Drive north

 As I've done in the past I did some research and came up with some interesting ideas on places to run during my drive back from Florida.  Thursday afternoon I celebrate my birthday with my folks then hit the sack early.  I was up at midnight and out the door by 12:10 am on Friday.

First up was a coke to get me through the 300 miles and 4:40 drive to Richmond Hills GA.  It was 54 degrees and very dark as I hit the trail at 5am.  The Wetlands Trail was nicer than anticipated with about 1/2 mile paved.  I was a little worried about whether I'd gotten far enough north to be out of gator country as I could hear activity in the water near the path.

Back in the car for 280 miles of driving in a little over 4 hours that got me to Fayetteville NC for the Cape Fear River Trail.  It was 62 degrees and cloudy.  I asked a local which direction on the trail was best and she recommended going south (which I did). The paved path was very nice running along the scenic Cape Fear River.

I had a much shorter 156 mile drive to Jarratt VA for the Tobacco Heritage Trail.  I was a little concerned as there wasn't any clear parking area for this.  I asked some workers who were taking their lunch break at the trail/road crossing and they assured me that 4-wheelers use the trail all the time.  I got in a nice out/back run on the grassy and somewhat muddy trail. The tailwind on the way back made the 70 degree temps feel even warmer.

My final Friday run was in Lorton VA a short 150 miles away.  There was a bit of traffic that slowed things up but I was out and running by 315 in the sunny 75 degree afternoon.  The Cross County trail was fairly active.  I regretted parking at the top of the trail and running down 200' to the river.  My knee and quads were not happy and it was not easy working my way back up.

I had a nice stop in Alexandria where I walked for about an hour and enjoyed some yummy chicken wings.  That also helped with missing some of the worst traffic.  I made it to a rest area in Maryland by 8pm and at the 20 hour mark and nearly 1,000 miles of driving I was ready to call it a day.

I slept (sort of) for 4.5 hours before packing up and hitting the road at 1 am.  I had a LONG somewhat sleepy drive to Poughkeepsie NY for the Walkway over the Hudson.  Unfortunately I hadn't counted on the bridge being gated and closed until sunrise.  I was there at 5:30 am and in no mood to wait a couple of hours for daylight.  I hit the trail and ran some on the NY state trail and some on the well lit Northern Branch.  Smooth pavement made for a nice run, although it took me some time to warm-up.

2.5 hours later I arrived at the Larkin State Bridle trail in Naugatuck CT.  I'm not sure how I missed this nice trail when running all of the towns in CT.  This was a sweet dirt trail and at 47 degrees it felt comfortable as the western direction was moderate uphill.  This also made for a nice quick (relatively) return.

Another couple of hours in the car and I arrived in Brimfield MA for my final run of the day on the Grand Trunk Trail.  I'd run (and biked) on a few sections of the Grand Trunk but not this part.  Although it was 39 degrees and breezy it felt good to stretch my legs on this very nice crushed stone trail.  I'll have to go back to run more of it.

Another 1.5 hours completed the ride, with 1,450 miles driven, 3.5 hours running, 4.5 hours sleeping and almost exactly 36 hours door to door.

Week Ending 03/30/25

 I had a decent week of running despite a migraine which had me missing the indoor track race and feeling "hung over" for a few days.  I got in runs in FL, GA, NC, VA, VA (again), NY, CT, and MA on my 1,500 mile 36 hour drive back from Florida.  Ran in 85 degree heat and 35 degrees (and rain) all within that 36 hours.  I'm hoping that I can rebound from the lack of sleep quickly as I head back to the real world.

Week - 84

Month - 337

Year - 1,100

Life - 163,876

Geocaching

 During my annual treks down to Florida I've tried to plan out some different places to take my parents.  We have visited all of the nearby fire towers, state parks, roadside attractions, and Letterboxes.  I decided to give Geocaching a try and loaded the app on my phone (which is something of a breakthrough for me). I found a bunch in the Greater Zephyrhills area and narrowed it down to three that we close by and two were in parks.  I wanted to be able to get out for a walk but not make it too strenuous.  We went 1 for 3, not finding the first or last one we visited.  We were definitely in the right place but just couldn't find the Geocache.  We will work on a few back home in Billerica and get better at discovering the quirks of this activity.  Anyway, it was fun and the "nano" was a pretty cool discovery.

World Masters Cross Country

 I'd had this race on my calendar since last November.  It lined up with my normal drive down to Florida for the annual visit to my parents in Zephyrhills.  The World Masters Indoor Track would be in Gainesville and the event kicked off with an 8km XC race.

I got down to Florida on Saturday and did a lap of the course (2km - 1.2 miles) to check out the footing. I decided that it was pretty rough for a golf course.  It had not been a golf course since it went bankrupt in 2019.  Some of the course was developed but a big chunk was left as a green space.  The course used about half of the existing greens.  The 2km loop featured a lot of very small ups and downs and a fair amount of turns.  It also had mostly rough grass footing (picture a golf course that hasn't been maintained all that much over the last 5 years) and some sandy spots as well.  Also, it would be a good idea to keep your eyes open for potholes!

I arrived very early on race day (11:15 start time) as there was a lot of uncertainty about parking, specific information was challenging at best.  I bumped into CMS teammates Joe Shairs and Steve Brightman soon after as both also arrived early. We had gotten together the night before for a pre-race meal.  There was enough time to catch the 70+ finishing their heat of the race (6km) before it was time to ger warmed-up.

It was sunny and already in the mid-70s by the time I headed out onto the golf course for a 3 mile warm-up.  It wasn't terribly humid and there was a breeze, so I guess it could have been worse for us New England guys who weren't ready for summer quite yet.  I switched into XC spikes and did another mile to ensure that they would feel okay.  I was tentative about doing 8km (5 miles) in spikes knowing it would do a number on my ankles.

The field was smaller than I expected with only 70 in the 55, 60, and 65 age group.  My plan was to go out conservatively and hopefully run each of the four laps in about the same time.  I had run 33:48 last fall at the New England championships but felt this course was slower.  My hope was low 34's.  I got out with no issues and felt pretty comfortable as we got going.  My watch beeped at 1/2 mile and I tried not to panic when I saw 3:30.  7-minute pace was a bit slower than I'd hoped. That would end up being my slowest half-mile split of the race.  I hit the end of lap 1 in 8:40 and on the big turn had counted 52 guys ahead of me.  Right after heading into lap 2 I started catching people.  No one passed me during the entire race and I would end up passing 20 guys (mostly in the third lap).  Lap 2 went by in 8:37 and I was working on catching a group of 3 USA guys that I got soon after starting the third lap.  I kept looking ahead and trying to reel in people  The third lap was 8:38 and I was still feeling okay.  I pushed to catch a few guys in front of me and looked at the big turn and saw no one behind.  I gave all I had but couldn't quite get the guy from Ireland.  I did run my fastest lap 8:33 for the slightly longer final circuit.  Total time of 34:25 was pretty much in the ballpark for what I thought I could run.  I felt the mid-70 temps and was one of the few people to take water on every lap.

I ended up 10th in the 60-64 age group.  Steve took 5th in the 55 and was the second scoring member of the winning USA squad. Joe took 12th overall (10th in the 55) and was the 5th USA finisher.  All in all it was a successful day.  I even scored a "new" pair of racing flats as Joe was going to throw his in the trash after only running in them twice (and not liking them).

Drive to Florida - Day 2

 I got a reasonably good night sleep in Columbia SC and was up at 5am for a quick coffee and out the door at 545am.  I was nervous about traffic and worried that if it went very slowly I might miss the timing to check in and get my uniform.

Started out the day with a nice run on the Columbia River Canal.  I was surprised to find that the trail was well lit and I didn't need my headlamp.  It was cool and comfortable as I slowly woke up.

Next up was a long drive to Savanah GA for a run on the McQueens Historic Trail.  I'd biked on this trail a couple of years ago but never ran there.  It was sunny, windy, and in the 50s when I got there at 

930.  I put in my second 3.33 mile run of the day (aiming for 10 miles in three runs).  The trail was a bit rocky, not the greatest footing but not terrible either.  The tailwind at the end was nice.

Next was a 2 hour drive to White Oak GA for the Georgia Coast Rail Trail. This trail was a mix of grass and dirt and was also a bit rocky.  It wasn't that bad and definitely a pleasant place to run as much of it was shaded.

That was the conclusion of my planned runs although I was hoping I'd get to Gainesville early enough to check out the XC course.  there was a bit of traffic but I was able to make it to packet pick-up by 2pm (although it wasn't easy to find).  After that I drove the 15 minutes to the XC course and tested out my road racing shoes over the 2km (1.2 miles) loop.  I decided it was a bit rough for road shoes and would got with XC spikes.  Calling this a "golf course" is a bit of a push.  It USED TO BE a golf course would be more accurate.  We'd have ups/downs, sand, and potholes to deal with along with generally rough footing.

Drive down to Florida - Day 1

 I've driven down to Florida at the end of March the last few years. I'd been going down to visit my parents for many years but once COVID hit I decided to drive instead of flying and I've enjoyed it so much I've kept doing it. Each year I try to find some interesting places to run with the focus being rail trails.  I've also visited a lot of Greenways and a few Canal Paths.  It is getting harder to find locations that aren't too far off the direct route.  I modified things a bit this year as I did not want to do too much running as I was going to race on Sunday.

I hit the road a little before 1 am on Friday morning hoping to get past New York before traffic got bad.  It was rainy the first few hours but I made decent time and arrived in Hellerton PA a little before 6am.  It was 39 degrees and very windy.  I got a bit off course in the dark and ended up on a trail instead of the Saucon Rail Trail.  Eventually I corrected my error and finished up 3 miles on this very nice dirt rail trail.

