went back and did the same thing on the second ball. Double Zero.

Week Log: March 16-22

Tuesday: Run 4.0 miles, 40 min. Definitely seeing some improvement in my IT.

Wednesday: Bike 16.0 miles, 1:04 Lots of Wind. Rear end a bit sore - it's going to take a while to get used to being in the saddle again.

Thursday: Run 4.3 miles, 45 min. I went off the NSAIDs yesterday, so it feels a bit like a step back - hopefully the NSAIDs are the only reason it's a bit achier.

Friday: Bike 10.3 miles, 40 min. Cold day - at least for riding a bike, so I cut this ride a little short.

Sunday: Run 4.7 miles, 54 min. Trail run on the AT. Took my last NSAID this morning and it seemed to help - my IT band didn't really flare up until after I was through 4 miles.

Totals: Run 13 miles, Bike 26 miles

I was feeling a bit beat up by Saturday, so I chose not to run at all and went this afternoon instead - and it looks like that may have been the right decision.

Working out five days might have been a bit much coming back from injury. I'll probably cut back some next week - but we'll see. It'd be nice to ease back into things, but at the same time, I'm due for a long run (which will still be shorter than my recent "long runs") on April 11. So for now I'm just doing as much as my IT band will allow.

Sometimes You Eat the Bear and Sometimes the Bear Eats You

Sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug.

Sometimes you're the dog and sometimes you're the fire hydrant.

Okay, maybe that one went a bit too far.

All that to say, I'm not going to be doing the HAT run tomorrow. My IT band has simply not healed to the point where I feel like I can run 31 miles and recover. I could run 31 miles, but it would just all blow up again and I don't think I want to put the Pittsburgh marathon at risk.

So I will be running trails tomorrow, I just won't be running as far and not driving as far to get there. And not getting up as early. Beth's happy about that part.

Pittsburgh will be a very different experience for me. It's a "big city" marathon. It will be the largest race I've ever participated in (7,000 runners compared to 1300 for the "Once and Done Turnpike 5K") and we'll be driving out there and staying in the Westin (can you say "heavenly beds" and "heavenly showers?").

It's also special because, Beth's cousin, Chris is running it (he's shooting for 2:45) and Beth's best friend's husband will be running the half marathon, so Beth's parents, her aunt and her best friend will all be cheering us on.

So when the choice came down to having a lousy HAT run (possibly a DNF) and probably a lousy Pittsburgh Marathon or skipping the HAT and having at least a halfway decent Pittsburgh Marathon the choice became pretty easy. I'll trade my HAT hat for a Pittsburgh medal.

Our Education System is a Failure!

This may seem like a bold statement but I can absolutely back it up.

You see, illiteracy is a major problem in this nation. "But Jeff" you say, "I read on Wikipedia that America's literacy rate is 99%!"

Wikipedia? What I have is solid anecdotal truth.

Situation One:
You're at a stoplight waiting for the light to turn green. There is a sign next to the light stating "Left Turn Yield on Green." I've always thought this sign was stupid. We never had that sign in New York, because if you didn't yield on green someone would t-bone you.

Apparently, Pennsylvanians need that sign. NOT THAT IT HELPS!

Because opposite you is someone in the left turn lane also waiting for the light to turn green. But instead of yielding as the sign instructed, they boldly jump out in front of you, forcing you to yield to them.

I'm sure you're thinking that surely those people are just jerks. And in some cases you are probably correct. But this happens all the time! I refuse to believe that there are that many jerks in South-Central Pennsylvania. It must be a failure of the school system. People just can't read the sign.

Situation Two:
Beth and I were doing some running around this weekend and we decided to swing by The Healthy Grocer to recycle some batteries. We don't actually buy anything there, but they have a canister where you can put your alkaline batteries in to be recycled.

Beth drops the batteries in, comes back to the car and says, "people are idiots." Maybe these weren't her exact words, since she's nice and all, but that was the gist.

Somebody had dumped their trash into the battery recycling canister. Now, she told me that it
was someone who was lazy that didn't want to walk the extra five feet to the garbage can. But I've seen this happen elsewhere. It's not that people were willing to dump their trash whereever there was a trash-like receptacle, it's that they couldn't read the words "Battery Recycling ONLY."

How can this be? This is America and people can't read simple instructions like "Left Turn Yield on Green" and "Recycling ONLY." It's sad. Simply sad.

Like I Need Another Hobby

I grew up spending my summers on the shores of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York.


One of the things we used to do for fun was to dive for freshwater clams. We'd use a dive mask and swim out to four or five feet of water and dive down to the bottom looking for freshwater clams.


The thing about freshwater clams, though are that they're useless. You can't eat them, and I tried using them as bait - unsuccessfully.


But in the latest issue of Oustide there is an article about freediving spearfisherman that I thought was amazing.


The article has actually made national headlines because it included a showdown between the fishermen and a tiger shark.


But what I really found fascinating was the idea of going out in a boat, jumping out with no scuba gear, diving down to a reef (in this case they were fishing around an oil rig), picking out a trophy fish and firing away.


I guess that's a very simplified version. Freediving is probably the most dangerous sport that I would consider participating in. People die all the time trying to set new records for the deepest dives and in accidents where they simply blackout or get tangled in their own fishing lines when a fish tries to run. There are training programs throughout the country in freediving where you learn to control the spasms that your diaphragm goes into when you've been holding your breath for a minute or two, and you eventually learn to stay under for as long as four minutes.


Now, when I saw I'd consider freediving, I don't mean competitive freediving to see how far you can go down. I mean freedive spearfishing. Still dangerous, but at least it has a purpose.


As someone who has fished my entire life, using the traditional hook and line, let's see what strikes method, the idea of diving down, and picking out your fish from a school of hundreds of "inferior" fish and bagging a real trophy is incredibly appealing.


Besides, I'm sure that freediving would really benefit my endurance training. It would strengthen my lungs and core and improve my concentration when my body is stressed.


But I don't really have time for all the hobbies I currently have. I didn't get my fishing license last year (and probably not this year) and I haven't played golf or disc golf in ages.

Week Log: March 9-15

Wednesday: Run 3.2 miles, 34 min. Took it very easy. I band was still hurting, but not as bad as Thursday.

Friday: Run 3.4 miles, 37 min. Another day taking it easy, felt even better than Wednesday, but still not great.

Saturday: Cycle 15.7 miles, 1:04 Turns out my bike computer's battery died over the winter, so this information is from my Forerunner.

Sunday: Run 3.8 miles, 43 min. Broke out my new Nike Air Pegasus 25 shoes. Had some trouble with some rubbing on the top of my left foot. And the IT band - still hurt, improving, but still hurt.

Totals: Run 10 miles; Cycle 15 miles.

Not really a great week. I had really hoped to see more improvement on my IT band as the week progressed. It's getting better, but not getting better fast enough. Unless I see marked improvement on Tuesday, I won't be doing the HAT run next weekend.

That being said, I could do the HAT run. In fact, I'd say that if I didn't have anything else on the horizon, I would definitely do that HAT. But with the Pittsburgh Marathon coming in May - which will be the largest race I've done yet (over 7,000 participants) - I'd rather scratch the HAT run and be healthy for the marathon than to hobble through 31 miles, then hobble through 26.2 miles six weeks later.

It was nice getting out on my bike yesterday. Having not ridden since November, it was nice to mix it up a little and do something a little different. It was about 48 degrees, so I put on knee warmers and a base layer under my long-sleeve jersey. I found it tough to keep my heart rate under MAF - actually I found it impossible, because even the flattest routes around here have hills of some kind.

My body definitely felt like I had done a different type of workout. I had used muscles not used in a few months - but I still felt good. Not sore or tired, just well-used.

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

The warm air in Florida (unbelievably with very little wind) started making me crave some time on two wheels.

And with my IT band irritating me, I'm not getting the miles in running that I'm used to - so I feel like I'm running a bit of an exercise deficit. It's also not helping (or is helping, depending on your point of view) that I've been reading cycling blogs like Mike on His Bike, Fat Cyclist, 331 Miles and Dug (when Dug's not writing about bathrooms or being angry at hangers).

I have a rule that I don't ride if the temperature is below forty degrees. It's just too cold for me then. Maybe I don't have the right apparel, or maybe I'm just a wimp, but if it gets below forty I just can't handle the wind chill. Epecially at 40 miles-per-hour heading down a steep hill.

But this weekend we're going to see temperatures climb into the fifties and I spent some time cleaning up each of my three bikes so they're ready to go whenever they are called upon.

Tomorrow I'm planning to do a short ride on my Scott Speedster S20. Probably a nice easy jaunt around 15 miles. I'll probably have to bundle up some, but it will be worth it.

Then Wednesday, if the forecast holds up, I'll be making my first bicycle commute to work for 2009. It's a little less motivating not having the $4.00 per gallon gas prices this year (not that I'm complaining), but a little extra time in the saddle should be all the motivation I need.

That is, I will make my first commute as long as I get some chain oil before Wednesday. I had enough to do the Scott, then my Gary Fisher Marlin, but alas, there was none left for the Schwinn.

Finally, if you remember my "Looking Towards 2009" post (or if you just clicked that link), you may recall that I had talked about an "epic bike ride." June 13, is the planned date. Beth is having her first baby shower that day. Yes, that's right - baby shower. So it's important that I get that ride in - I don't know how many more of those I'll have the time (or energy) to in the future.

Blister Prevention

At the Hashewha Hills 50K, I experimented with a new type of blister prevention. At least new to me.

Since last winter I had been using the Injinji Tetrasock because the consensus was that it helped prevent blisters, especially between the toes.

Long story short, every time I've run beyond the marathon distance with the Injinji socks, I've gotten blisters.

So for the past couple of months I've been in search of my blister solution. I bought blistershield from Zombie Runner and tried it out at Hashewha.

I poured a teaspoon of the powder into each of my Nike trail socks. And put them on. I could very quickly tell that the friction between my feet and the socks had been instantly reduced.

Then I ran 31 miles in them. (Or maybe 29?)

The result: Blisters on my second and third toes. On both feet.

I could end it there and quickly call the blistershield experiment a failure. Or I could take into consideration that I was wearing a pair of Nike trail socks that I bought at the Nike outlet store in Grove City.

The powder was in my socks, but I don't think it ever made it between my toes. I had no blisters anywhere else on my feet despite a very frigid (and rather deep) stream crossing.

So next Saturday (assuming I'll be healthy enough to run) I'll be busting out the Injinji socks with the blistershield powder added. I think this might be my magic formula for happy feet. Because I really don't want to have to resort to taping - especially duct taping my toes.

A Parrothead's Dream

I get it now. The whole "snowbird" thing - I get it.

I mean, I got it before, but now I really get it!

Our direct flight from Baltimore to Tampa landed 25 minutes early giving us an excellent start to what would be an excellent weekend.

We got in after 10 PM, so Friday night we really didn't have a chance to do much except breathe in the warm, moist Florida air that was the same temperature as the air we left in Harrisburg (at 4 PM). Oh, and I almost fell out the side of the van when my right foot caught on the cuff of my left pant leg. Beth found this hilarious.

Saturday, Beth and I both slept in (Beth more than me). After a late breakfast we went to John's Pass, a shopping area in Madeira Beach. When we got there, we all got out of the van and while I was waiting of everyone to catch up I reached up and grabbed one of the sprinkler pipes in the parking garage. I got black stuff all over my hands. Beth found this hilarious.

We checked out all the shops, many of which had the typical touristy trinkets, but there were a couple of quality surf shops which I liked going into, even though I wasn't prepared to spend $50 on a pair of board shorts. I did, however nearly shell out $50 for a pair of Sanuk sandles, until I tried them on and discovered that they didn't fit me all that well.

We ate lunch/dinner (as is the Bertram family tradition) at Bubba Gump's at John's Pass. It was my first Bubba Gump experience and it was terrific. So good that I picked up a Bubba Gump hat at the gift shop.

Sunday we slept in. Especially me. The strange thing about having Daylight Savings start when you're on vacation is that you don't really need to adapt to the new time. You don't lose an hour of sleep, you just sleep an hour later.

That afternoon, Dave and Linda went to the airport to pick up yet another fellow vacationer. Linda's friend Marylou flew in from Indianapolis and is still there enjoying the sand and the sun.

Speaking of sand, that's exactly where Beth and I spent a good chunk of the afternoon - parked out on beach chairs by the shore. After we walked down to the mini-golf place, that is. I've always liked mini-golf, but Beth really likes mini-golf.

Beth isn't really all that competitive, but she did take a fair amount of joy in beating me by TEN strokes. She tore that course apart. As did I, but in a completely different way. Later at the beach, I almost tipped my chair over in the sand. Beth found this hilarious.

We had another late start on Monday, since I was finding it increasingly difficult to drag myself out of bed. It's good to know that isn't just an effect of having to go to work every day.

Once we were all up, moving and fed, we went to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which isn't really as much an aquarium as it is a wildlife rehab center for dolphins, sea turtles and river otters. It was a really interesting place, we watched a dolphin presentation, I touched a stingray (I was the only one willing to try) and Beth and Linda fell in love with an Otter named Cooper.

