Day 126 - No running

No running today. Giving the legs a rest day!

4-5-2011

Day 125 - Hiking

The weekend really beat me up. Below my right knee cap it is sore and the joint above my big toe on my right foot is very sore. I am taking this as a message to slow down. Back to hiking for tonight to see if it feels better going slower. About half way through my hike I hear some noise and when I look over there were thousands of little bugs jumping around on the leaves. The first pic below looks a little purple but the bugs were black. Maybe they all were out because if was very warm out. It was great being out in the warmer weather and can't wait to run in it every night.

4-4-2011 - 5 miles - 1:25 - hike

Day 124 - Legs feel very sore

Today started with a nice 4 mile hike with my wife. We hiked the AT to Pulpit Rock and back the road hill loop. We got to meet a very nice 67 year young lady that hikes up there about 5 or 6 days a week with here dog. She even said she runs down the road hill to the parking lot. That is one of the tricks to living longer - keep moving forward.

After returning home from our hike I ate, packed my drinks, food and I was out the door for my run. I think this run should of been called the "Leg Burner or Legs Feel Very Sore" run. My legs were shot today but I wanted to get a back to back long run in. I did a lot of the trails I usually do. Up the Pulpit Rock road hill, down to the campground, up to Pinnacle, back to Pulpit Rock and then onto the road. That is when the fun started. My legs really felt sore during the 8 miles on the road. I kept just over a 10 min. pace. and with tired legs I was happy with that. My legs felt just like they do in a long event and pushing through is what you have to do and forget about the discomfort the best you can.

4-3-2011 - 20 miles - 3:55 - run
4-3-2011 - 4 miles - 1:22 - hike

The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

Looking up at Pulpit Rock from the campground

The view from the Pinnacle

The plantains I was talking about on Thursdays run. The coconut and grapefruit were gone.

A trail at Kaercher Creek Park

Kaercher Creek Park - Pulpit Rock is located on the mountain in the middle. 

Kaercher Creek overflow water tunnel 

Day 123 - Leg Burner run

The Leg Burner run I just mapped out a couple days ago. Basically it is a route with as many hills as I could find to make a great hilly fun run. Not to many people use hilly and fun in the same sentence but with MMT fastly approaching you need to get them in now. With me there were 7 of us that started the run. The run started with 2.6 mile loop up the AT heading west, down a pipeline and back to the parking lot. We all warmed up on the first climb. When we hit the steep downhill pipeline the leaves were very slippery and with the loose rocks made it a challenge but we all made it down safely. From there we headed east on the AT to a pole line that went straight down to Rattling Run creek and straight back up to the road near the Port Clinton fire tower. The rest of the group head back to the parking lot from the creek and Steve and I headed out for the rest of the loop. We then ran by the fire town, down to Drehersville seeing some bear tracks in the snow and back up to the fire tower. Then we ran down the road to the Rattle Snake trail, Moss trail and back on the AT to the parking lot. We hit 20 miles as we went under the 61 bridge. From there we agreed to run the loop we did in the morning in the reverse direction. The pipeline was very steep but there was no slippery leaves just a lot of loose rocks. After getting back to the cars we headed up a steep road to some game land parking lot turned around and ran back to the cars. Steve is also running MMT and today was great training for both of us.

Later at night I did a 4 mile hike with my friend Donny to get the legs moving after the beating they took earlier in the day. What a great hilly run and hike in the mountains today.

4-2-2011 - 25.44 miles - 5:44 - run
4-2-2011 - 4 miles - 1:12 - hike

Run down the Pipeline

Day 122 - Easy run

Tonight the family and a friend of the girls went to the movies. I went for a nice easy run. I left from the house and went up to Pulpit Rock and around the mountain. Hopefully this will be some of the last pics of snow I will be posting form spring. I only passed two people the whole run. The mountain was all mine other than all the animals watching me run by. Tonight I ran on some other trails that I didn't run for a couple of weeks and I could really see the damage that the ice storms and winds caused. Come on spring we are waiting;-)


4-1-2011 - 8 miles - 1:25 - run

The view from Pulpit Rock

Spring on the Appalachian Trail

Spring on the Appalachian Trail

Day 121 - Weird

Today I met Donny out on part of my run. We ran the loop at Kaercher Creek, cut through the Hamburg Centre State Hospital grounds to Mountain road. From there we ran down Mountain road to the towpath trail. Right before we ran under the 78 bridge I looked over to the right and there were about 6 or 7 plantains, a coconut and I think a grapefruit laying on the ground. It look like someone just laid them there and left. It was really weird to find them laying on the ground in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we were on camera to get our reaction. We headed back by his house and I kept run and finished with just under 9.75 miles.


