Seven Sisters Trail Race

The start of the race

I knew this race was hard. I ran it once in 2008 when temps were in the 40's and overcast. What I learned yesterday was this race is brutally hard when it's sunny and temps are in the mid 80's. It was probably the worst racing experience I've ever had. So, I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about it. I think you'll find people either love it or hate it. There is no in between. I'm in second camp, I hate it.

The final descent

The out and back 12 mile course takes you up, over, down and across the peaks in Skinner State Park in Hadley, Ma, known locally as the Seven Sisters. It will leave you battered, bruised and bloodied. Challenging does not begin to describe this insane course.
During my leisurely 2hr and 45min trip I consumed:

• 60+ oz of water
• at least 6 Endurolyte tablets (they did their job, no cramps)
• 4 Honey Stringer Gels

I physically bonked at least 3 times during the race, with my legs nearly refusing (or able) to take another step. Without the Honey Gels I'd still be out there. If you're considering this race, don't ask my advice. You can always read Chris Dunn's account of his first (and most likely last) experience if you don't believe me. Of course, you could check out the pic of fellow aR teammate Rich Lavers below (taken minutes after finishing). Need any more convincing??

7 Sisters Carnage

A few folks from Locallyrun.com were kind enough to take some pics and video of the race.
Pics from the Start

Pics from the Finish

Short video from the race

A list of fools who ran today can be found here.

Bostonitis

The good news is my legs are 100% refreshed. Three days after Boston and I was ready to go!
The bad news is I haven't run a single step since 1pm on Monday (4/19).
Shortly after the marathon I started feeling sick. I've spent a couple of days in bed (boring) watching some of the dumbest TV imaginable and the rest of time basically moping around. After 6 days with seemingly no improvement I broke down and finally went to the doctors. The diagnosis: Bostonitis - the sickness one gets after running a marathon and high-fiving 100's of strangers (mostly kids) when your immune system is weakened. Ok, she called it Bronchitis, whatever.
My guess is I picked up some cooties while riding the T on Friday when I went to get my number in downtown Boston. I hate the city.
Antibiotics, heal me now!!

2010 Boston Marathon Experience

Prior to Monday, I did my best to treat Boston like any other race (mentally). I didn't want to get too worked up about it, and I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself. I really just wanted to have a good race and enjoy the whole Boston experience.  I was well rested, no injuries to speak of and generally felt ok come Monday morning. I slept well, had my usual pre-race breakfast (Dunkin Donuts coffee with a sausage-egg-cheese on an english muffin if you really had to know) and headed down to the 99 restaurant in Nashua for the Gate City club bus. No stress, no worries. Our bus parked right at the athletes village in Hopkinton, arriving around 8:30am.

Weekend Racing - NOT

Sure, I would have loved to do some racing this past weekend. Surprisingly, I did the right thing and opted not to race, choosing to head out with the camera instead.
Saturday
Little did I know I'd become part of history at the Rivah (aka the Merrimack River 10m Trail Race). Turns out this out/back race had more photographers per mile than any race in history. No less than 6 different folks took at least 2,388 photos. I had no idea, as I drove directly to an access road approximately 2 miles in. So if you raced and can't find a good picture of yourself, you have other problems :-)

Boston and Beyond

In 12 days I'll be lining up in Hopkinton for my 2nd attempt at the Boston Marathon (the first being less than memorable). I'm really, really, really trying to not stress about it but the reality is Boston is different. I suppose running any marathon is different. It generally requires a change in your routine and training. I don't like change.
So I've strayed outside my comfort zone and begun my 2 wk taper to Boston. It feels so anti-climatic. Reduced mileage and no races. I know deep down the rest will help. Thankfully I don't have any serious aches or pains just a little racing wear and tear. My goal for Boston is to give a good solid effort and then come out of it in good shape. If all goes well May will be a very busy month for racing. More on that later.

Eastern States 20 Miler

I probably should take the Boston Marathon more seriously than I do. I understand the importance of the race in general but I refuse to look at it any different than any other race I enter. I hate it when people find out I'm a runner and the first question they ask is "are you training for Boston?". People, there's more to running than just Boston! I guess that's my point. I don't want everything I do to be all consuming around training for Boston. So I do other races (road, trail and snowshoe) which limit the opportunities I have for long runs (which are important).
What's the point of this ramble? Well, I signed up for the Eastern States 20 miler to force me to at least race long and the timing is perfect (3 wks out). 

New Bedford Half Marathon (USATF Championships)

The race that almost wasn't. First, I've only run 5 of the last 9 days. I tweaked some adductor muscle in my left leg, probably following last weeks snowshoe race. Whatever it was, it didn't hurt to run necessarily, only when I raised my leg while laying down. In any case, I wanted to rest it as much as possible to avoid something more serious. With a 1/2 marathon this weekend, a 20 miler next weekend and Boston coming up in 4 weeks, the last thing I want is to stress about some injury. So it was an easy week of running.