Weekly Total: 51+ miles, lots of hard miles but lots of fun, too.
Saturday: 14+ miles, Middlesex Fells, 4 Hours. Hard going in the Fells, with a choppy snow pack and occasional swaths of ice. I wore my microspikes and carried a singe pole. I hiked the hills without shame.
Loving my New Sportivas -- But Sick of the Microspikes
Sunday AM: 7 miles, Wachusett trails, 2.5 hours and about 2000 ft elevation gain. I talked Mr. P into taking Little Boy skiing at the ever-popular Wachusett Mountain. It was selfish: I wanted to come along and run/hike the surrounding trails, and be able to meet them for lunch. It was hard getting the fam’ galvanized the morning after Daylight Savings! but we arrived to Wachusett ski area after 9am and, after the shuttle to the lodge and helping the get Little Boy suited up, I was running before 10am. “Running.” Good to get some vertical, but these miles in the soft snow and periodic swaths of ice are hard.
Sunday PM: 6+ miles, Wachusett trails, 2 hours and about 2000 ft elevation gain. After a brown-bag lunch with Mr. P and Little Boy, I bid them a good ski and hit the trails again. I consciously sought climbing. I made a friend on the trail, a 60ish truck driver from Worcester who kept calling me ‘miss’; he engaged me in conversation when I yielded to him because he was ascending and I was (rapidly) descending. He was intrigued that I was running. He wanted to point out things on the vista. I think he was sad to say goodbye. Mr. P and Little Boy had a nice afternoon on the trail and we returned home, everyone happy, and tired.
On Wachusett Summit -- first time of a total six times for the day
At Balance Rock, striving for the head-pic
Monday AM: 60 minutes swimming (leisurely)
Tuesday AM: 7 miles road (leisurely — legs still tired). Also went for a 3 mile walk en route to pick up Little Boy at school in the afternoon, because it was 60 degrees.
Wednesday AM: 9 miles road, bread and butter loop. Warm morning (35 degrees) and sidewalks. Legs felt much better.
Thursday AM: 60 minutes swimming.
Friday AM: 5 miles treadmill, some speed work. I’m taking it easy in anticipation of my season’s first ultra on Sunday, a 6 hour trail loop in which runners try to run as much as they can in 6 hours. I’m aiming to complete at least a marathon, maybe more — though it depends entirely on the conditions of trail, as sustaining 12-minute miles for 6 hours on choppy snow/ice doesn’t sound likely. It’s just a training race after all.
Friday PM: 3 miles road, speedy. Still taking it easy!
