Okay Readers.  I’m late with this post.   February is here and I need to wrap up 2015.

Let’s start off with my main focus of the year which was:

 

Trail Running

Good times for me on the trails last year.  I hit the White Mountains hard in June/July/August and crossed off three big bucket list adventures.

 

#1 The Presidential Traverse

 

 

I’d read plenty about this one -18ish miles over 9 mountain peaks while battling fickle and damp weather over Mount Washington.  It was an almost 9 hour effort and a big confidence boost.

I can be on my feet and moving all day!

That was the goal.

 

 

The trail was super technical and rock strewn so I wasn’t able to run much.  But, I fastpacked hard, managed calories and electrolytes, and made it back to my car without bonking.

 

#2 The Pemi Loop

I wrote a detailed post about this one HERE.  Another big boost to my new big mile self.

32 miles and 11 hours total.

Whewww!

 

 

The route here is much more runnable than the Pres. Traverse and I double timed it everywhere it was safe to do so.  (Side Note: Garfield Ridge Trail on this route is a killer!)

 

 

That run segued perfectly to…

 

#3 The Emerald Necklace 3 day 80 mile Stage Race

I really wanted to do well here.  #1 and #2 were adventures meant to build my mind and body up for three days of (sometimes painful) endurance.

Knowing that real Ultra Runners would be there, I just wanted to finish all the miles strong while feeling good about it (and, well, not embarrass myself).

 

 

Mission Accomplished!  Read more about it HERE.

 

I targeted two other trails over the summer that piqued my interest and I’m glad I efforted to drive out and run them.

 

The Tully Trail

A 22 mile loop in the Cental Massachusetts woodlands of Royalston, Orange, and Warwick.

Great stuff out in Central, MA.  If you’re a local trail runner, get out and do this one.  I’m partial to loop routes anyways so this was an easy mark.

 

 

I went back out in a month later to run it again as part of an organized event.

There were only 5 of us, but that made it more fun and personal.  No racing on this day just a handful of trail weirdos meeting up for a Sunday run.

The course had been marked the night before by the organizers (thanks Stas and Kehr!), but some idiot Army dudes doing some survival training at a nearby facility intentionally re-marked the course to some dead ends – GOOD ONE!

Needless to say we got lost and confused.  But, it turned into a good bonding experience as we all weighed in on the navigation and decided as a group where to run.

It was like a mini Survivor Reality Show for about an hour.

 

 

 

In the end we got back on route and all finished.  Then we feasted like rescued castaways in the Tully Lake parking lot.

 

The Massachusetts MidState Trail

Not very popular outside of the immediate region, the MST is a dedicated trail a bit west of Worcester that crosses the North / South width of Massachusetts from the New Hampshire border to the Rhode Island border.

How cool is that?

 

 

I ran about 58 total miles over 3 separate visits.  In the North, it’s very well marked and offers mostly fun, runnable, remote single track.  It even sends you over Mt. Wachusett which is a nice novelty.

I’ve read that the Southern section in on mostly paved roads – BOOOOOO!   I’ll see for myself this summer.

 

 

Spartan Up!

Still curious about Obstacle Course Racing, I did another Spartan Race.  13 miles and 25 obstacles at Killington in Vermont.  It was a bit easier than the first one I did back in 2012.

Going off in a later heat allowed me to negotiate the pre race details easily, but it also meant the course was really crowded.

With my excitement only mildly dampened by the extra company, I ran well, failed only 3 obstacles (damn you spear throw!), and showed a ton of Cross Fitters what real trail running looks like.

 

 

Bike Touring

Most of the biking I did over the summer was commuting and errands, but I did get out for a couple short tours in the Fall.

In September I took off for a five day ride to Martha’s Vineyard.

 

 

Then around Columbus Day it was seven days of autumn glory on back roads out to the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts.

 

 

You can read more about both of these rides on my Crazy Guy On A Bike journal.

I’m so glad I made time for these tours.  It was the first time since my cross country trip that I got out for more than an overnight on the bike and reminded me how rewarding it is to go long, slow, and self-contained.

