Ran two road races in October

Just catching up on blog posts, so will keep this short...

Ran two road races in October:

Sunday, October 3, 2010 - Bread of Life - 5k (3.1 miles)
Ran a short informal 5k (3.1 miles) race/fun-run benefiting the Bread of Life (a food pantry that provides services for the less fortunate) based in my hometown, Malden, MA:  http://www.thebreadoflifeonline.org/

Sunday, October 10, 2010 - BAA - Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
Ran the Boston Athletic Association Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) in Boston, MA. Had a sore left knee prior to this race. Temperature was nice and cool (high 40s F at the start) and the day was dry and sunny. Started the race off at a comfortable pace and then sped up, gradually testing out the knee which thankfully held up well. Distance/Time (pace): 13.1 miles / 1:46:38 (8:08 / mile).

Both of these races meant a lot to me for a variety of reasons. In addition to my return to road racing, I enjoyed running in my hometown along the same roads I ran as a kid, supporting a good cause, re-awakening my love of running and sharing these runs and post-race festivities / celebrations with those around me, camaraderie makes things all the more special.

TDD Triathlon (Sat, Sept 18, 2010)

Last Saturday I did a local sprint triathlon in Douglas, Massachusetts. It's called the TDD Triathlon, which is a memorial race for three triplet boys, Tyrus, Dante and Daniel, of a local triathlete couple. The race also acts as a fundraiser for the UMass Neonatal ICU in Worcester, MA.

Quick highlights:
The distances: 0.25 mile swim / 11 mile bike / 3 mile run
My overall race finish time: 1:20:28

Pictures further below

The SWIM was a relatively short adventure in a calm, fresh water lake. (You all know how much I love the swim...not.) Well, despite how short it was, I still wore my wetsuit, and while that helped me keep afloat during the swim, I had one heck of a time stripping that thing off me in the transition area. I easily lost nearly an extra minute squirming around on the grassy field of the transition area trying to wiggle my feet out of the tight legs of the suit. Nope, no wetsuit strippers to help tear that suit off me. Next time I'll use something on my legs to make removing the wetsuit easier (some say PAM cooking spray works well, go figure).

The BIKE course started out on the grass, just past the transition area, and then included a short 50 yard section on dirt and gravel which was a bit dicey, but then made its way onto some nice country roads with lots of rolling hills. Up, down, up, down - it was relentless but by the time I warmed up on the bike, I was headed right back into the transition area to start the run.

The RUN was along the same country roads as the start of the bike course, so also had a couple small rolling hills along with a stretch towards the finish going downhill on dirt, rock and gravel giving me a quick flashback to my summer of hiking and trail running.

Overall a great little race. There was always a great crowd in the main transition and finish area cheering all the competitors on, and out there on the course, the usual supportive exchanges, "lookin' good" and "keep it up", etc. among athletes. Not a lot of frills, but that's ok since it was so short and quick, I'd race it again.

My gear set up in the transition area

The transition area

The beach start of the swim in the nice, peaceful lake with no waves

A look at the finish line before the start of the race

Heading out on the course for the bike

Gaining some momentum on the bike

Coming through the finish line chute

Jackson and Webster (Aug 14, 2010)

Two weeks from the last hike, I went back to finish the remaining portion of the Presidential Traverse (Mts. Jackson and Webster) and was joined by my friend Ashley. The planned route was to start at the AMC Highland Center along NH-302, hike up the Crawford Path and Mizpah Cut-Off trails to the Mizpah Spring Hut. From there we would cruise along the Webster Cliff Trail to the peaks of Jackson and Webster, then opt for the Webster-Jackson trail down and back over to the AMC Highland Center parking lot. I say “planned route” because, well, we’ll get to that minor misstep shortly…

Start of hike at the AMC Highland Center

The weather for the day was sunny and 73F as we set foot on the trail around 10am, and quick-stepped straight up to the Mizpah Spring Hut covering 2.6 miles and 1,900 feet of elevation gain in just a tad bit over an hour. We stopped there briefly, I filled up a water bottle and we took a couple snaps near the hut, and then turned down along the Webster Cliff Trail on our way to Mt. Jackson.

Mizpah Spring Hut

Fifty minutes later we breached treeline, summited Jackson and soaked in the first panoramic views of the day. Mount Washington continued to tower over all the Presidentials, while the majestic looking white colored Mount Washington Hotel brightly stood out in the distance.

Summit of Mt. Jackson

Mt. Washington in the distance

Mt. Washington Hotel in the distance

After relishing in our progress and basking in the sun, we continued along the Webster Cliff Trail towards Mt. Webster. Back below treeline, we rode the ridge between the peaks. Finally reaching the peak of Webster revealed some more nice views. Straight down below was a railroad track (not sure this was the cog rail up Washington as the locomotive was pulling 5 cars behind it). After a good 15 minutes of taking in the sunshine and views we finally bid adieu to the peak of Webster and turned down the trail back towards NH-302.

Summit of Mt. Webster

Mt. Washington in the distance

Train moving along the tracks

Here’s where the wrong turn came. We intended on going down the Webster Branch and Webster-Jackson Trails, but instead mistakenly continued down the Webster Cliff Trail. Oops, we went left when we should have gone right. It wasn’t until much, much further down did this become apparent. In the meantime we enjoyed descending segments of the trail, despite some very steep sections requiring scrambling on all fours, since it afforded several lookout points on the way down.

View descending from the Webster Cliff Trail

Along our way down, we encountered two hikers ascending the trail. They had full packs, poles, etc. and we struck up a conversation with them. Turns out they had been backpacking the AT (Appalachian Trail from Georgia towards Maine) since March 15 and were hoping to finish around September 15. Awesome.

Finally upon hitting the base of the trail and finishing the hike, I noticed a cute little sign on the trailhead bulletin board. It was a kind hearted hospitable offer from a local in the community titled “MAGIC” and read: “…if you need a shower, supplies, perhaps a meal, send me a text . I may not always be able to help but I will do my best! HAPPY HIKING : )” And at the very bottom of the page, a lovely little reminder message: “Love the life you live . . . Attack with childish energy . . . Laugh . . . Love . . . Live”.

By coming off the Webster Cliff Trail along NH-302 we ended up extending the hike by 0.8 miles and about 25 minutes, and were left a good 5 miles down the road from where the car was parked. Luckily though, a young, friendly couple from Maine (who we passed earlier on our way down) came off the trail just minutes behind us. They were kind enough to give us a lift up the road, valet service right to the car sparing us a long post-hike trek. Good karma for the hiking community out there. It was another great day in the mountains.

Total hiking stats for the day:

8.8 miles
2,400 feet of elevation gain (book stat) (GPS said: 5,420 feet gain)
4 hours 41 minutes

Map and GPS Profile: