Saturday, February 5, 2011

Day 67 - Ice skating

Today I was suppose to go for a group run with around 30+ trail runners. Waking up to freezing rain changed everyones plans. The run and after party was cancelled. I walked out to see what the road and driveway were like and they were a sheet of ice. I got to do some sneaker skating in my drive way for a little and that was a lot of fun. A few cars were driving by so I thought I would give a road run a shot. I have a pair of shoes that I always have sheet metal screws in that are ready for the ice. They really work and it is a cheap way to stick to the ice. I gave them a good work out on some fast down hill road running and I didn't slip one time. Here is the link for more info: The Screw Shoe I was planning on doing another run later in the day but my energy level was not there. The group run is back on for tomorrow with some nice weather on the way.

The Screw Shoe

2-5-2011 - 6.7 miles - 1.00 - run



Day 66 - Ice footprints

I went for a longer walk today. The road was clear of ice so there was no slipping today. Not to much action out on my walk today.

I left for my run tonight around 5:15. On the way there I realized I forgot my headlamp. I wasn't going to go back for it I wanted to run. The first two hundred yards up the trail was plowed but is was slippery. The rest of the way up there wasn't that many new footprints. Once I was on the AT there was ice footprints going to the top. These are real good for twisting your ankle on. You just have to make sure you place your foot at the right place. Near the top is when it started to get a little icy and I started to slip on almost every step. Now all the ice from the trees that fell off stuck to the trail. I made it to Pulpit Rock just before dark. When the mountain has an inch coating of ice on makes for some fun at the top. I was taking big pieces of ice and sliding them down the mountain. You can hear the ice slide all the way down. Running down the road hill was quite the challenge. The ice footprints were very slippery and if you got off the trail you crashed through the thick ice and bang you ankles up. I just could not wait to get down. Finally making it down to the bottom with only one fall and no headlamp I felt lucky!

2-4-2011 - 3.4 miles - 42:31 - walk
2-4-2011 - 4 miles - 56:00 - run 

Friday, February 4, 2011

Day 65 - Sore arms

With all the clearing of ice my arms were sore when I woke up today. So if I don't wave to you it is because I can't move my arms:-) I checked the Bull Run 50 lottery out and it looks like I didn't make the lottery but they are taking the first 50 people on the waiting list and I did make that. Now I just have to pay and find a place to stay. This will be my 4th time running the race. It should be a fun day of running on a nice course. The last time I ran the race was in 2009. I will never forget that race after getting some cramps in my calves. The first one was after running past the soccer fields. I took it easy after that and everything was fine. Then on the way back one runner came up behind me and said "Hi Jim" it was Kim a runner from my running club. She was moving along pretty well at that point and I was thinking I am not going to get passed right now. So I started to pick up the pace and pulled away. A little faster then I should of and with less then 2 miles to go I got a cramp in both calves and it dropped like a bag of rocks. I yelled very loud because it really hurt and you could see the muscles moving around. Kim wasn't to far back and offered help but I told her to keep running there was nothing she could do. I tried to get up but every time I did they would start to cramp again. It was kind of funny and wish I could of been of video to watch. Luckily there was a tree near me that I could use to pull myself up with. I soaked my legs in the creek aside of the trail and hobbled to the finish. What a fun day!

I had a nice fast walk today and my times are getting faster. I will keep pushing them as long as I have the energy. With all the ice clearing, some hiking and running yesterday I was beat today when I got home and decided to take the day off from running.

2-3-2011 - 3 miles - 36:38 - walk

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Day 64 - Ice

Looking outside after waking up I kind of knew this was going to be a no work day other than shoveling and scraping ice. It only happens maybe one time a year and today was the day. Charging the camera the night before it was ready to go when I went outside. The first thing I did after coffee was go out and snapped a couple of pics around the house. Then I went outside for a couple hours clearing the heavy ice off of the driveway.

I headed up to the mountain around 11. As soon as I pulled in the parking lot I got stuck. Lucky for me there was someone there to give me a push. This was mainly going to be a hike today. After an ice storm like this I had to go looking for great photo ops. Well there were plenty of photos to be taken today. There was only one guy up there when I started and he was xc skiing. He didn't go to the top so I had first tracks to Pulpit Rock. The ice was thick going up maybe a 1/2 inch and getting thicker closer to the top. Underneath the snow and ice there was some slush. This made for some cold feet. After getting up to Pulpit Rock the ice on the trees was very thick and falling. It got a little scary after getting hit by some ice. The best place to stand was out in the open and not under a tree. I didn’t venture to far in the mountain after hearing some trees cracking.

After getting back home there was still more ice to clear. There was a big plow scraping the sides of the roads that went right by my house after I started to clear some of the ice near the road. That was a big help. I think they are doing that due to more snow on the way Saturday. Around 4:30 I left for a road run through town. The sides of the road where very wet but not to icy. 99% of the sidewalks were clear so I didn’t have to worry about falling. I finished with 8 miles. My legs should be ok tomorrow but my arms are going to be sore. Click here --->>>>for Ice Storm 2011 pictures I posted. There were to many to post on this site.




2-2-2011 - 3.2 miles - 1:30 - hike+taking pictures
2-2-2011 - 8 miles - 1:05 - run

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Day 63 - 13 Weeks left!