3-31-2011 - 9.75 miles - 1:35 - run

Day 120 - Busy night

Tonight was a busy night. I picked the little ones up and headed home to pick something’s up and then up to the high school to watch some of the track meet. We were only there for about 25 mins. and left to drop one of the little ones off for dance. Then off for home to get ready for a run. I left the house a little after 5 and ran to my friend Donny’s house. After meeting up we ran back over to the high school and watched some more races at the track. Around 6 we met up with my boss to run. We ran about 2.5 miles with my boss and then he went a different way. We headed down town. We looped are way through town and back to Donny’s house. Then I ran back home giving me a total of 12 miles. Legs were a little tired tonight but it was great running with friends.

3-30-2011 - 12 miles - 1:45 - run

Day 119 - Time is flying

Time is flying and only 45 days left of training. After taking yesterday off from running my energy level felt good today. 15 miles was the distance I was thinking of earlier in the day. I left the house around 5:10 p.m. My first mile was 7:30 and my legs felt good. Up the road to Pulpit Rock is where my feet lead me. I ran into some friends hiking with their dogs and we all made the comment “Where is spring?” You can really see the look on everyone’s face that everyone is ready for spring. It will be here soon after the snow and rain in the forecast:-( The view was clear up at Pulpit Rock and very little snow is left on the ground. The long downhill felt good not too fast and not to slow. As usual when I try to run over 7 or 8 miles I head down town to run all the hills I can find and head back home. On the way home I cut over and ran through the grounds of Kaercher Creek and took a couple pics with my phone. Sometimes I get so focused that I don’t look up a lot but when I did the view was very pretty and I had to stop. There aren’t the best pics and I changed them a little to add some life into them. Finishing up with 15 and I think I could of kept going but my time ran out.

3-29-2011 - 15 miles - 2:05 - run

Kaercher Creek

Kaercher Creek

Day 118 - No run day

Needed the day off. I will be back tomorrow!

Day 117 - Spring or Fall?

Today I split my workout into 2 runs. I didn't feel like getting up early and I didn't have 4 hours at one shot to do my run. I left the house to do an out and back from my house to the Pinnacle around 10:30. I wanted to run this at a faster pace if my legs would leave me. After going along for about 3 miles I knew I could push the pace for the rest of the run. Once on top of the mountain running this AT section is very rock. It is good training for MMT. You learn to look down a lot and lift your feet. If you don't get some of this training in before this event you will be kicking a lot more rocks then if you do. When I reached the Pinnacle there was no one there. I snapped some pics, eat a gel and drank some water and pushed back home. After you get back to Pulpit Rock it is all down hill from there. I picked up the pace after getting on the dirt road and pushed back home finishing in under 2 hours.

I left the house for my second run a little before 4. I headed back up to the mountain to run up the road hill to Pulpit Rock. The legs woke up and they were not happy after climbing the hill. From there I headed down to town to loop my way around. At mile 9 I could feel my legs getting tired and heavy. Pushing on mile 12 and 13 was good training because my legs were done. 

With this cold weather I not sure I heading back into fall or is spring really going to show up. One thing I do know is that I have only 47 days to go until the race. I really have to get focused on running more hills and time on my feet then worry about miles. After running a lot of roads this winter I kind of got in a habit of worrying about miles. Miles are good but at this point in my training I have to move onto more and more hills in the next couple of weeks. It was a good weekend of running with over 40 miles.

3-27-2011 - 12 miles - 1:58 - run
3-27-2011 - 13 miles - 1:57 - run

The view from the Pinnacle

The view from the Pinnacle

The view from the Pulpit Rock

Day 116 - Cold and sunny

I met my friend Donny for some trail fun today. We headed out around 9 a.m. and it was cold and sunny. At one point we hit a very cold head wind which didn't last long but it was cold. We went up the left side to the reservoir, up to the top mountain and headed down towards Eckville. From there we cut back up the mountain to the trail that goes down to Drehersville. The trail then runs along the Little Schuylkill river then heads back up the the Port Clinton fire tower. Then we hit the road down to the Rattle Snake trail to the Moss trail. We power hiked up the Moss trail at a good pace. Turning left on the AT and headed back to the parking lot. A great day on the trail - but where is the warm weather?


