Phoenix from the flame

I'm back, and better than ever!

Baron, T-Bone, White Kenyan, Boogz

So, it's been way way too long since I have written here, and I'm not about to pick up where I left off last.  A few of you have commented that I should really post again so here I am.  The final bit of inspiration has come from the Western States 100.2 Mile Endurance Run.  As I write this it is the day after the race, and I have just finished crewing for Mike Dixon with some fellow RVRR members.  Specifically Lianne, Jayson, Dave and Shannon.  We had a total of 16 people out to California to cheer, pace,and crew for Dixon.  The amazing level of dedication and focus really hit me.  I don't know that I will ever attempt a 100 mile race, but I'm anxious to tackle the ultra world. I have had a wonderful year of running thus far, so I thought I would write a recap; a sort of year in review, if you will.

My RVRR runolutions for the year weren't anything ridiculous, just an incentive to do things differently this year.  I planned to run 5 races that I've never done before, and also to run more trails.  Although I submitted my runalution with a typo saying I wanted to run more "tails"....  ;-)
For me, 2012 actually started on New Year's eve day... Does that make sense?  A very nice trail run at Watchung Reservation was the perfect way to kick everything off!  Trail running would fast become my new love and would provide an invigorating shot in the arm for me.

Febapple 21 Miler

2012 would also be a year of constant PRs!  I have PR'd in every distance this year and it's been amazing!  The first race of the year for me was the Naples Half Marathon down in FL.  I went down to Naples with Lindsay, Dixon, Lesley, Shannon, and Nick.  We stayed with my parents for the long weekend and really enjoyed the mid-winter getaway.  I was just planning to run a comfortable race, until the night before when I decided to go for it and finished in 1:42:10!  PR number 1. BOOM!!   The next race was the Febapple Frozen 50.  This event had distances of 50M, 50k, 21M, and 10M.  I ran the 21 mile trail race at South Mountain with Shannon.  Trail + new race = runolutions win.  Another PR... A bit of cheat as this was my first race at this distance, but still a PR!  4:30.  My first real trail race.

My greatest discovery of the year has to be Sourland Mountain.  I could probably write an entire essay on this trail alone.  For the sake of brevity (you're welcome) I will just say that this very technical 5 mile loop has contributed so much to my improvement as a runner as well as my ever increasing love of running in general.  This trail would become part of my weekly regimen and I love love love introducing people to "my trail".

Sourland, O Sourland

Race #3 was the Princeton 6k trail run.  This was a very small, local race through the woods near Princeton.  Nothing exciting here except that it was another opportunity to run a new trail.  New race #2 + trail = runolutions win.  The following day would be race #4 on the year.  The RVRR Chimney Rock 5 miler is a great event that I have only volunteered for in prior years, but have never actually run the race.  Guess what... It's a trail race so you know that I was running it this year!  This was such a challenging and fun experience, and I was eager to push myself a bit more now that I was quite comfortable on trails.  New race #3 + trail = runolutions win!  Do you see what I'm doing here?  :-)

All throughout the year I continue to run Sourland on a regular basis, and begin branching out to Watchung, Manasaquan, Round Valley, and Washington's Crossing.  The dense wood has a compact and lonely sound.  Often times I find myself alone on some trail, no sound anywhere save for running water in the distance maybe, and my own breathing and heartbeat.  Peace... Absolute peace.  You can't buy that, or manufacture it... But you can take full advantage of it when it is presented in such a welcoming fashion.  You focus on your feet, you look for danger at every step, and you sharpen the keen sense of understanding your body mechanics.  The subconscious seems to love when the brain is so focused because I worked out a lot of things in my head on that trail.  So refreshing and invigorating... my heart and soul are overjoyed.