We another great seafood lunch/dinner at Crabby Bill's in Clearwater, where they don't only serve crabs - they serve everybody.

Tuesday was sadly our last day at the beach, so that's where we spent the morning (and a bit of the afternoon). On the beach. It was a bit too cold to get in the water, but the weather was perfect for sitting in the sand with a book, just taking in some rays.

Although, I guess you can't really say I was taking in rays with that SPF 50 sunblock. It was either that or come home with a painful burn - a lesson I've learned with oozing blisters in the past. I once heard a comedian say that "an Irishman at the beach is like putting a fork in the microwave. Just a lot of sparks, and a lot of pain." I have a considerable amount of Irish blood.

Reality hit hard once we landed in Baltimore where the temperature was a "balmy" 45 degrees. It hit even harder when my alarm clock went off at 6:20 telling me that daylight savings time has arrived, and it will be needing that hour of sleep now.

Week Log: March 2 - 8

Tuesday: Run 6.2 miles, 1:02 Cold day, and easy run through the neighborhood. IT band feeling a little better than it did on Saturday.

Thursday: Run 3.4 miles, 36 min. IT band hurt like the dickens. Florida vacation gives ample opportunity for some extra time off.

Total: 9 miles

What a start to March! After a personal best 132 miles in the month of February, I get injured and log a measley 9 miles the first week of March. (Might the two be connected?)

Originally my plan was to hit Florida hard, running Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday - but instead of taking advantage of some nice weather to run, it looks like I'll be taking advantage of some time away from home to rest up and come back ready to test that IT band on Wednesday.

If all goes well, I should be able to still get around 20 miles next week. But I'm not going to push it. Additional miles don't help me at all for the HAT run, so at this point they can only hurt me (barring a miraculous recovery this weekend - meaning those miles will help me for Pittsburgh).

Some Time Away

Today I went for a run shooting to go between six and nine miles. After a little more than two miles my right IT band started really throbbing.

So rather that push it and risk really inflaming my IT, I headed for home - finishing with just 3.4 miles.

This weekend, Beth and I are headed to sunny Tampa, Florida for a long weekend. Her parents are renting a condo down there for two weeks and are kind enough to let us enjoy some 80-degree weather for a few days.

Initially my plan was to run three days down there to take advantage of the sweet sunshine and warmth, but now that plan has changed. In fact, I'm taking the whole weekend off. I'll bring my swimming trunks for the occasional dip in the pool, but other than little bit of exercise, this will be a weekend of rest.

With the HAT run just over two weeks away, running on an injured knee can only do more harm than good. So this weekend, I will keep taking my NSAIDs, maybe do some stretching or strength work. Maybe.

But if I'm going to be in Florida, I might as well enjoy it. And if I try to run on an injured leg, it's only going to stress me out.

Hashewha Hills 50K "Race" Report

Friday night I set my alarm for 5:15 AM so I could be up in time to make the hour drive down to the Hashewha Environmental Center in Maryland in time for the 7:30 start. Strangely enough, my nervous energy woke me up at 4:45 and going back to sleep seemed pointless, so I turned my alarm off before it ever had a chance to disturb Beth's slumber.

The drive down was uneventful and I got there with plenty of time to sign in, get my gear together and finish off my McDonald's coffee.

At 7:15 the event's organizer, Alan Gowen made the pre-race announcements. Follow the blue markers, don't cross the red markers. Along with the blue arrows pointing the way, this proved to be the perfect trail marking system. It was nearly impossible to get lost, which was good because I ran the entire second loop by myself.

Immediately after the announcements Alan said, "okay, GO!" And just like that, we were off.

The trail started off uphill on a muddy trail. I glanced occasionally at my watch and realized I was probably going a bit too fast - as is my habit in pretty much every race. I was feeling good, though and didn't worry much about it.

The wind was really whipping through the woods and I immediately regretted not wearing another layer. Or at least tights. The temps were in the mid-to-high 30's all day and that proved to be a little too cold for shorts, a compression shirt and a pair of moeben sleeves. (Plus gloves and hat, but those go without saying.)

Before the race, we received an e-mail telling us that our GPS would read 14.5 miles each loop, but that was because we'd lose contact with the satellite signals and the course really is 15.5 miles to make it a true 50K. I happen to have great faith in my Garmin Forerunner 305 I have never lost a signal on any trail, and since it was the dead of winter (no leaves) the Forerunner is sure to be accurate.

We were also told there would be an unmanned water station at mile 10.5. At mile 7.3 I spotted a canopy up ahead that looked suspiciously like an aid station. I couldn't believe that my GPS was over three miles off!

As I approached it, I overheard someone saying that they would not be there on the second loop, so I assumed it must be some kind of impromptu aid station put up by those not "officially" associated with the event.

It turns out that that was the 10.5-mile aid - we just had a 2.3 mile lollipop to go through before we came around to it. So the aid station that was supposed to be at 10.5 miles was at 9.6 miles according to my GPS.

And the aid station was supposed to only have water, but there was also gatorade, pretzels and boiled potatoes with salt. I stuck to my plan and filled one of my bottles with plain water and grabbed a piece of boiled potato and dipped it in some salt. As I was emptying my pockets of empty GU packets into the trash bag, I recognized the pure deliciousness of a salted potato in the middle of an ultramarathon.

"Oh man" I said, "that hit the spot. I'm gonna need another." So I grabbed another and ate it as I headed down the path.

Almost immediately after the aid station was the first stream crossing. There were only two on the course and this one was by far more intimidating. During pre-race instructions, Alan had said "there's a stream crossing, where a little ways down there's a log that crosses over. Nobody's ever died from getting their feet wet, but people have died trying to climb a log over a stream. I'll let you make your own decision what you want to do."

I looked downstream a bit and saw the log he was talking about. No way was I crossing over that! So I took the plunge. The water was icy cold and came up just below my knee at its deepest point.

I had my cell phone with me and thought, "I should get a picture of that crossing for the blog." I decided I could do that on the second loop.

The trail continued up a steep hill that I walked at as quick of a pace as I could manage. It wound through the woods and I was introduced for the first time ever to a "butt slide."

Runners were warned of it in pre-race announcements, but nothing really prepares you to go down a steep muddy bank. I managed to slide/walk down upright, but many people went down it like a little (muddy) water slide.

I finally made it back to the halfway/start/finish 3:08 into the run. I filled up both water bottles, grabbed a PB & J and headed off. By now my IT band was starting to flare up and I wasn't particularly looking forward to this second half.

The trail was even muddier from the footprints of the runners who were by now way ahead of me. I was tired. I could tell I was definitely slowing down.

The second loop was much like the first. There wasn't any potatoes at the aid station this time, but there were some soft pretzels left so a grabbed one and chowed down as I headed to the stream crossing.

As I approached , I remembered that I had wanted to get a picture of the crossing. But I was so tired I decided the blog would just have to do without. All that I had in mind was getting to the finish.

As the miles piled up my IT band got worse and worse. When I chugged downhill I winced from the pain. At every steep decent I had to psych myself up to prepare for the hurt I was about to feel headed down.

While my second loop was over twenty minutes slower than the first, nobody passed me. In fact I even passed two other runners on my way to the finish line. The results went up on the site and it turns out that I placed first in my age group. Of course, I was the only person under 30 out of the 32 finishers of the 50K.

At the finish I chatted a bit with Alan Gowen who asked me how I liked the course. I told him the truth - it was a blast! I only wish I were more fit to fully enjoy it. It was challenging, but not discouraging, messy but not stifling. Next year Hashawhah Hills will return as a fully supported race, and if I'm fit enough, you can bet I'll be signing up!

Week Log: February 23 - March 1

Monday: Run 3.5 miles, 35 min. Cold day, but body felt really good.

Tuesday: Push-ups and sit-ups. I'd give you the numbers, but since I quit, they don't really matter.

Wednesday: Run 5.8 miles, 56 min. MAF test (9:14, 9:23, 9:32, 9:42, 9:39)

Saturday: Run 29.0 miles, 6:42 Hashawha Hills 50K I will have a "race" report on this "50K" up in the next couple days.

Sunday: Core work/stretching (~45 minutes)

Total: Run 38 miles

I had thought running the Hashawha Hills 50K would throw off my mileage, but it turns out that it was only 29 miles, instead of 31. (Actually the jury's still out - there was some insistance that each loop was actually 15.5 miles even though a GPS gives you 14.5, but for now I'm calling it what my GPS said: 29.0 miles.)

Originally my plan was to continue adding miles next week, but with a sore right IT band, I think I'm going to take it easy next week and focus on some hip strengthening, stretching and icing - basically just starting my taper a little early.