3-26-2011 - 15.60 miles - 3:30 - run

Day 115 - No run day

No running today. 49 days until MMT 100.

Day 114 - Spring ice

On my way home from work I could see that the top to the mountain was covered with ice. I knew right then that was where I was going to be heading. I left the house around 5:30 and I had no idea of how far I was going to run. Once I got closer to the top of the mountain it was going to be a short night. I brought the camera and stated to take pictures of all of the ice. It was like the other ice storm this year but without all of the snow on the ground. You could hear the ice falling and trees creaking. I was almost at the top and I looked over to the right and there were 3 deer looking at me. These are the same 3 deer that I have been seeing since the fall. I got some video of them but it wasn’t that clear. From there I went over to Pulpit Rock and there the ice was at some places and inch thick. Heading back down the road hill I ran into another 5 deer blocking the road until they saw me and took off running. I made it back home with 6.60 miles, ready to eat and ready for warmer weather!

3-24-2011 - 6.60 miles - 1:10 - run/hike


Click here for all spring ice photos.

The view from Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Hamburg Reservoir

Day 113 - Lightning, thunder and sleet

I went to the club run tonight. It was cold, raining and in the mid to upper 30’s. There were maybe 25 to 30 runners there. The trails weave all around the mountain above Reading, PA. It warmed up quick after climbing for a while. We ran on a lot of new trails and some of the same ones we usually hit when we run here. Someone said we were running out of daylight so we started to head back to the parking lot. About a mile or more away we saw a flash and the some thunder. After that everyone stated to run a little faster. Then you could feel the temp drop and it stated to sleet. It must have flashed another six times on the way back down to the car. What a crazy night on the mountain and everyone made it back safe.

3-23-2011 - 5+ miles - 1:00 - run

Day 112 - Going slow

The days after a race are always nice and slow days. My legs are feeling good - not great - but I know going slow is the way to go tonight. I left the house around 5:30 and headed towards the mountain. I took the road up to the AT. From there I wanted to check the view out at Pulpit Rock. I snapped some photos and changed them in a photo program to give a little different look. The long down hill road section felt ok on the legs so that is a good thing. I made my way back home, looped around some houses and finished with a nice easy night walking the last ¼ mile section with the little one.

3-22-2011 - 8.4 miles - 1:25 - run

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Day 111 - No run day

Today was a no run day. Just a nice day off after a lot of miles in the last week.

Day 110 - Sunday long run

My legs were feeling pretty good after waking up and walking around at home. Today was suppose to be a nice easy slow day. The more consistent training I do the better I recover. After the first couple years of running the longer races I could barely walk the next day and I didn't do much. Now I know I have to keep moving the next day after a race or pay for it. I arrived at the Hamburg Reservoir at 9 a.m. This was a run I set up earlier in the week to make sure I would get out the day after the race. The run was to be between 3 and 4 hours. With me there was 7 of us that started the run today. The sun was out and no wind. The run went up the AT to the blue trail down to the Blue Rocks Campground. Steve, Pete and I ran from here in a group and the others were in a group right behind us. From there the run went up the yellow to the AT and over to the Pinnacle. We check out the view and headed back on the AT heading west. We ran into a runner from Colorado and she said she was training for some 50k out there. We headed to the long downhill AT section and then made our way back up to the Port Clinton fire tower. Another 3 runners went by us as we were going up the hill to the fire tower. Then we ran the road to the Rattle Snake trail and hit the down and up on the Moss trail and back on the AT. We ran the AT all the way back to the road and back to our cars. This was a great run for me because if Steve and Pete would not have been there my pace would of been a lot slower. My legs are feeling good right now but I will take it really slow for the next couple of days and hopefully will be fully recovered soon for some faster running. Below is a link to the run we did.

