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.

Granite State Snowshoe Championship

For 99.99% of the folks in the Northeast it felt and looked like spring in our backyards. No snow, no signs of winter anywhere. So how the heck do you get psyched up about a snowshoe race?? Well, the short answer is you don't. Ask pretty much anyone who showed up at Great Glen for the 1st ever Granite State Snowshoe Championships and you'd get a similar response...most just wanted the season to end. A string of snowshoe race cancellations will do that. The hardy few (around 35) that showed up were treated to one of the best snowshoe courses and some of the best snowshoe conditions we've had all year.

A word about snowshoe rankings

As most of you know, there's quite a few folks putting out snowshoe rankings each week and each person does it slightly different. Being one of those folks, I can tell you it ain't easy but it's a lot of fun trying to figure it out each week. I think deep down most of us like to know how we do against our peers, even if we don't always race head to head each week. I encourage you to check them all out.

36th Annual Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile Race (USATF)

The first race of the 2010 NE-USATF Grand Prix Series (results) brought me to Amherst,MA this weekend with family in tow. I raced here last year and did pretty well (for me). It's a tough 10-miler with lots of hills and running consistent splits is out of the question. In fact, checking your watch is only going to frustrate you. The delta between my fastest and slowest mile was over a minute. Surprisingly I like this course.
I did a minimalist warm up of about 2 miles and then headed back to the truck to get ready. We parked about 50m from the start so it was pretty convenient. I asked Deb to take some pics at the start so she headed down a ways with the kids to setup shop.