Yes that is what the title of Day 63 reads "13 Weeks left!" of training that is. The time is really flying now. Keeping focused for the next 13 weeks is what I have to do. So far I have been building up a good base and staying healthy. Consistent training is what it’s all about for me this year. The first couple of weeks of training it was hard going out some of the days but now I feel like I am on auto pilot which is a good thing. Now I just head out the door and keep moving. I'll be working on getting more hills in training – up and down.

The sleet and rain stopped just in time for my walk. The roads were covered in an inch of slush and ice. Traction wasn’t to great but it could have been worse. A very nice afternoon to go for a walk.

After I got home from work I had to clear the road in front of the house. That is where the heavy snow/slush was laying. A good half hour workout. I went up to the mountain around 5 to check out the snow. The top of the mountain was wild. It was like someone frosted the whole top. It was almost dark when I got there but I did get some cool pics. After getting home I decided to shovel my drive way and got another half hour workout. Wasn't sure if I should with the ice on the way but this stuff was already heavy and with ice on top it would of made for a lot of work.



Heading to Pulpit Rock

Frosted tree

Looking up at a tree

The night view from Pulpit Rock

Leaving Pulpit Rock



2-1-2011 - 3.4 miles - 46:42 - walk
2-1-2011 - 5 miles - 1:00 - run

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Day 62 - Bull Run

The sun was out full blast for my walk today. No wind was blowing and it was perfect weather for a walk. My legs felt really good today after the weekend long runs. After giving it some thought over the weekend I put my name on the Bull Run 50 mile run list in April. Checking out the list of entrants from our club it looks like there might be over 30 runners trying to get in. I couldn't pass up this race with all the club members going to run it. I really like the course but it is real close to MMT. Should be another great time with the club.


I was running by 6 tonight and the temps were very nice with no wind. I just wanted to go out an get ten miles in. Within the first 100 yards of my road run tonight I step in some soft snow with a puddle under it. Let's just say my right foot was soaked and cold the whole run. It was kind of funny when it happened because that was the kind of day I was having. Now I am ready for the white stuff to fall.

1-31-2011 - 3 miles - 39:00 - walk
1-31-2011 - 10 miles - 1:30 - run 

Monday, January 31, 2011

Day 61 - Solid run

I met Ken up at the mountain today at 7:30 for a nice 5 mile run. The temp was around 27° and we warmed up quick when we hit the climb. It was nice to catch up with Ken because it has been a while since we ran together. Ken is also heading to the MMT 100 race this spring. After getting back down to the parking lot Ken said there was another runner running down. It was Steve another entrant in the MMT 100 race. He missed us at the start by 10 min. and was chasing us down following our footprints in the snow and finally caught us. We said good bye to Ken and then headed back up the mountain. We went right up the road hill and Steve powered right up the hill at a good pace. Then we hit the AT to the blue trail, down to the campground, back up the yellow and over to the Pinnacle. The views were good and we were the only ones there. We took the AT back to Pulpit. There we ran into about 8 people snowshoeing. They widened the trail and made the snow very flat taking the deep footprints away. That made for some really nice faster running the rest of the way down. Finishing with 15 miles total it was a good solid morning of running. Steve showed me the Kahtoola MICROSpikes he uses when it is icy. They slip right over your sneakers and hold on to the ice great. I think that might be my next purchase.

The view from Pulpit Rock


Looking down below at Pulpit Rock


1-30-2011 - 15 miles - 3:30 - run

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Day 60 - Wow!

Today I ran with Dan and Andy for some snowy trail fun. Wow! The trails were amazing with snow falling for most of the run. We were the first ones up to the top of the mountain. Great views from the top at Pulpit Rock and The Pinnacle. The running was slow due to the 5 to 8 inches of snow. The snow was still stuck to the trees which made for so many great views. All of us have races in the near future so this was good training to keep the legs moving. Making are way down from Pulpit to the Blue Rocks campground was a lot of fun on the long down hill. Making are way up the yellow trail the snow felt heavy but runnable. After stopping at the Pinnacle to check the views out we headed back the AT to the blue trail to the turn at the spring. Once down this little trail to the creek the views were awesome and it was very quiet. After we left that area my feet started to get very cold. The snow on my shoes was melting and my shoes were soaked. I was glad to be heading back to the car. After getting back down to our cars and getting ready to leave our friend Al was just finishing his run.

Around 2 I went outside to make a snow hut for the little ones. The shoveling for that hut was another good core workout. After finishing the hut I was on my way back out to the mountain for round two. The snow was still falling and the mountain was beautiful. The view from the top was barely a view at all with the snow falling. I was checking some different trails out and just having a blast out there. Overall a great day with friends on the trail and some good time on my feet.


1-29-2011 - 10 miles(I think/No Garmin) - 2:30 - run
1-29-2011 - 6 miles - 1:30 - run


The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

Looking up from the Blue Rocks campground

Looking up at Pulpit Rock

Up the yellow trail from the campground

Andy getting ready to go up the last climb up the yellow

Me getting ready to go up the last climb up the yellow

Andy and Dan going up the yellow

The view from the Pinnacle

The view from the Pinnacle

The view from the Pinnacle

The view from the Pinnacle

The view off a side trail

The view off a side trail

Ouch!!! After 2 hours of running

After 2 hours of running

After 2 hours of running