New race #4 was Stomp the Monster 5k.  This was a chilly and wet day, and nothing spectacular was really expected from me.  However, my brain and my legs didn't get the same message on the whole "nothing spectacular" thing because I ran another PR!  21:45 over the distance and my first sub 22:00!  Watch your head... KA-BOOM!!!  What's going on here?!  I'm not really training for races or doing speed work, but I just keep knocking my times down.  It's gotta be the trails, right?! :-)

The Clinton 15k was next on the calendar the following weekend.  Again, just looking to run well and keep improving.  Surely I can't run a 15k PR after having just PR'd the prior week in the 5k.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.  1:10:14... KA-FRIGGIN-BOOM!  It's gotta be the trails.  The confidence coursing through me increases on a weekly basis.  I ask questions, I see what experienced runners are doing, I try to emulate.  Jayson, Dixon, and Allara are very inspirational to me... In different ways.  Dixon is the technician always learning, getting faster and smarter.  Jayson is the newborn horse that just wants to run.  Ever improving and working on control.  Allara is like the soul surfer to me.  Not so much a zen runner, because he does like to compete, but I just get the sense from him that he would rather spend every opportunity in the woods rather than pounding the pavement.  That's my opinion anyway, but that's exactly where my focus and desired future are hopefully heading. 

26.2 miles at Bear Mountain, NY!  YES!!

Their inspiration and my growing confidence landed me at my biggest race of the year so far, the Northface Endurance Challenge at Bear Mountain, NY.  Jayson, Laura and Dixon would tackle the 50 mile distance while Allara joined me at the marathon distance. Dagfinn Fang and Super Ninja would beat up the 50k course.  Dave would finish in 5th place, about an hour and a half in front of me.  I played a little mind game with myself, thinking of how much earlier Dave had run in the very spot that I was at the time.  This was easily the most difficult race that I have ever done... period.  Lonely stretches, questioning my decision to do this race, exhaustion beyond exhaustion.  Yet, at the same time, I loved every agonizing second of it.  The stillness, the mud, the rocks and roots... everything.  The race had been categorized as 5 stars for elevation and difficulty and a truer assessment could not have been made.  My weeks and months of enjoying the technically challenging loop at Sourland were now paying huge dividends.  I would have been toast if not for the unknowing preparation there.  I finished in 6:08.  Trail marathon PR!  Ill take it.  I was hoping to break 6 hours, but I realized with about 3 miles to go that I just didn't have the gas to make up the eventual 8 minute balance.  Still, absolutely thrilled about the experience and monumentally stoked about finishing!  I CAN NOT WAIT TO RUN THIS AGAIN NEXT YEAR!!
New race #5 + the most epic trail ever = major runolutions win!

Awww yeah!!!!  Get some!!

A month goes by with no races or organized events, which is fine with me.  My body enjoyed a bit  of the step down in mileage, and I was able correct some very minor/nagging trouble spots.  June 2nd was the annual RVRR "Train"ing run on National Trails Day.  This is my favorite club event.  The perfect opportunity to log some serious miles at a comfortable pace with a large group.  I ran 20 miles at 9:30 pace with stops along the way to pick up additional runners at aid stations.  The event takes place entirely on the old towpath along the Delaware & Raritan canal from Trenton to New Brunswick.  Those brave souls running the full course would complete 34.2 miles on the day.  Most impressive!  The picnic that follows the event every year is a great party with such a fantastic feeling of camaraderie and bonding.  I love it, and all the stories that come out of that day.

I thought I lost some weight???  Hmmm...

The last race of the first half of the year (got that?) is the President's Cup 5k in Millburn.  This is a night race starting at 8p.  It's a pretty fast course, but there is an incline that you hit twice.  If you can just power through the climb then you're rewarded with a smooth and gradual descent on the return.  I tried to catch Ninja and her flying ponytail but she was just too fast for me over the final mile, and she beat me by about 8 seconds or so.  No PR on the night, 22:25, but there's free beer flowing at the post race party.  How can you beat that?!!

So there it is.  I have already met my runolutions goal of 5 new races, and I've been living to hit the trails at any possible opportunity.  So what's in store for the remainder of the year?  More trails, of course, and more races.  I will be running the Philly marathon in late November, but the big date on my calendar is the Mountain Madness 50k in late September.  My first ultra for sure, and I get so excited just thinking about it!  I will begin training in earnest on July 1st.  I think I'll hit up Sourland because it's gotta be the trails, right?

"Run more tails!!!" ;-)

Dragon
Car Back!