Bike touring is the one activity where I feel present for long periods of time. The clock slows down and I don’t get anxious to finish or day dreamy about the past or future.  I just ride unhurried and take in the quiet sights.  Heaven.

Plus, I love to camp after a full day on the pedals.  It’s a unique feeling that still carries a lot of novelty with me.

Visiting small towns, riding car-less back roads then rugging up in my sleeping bag with local radio and a good magazine (usually a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips too) is a life complacency reset for me.

 

The Fit Index

It is working for me better than expected!

The Index was initially an idea just to get me to more active and accountable for the days where I did nothing.  But, that metric really has the competition of me vs. myself cookin’.  Plus, I’m switched on to not taking a negative day no matter what.

The end January marks my 3^rd month in a row where I’ve done something every day.

At 45 years old with a full active life up to this point, I’ve never done, tried to, or accomplished that – doing something everyday.

My last Negative Day was October 23^rd which means I’ve at least gotten three set of push ups in.

You’ll also see that I’m keeping track of how many pull ups and push ups I do in a month.

Hell yeah, I’m trying to beat that all the time!

Not huge numbers for a full month, but  just trying to get something, anything in every day.  And that’s what being consistent is all about.  It’s planted in my brain now.

Last night I had a full dinner + a pint of Guinness with my Mom.  All I could think about on the way home with a full stomach was getting those three sets of push ups in to keep the streak alive.

And there I was at 10pm in the park bobbing up and down 75 times while my two dogs took their nightly constitutional.

A little OCD for sure

Maybe a tad weird.

But, the lesson here is that body weight exercises are happening more often now.

I urge you Readers to try something similar.  It doesn’t have to be just like mine.  You might choose different exercises or change the metrics.  But, the idea is to come up with some accountability, motivation, and/or competition to get you moving more than usual.

Read exactly what the Fit Index is about HERE.

 

Tell me about your 2015 hard yards, adventures, even failures.  I’m interested  – Really.

 

2016 – Get after it!

Real quick – here’s what’s on my mind for this year.  If I can stay muscle strain free this could all happen.

 

Run across Massachusetts North to South (June)

Ever since I discovered the Midstate trail this has been on my mind:

A thru run from the New Hampshire border in the North to the Rhode Island state line in the South.

• 93 miles total.
• 31-ish miles a day over three consecutive days.
• I’ll carry all the gear and food in my 24 liter pack.
• Overnights will be hammock camping in two campgrounds.

 

 

This is a bucket list event that scares the shit out of me.

• Alone and tired on the trail for 10 hours a day? You’ll crack!
• 31 miles a day? You’ll bonk!
• Hammock camping? Get Real!

Proving my naysaying inner dialogue wrong is exactly why I want to make this attempt.

 

Run the Pemi Loop Again (July)

The Pemi Loop is a quad busting and relentless 32 mile circuit in the White Mountain wilderness.

You read the recap from the victory here last year.

I need to prove that my mind and body are still Pemi Fit.

 

The Emerald Necklace Stage Race (August)

Three days and 80 miles total of trail running in the Sunapee region of New Hampshire.

I had such a wonderful time last year that I want to go back and bottle up another batch of memories (and beat my cumulative time).

Read the post about the 2015 race HERE.

 

Run Across the Grand Canyon and Back (October)

Also known as Rim to Rim to Rim or R2R2R.

However runners refer to this epic, this is arguably the hardest one day run that’s not a race.

• 42 miles.
• 21,000 feet of elevation change.
• Unpredictable cold weather at the rims and 90+ deg. heat in the canyon.
• 14 to 18 hours of constant forward movement.

 

The above image from Chrisgerber.com

 

Fuck me…am I really putting this out there?

It’s another scary goal to have.  The thought of bonking along the Colorado River 5,000 feet below civilization is daunting.

In my short career as a long distance trail runner this is a big reach.

But, I need to claim R2R2R and prove to myself that I’m as tough as the other runners who have done it.

Or I might fail and need to have the National Park Service carry me out.

 

That’s it kids.

I’ll see you out on the quiet trails and roads.

Steve