Next up was 170 miles of sleepy driving with the music blasting and a nice Dunks XL coffee keeping me going.  That got me to Williamsport MD and the Chesapeake & Ohio canal path.  I parked at the canal museum which was also next to a cool section of the C&O that featured an aqueduct.  It was 45 degrees and windy but sunny as I shuffled off.  The dirt trail was in great shape and I even got to check out a lock.

Then it was back to the car for another 170 miles of driving.  That got me to Lexington VA and the campus of Virginia Military Institute.  It was sunny and 55 degrees and there were a few others out taking advantage of the nice Woods Creek Trail.  I spotted the first blooms of the season during my 3 mile run.

Next was a bit longer ride of 225 miles.  That got me to Cornelius NC for a run on the Caldwell Station Creek Greenway.  It felt nice to get out and stretch my legs on this paved path.  It was a bit rolling and felt warm in the 60 degree temps!

Another 116 miles got me to Columbia SC at 7pm.  That was the end of a long day of 16 hours of driving (980 miles) and 2 hours of running.

Week Ending 3/23/25

 Not a terrible week.  Got in 89 miles and drove nearly 2,000 with most of that the annual drive down to Florida.  I got in runs in PA, MD, NC, SC, GA, and FL all at locations I'd not run in before.  I had some issues with my eye after getting an injection on Tuesday but fortunately it cleared up but I've been stuck with a lousy headache since then. Trying to keep on top of my hydration and hoping that will help.  Hoping I can rebound from the XC race today and not severely embarrass myself on the indoor track on Tuesday.

Week - 89

Month - 253

Year - 1016

Life - 163,792

First shirtless run of year

100 Hats road mile race

 100 Hats – I’ve done the 100 Hats race a few times and always enjoy the Friday night race.  It is rare to get to race a mile on the roads which makes this race stand out.  Another unique factor is that the race is capped at 100 entrants and the race director knits 100 winter hats.  The hats have a variety of themes and you get to choose your hat based on how quickly you can get back into the gym after you finish the race.  Plenty to choose from if you are quick, not so many choices if you are in the back of the pack.

I got out of work a little early and got to Bishop Brady (Concord NH) an hour before the 4 p.m. start time.  Conditions were very nice with temps in the 50’s a light breeze and sunny skies.  I’d already run 9 miles, 6 at 4:30 a.m. and my usual lunch 3 at 11:30 a.m.  I headed out for an easy 3 miles to loosen up.  I’d felt good at lunch and now I just felt nervous and tired.  An all-out mile is a bit of a stretch for me.  This was going to hurt.  I changed into racing flats and headed out for another mile which included checking out where the 200 meters to go was, just to give myself an idea of when to “kick” (laugh – I really have just one speed).

I lined up next to Bill Newsham who had recently turned 60 and has always had good leg speed.  We stayed to the right side as there was a sharp left about 20 yards into the race and it could get dicey with some of the youngsters sprinting out.  Best to stay out of trouble.  I nearly tripped on my own feet at the start and took a little bit to stabilize.  By the ¼ mile mark I was in 8^th or 9^th place and could sense someone hanging right on me a half-step behind.  I figured it was Bill but wasn’t too surprised when Kara Haas eased up along side me.  We hung together through the little uphill and passed a couple of guys on the up and a couple more on the down.  I moved slightly ahead of Kara as we passed the ½ mile mark now in 4^th place.  I got one guy right after the ½ and then Kara got back on my shoulder as we passed the top lady and we moved into 3^rd/4^th.  Kara then made her move and was gone as I also passed a guy (to remain in third place).  Kara took a few looks back, but really didn’t need to as I hit 200 to go and knew there was no way I’d be catching anyone.

I was pretty disappointed with the time (5:56) as I was hoping to break 5:50 and had run 5:45 last year.  There aren’t too many chances to do a mile, but I hope to get at least another crack later this year.  This was my third time doing this race and each time I’ve finished in third place!

Pl	Time	Name		Sx	Age	Club	City	St	Age Graded Time
1	5:45	Jorge	Guerra	M	18		Concord,	NH	5:45
2	5:52	Kara	Haas	F	54	GLRR			5:01
3	5:56	Dave	Dunham	M	60	NEDD	Bradford	MA	4:49
4	5:59	Eloise	Burns	F	15		Concord,	NH	5:42
5	6:06	Bill	Newsham	M	60	GBTC			4:57
6	6:09	Ryan	Busby	M	35		Concord,	ME	6:02
7	6:18	Miles	Lavoie	M	20		Concord,	NH	6:18
8	6:19	David	Audet	M	60	NMC	Concord,	NH	5:08
9	6:22	Silas	Frary	M	25		Concord,	NH	6:22
10	6:24	James	Aiken	M	51	GDTC			5:36
11	6:30	Payton	Bryson	F	18		Concord,	NH	6:28
12	6:31	Steven	Lavoie	M	45		Concord,	NH	5:58
13	6:33	Elin	Haas	F	10	NEDD			5:34
14	6:33	Mike	Haas	M	52	NEDD			5:41
15	6:37	Michael	O'Neill	M	51	Millenium	Millennium		5:46