3-20-2011 - 15.64 miles - 3:08 - run

Day 109 - HAT Run 50k

After an ok night of sleep I was up around 5:45 a.m. All my stuff was packed I just needed to make 2 bottles of Perpetuem and off I was to pick my friend Donny up. We headed down to meet the rest of the Pagoda Pacers that were running the race. We made it down to the meeting place just in time. We left to get some coffee and said we would catch up with the rest of the group. That never happened. They either got by us or we left before they went by. We arrived around 8:35 at the race parking lot. Quickly checked in, got my bottles, 6 gels, electrolytes and headed down to the start. I said hello to some friends and in no time 420 people were off and running. The race starts with a 3.6 mile loop and then switches to two identical 13.7 miles loops. I ran with friends Eric and Stephan off and on for the first 11 or 12 miles. After hitting the road section I stayed with Stephan and paced with him. He said were running around a 2:50 marathon pace at that point. My legs and breathing were feeling good so I just kept moving along. I got in and out of the 12.3 aid station fast and headed back onto the trail. This section seems to have more climbs then other parts of the course. When the hills got steep I started to power hike to keep my heart rate down. Coming through at 17.3 miles I was at 2:19 something. This is where you can back off or try to keep pushing and this is the only time you can practice it. So today I kept pushing on. You have to keep eating and drinking or things can change very fast. I was thinking I just have to keep my legs moving the best I can and see what happens. Hitting the road section another runner came up behind me pretty fast. He passed me with his pacer and I said I will try to stick with you as long as I can. His watch went off a little after that and he said 7 miles to go. I kept the same pace and he dropped back. Getting in and out of the last aid station fast someone said there was a guy 30 seconds ahead of me. It didn't matter to me I was just going to keep running my own pace and not try to catch him. After running for a while there are some steps you have to go down and the guy was right in front of me. I got aside of him and said I going to pretend I am feeling good and pass. As soon as I passed my legs were not happy. I let him know if he had to pass just let me know. He said at that point he was ok. From there I just tried to run as much as I could and only hike the steeper stuff. I knew if I could run the downs and flats as fast as I could I had a good chance at staying ahead of anyone closing on me. The last road section I left the legs move as fast as they would let me. Making the turn off of the road and crossing the stream the trail heads straight up. That was the first time I looked back. The guy I passed was coming down the hill. I knew at this point I had to keep moving the best I could and not ease up. I hit the open field with less than a 1/2 mile to go I looked back and no one was there. I crossed the finish line in 4:21:37 which was a PR of just over 29 minutes for this race. My best time before was last year with a 4:50:51. I got 6th place overall and 2nd in my age group. Since the guy that got 1st in my age group was top 3 that took him out of the awards for my age group. So I got first in my age group because they don't give double awards and I got a nice jacket with the HAT run logo on it. They also gave everyone a very nice winter hat for completing the race. I really didn't come here with the mind set I was going to race. I just ran the way I felt and let everything happen from there. It was a very good day for me and I loved that I got to run with some great friends again. Thanks again to Stephan and Eric for helping me move along in the beginning! Great job to all of the Pagoda Pacers that ran and helped at this event your support was amazing!!!

3-19-2011 - 31 miles - 4:21:37 - run

Day 108 - Hiking day

Today the weather was very warm and the sun was out. It seems like it has been so long since it has been warm and sunny. I drove up to the reservoir to do a hike. It usually is a good idea for me to hike or run very easy the day before a race. It was hazy but the sun did a good job of putting a smile on my face the entire hike. I used my hiking boots today just so I wouldn't run. They didn't stick to the rocks as good as my sneakers do but they were good enough for today. I packed two bottles, camera, extra shirt, phone and some gels in case I got hungry. 3 hours is all I had then I had to pick the little ones up at school. I wore my gps watch just to see what my pace was. I kept my pace right at a 15 min. mile  the whole hike so I was happy with that. It was a great day to be on the trail hiking and enjoying the sun! Now it is time to pack and get some sleep for the HAT run 50k in the morning.


3-18-2011 - 2:30 - 10 miles

The Pinnacle

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Day 107 - Easy run

I ran from my house to my friend Donny's house to meet for an easy run. We ran around town at a nice easy pace. This is the last run we are doing before the HAT Run 50k in Maryland on Saturday. the weather is looking pretty good and should be a fun day.

3-17-2011 - 1:10 - 7.75 miles