In unrelated news, the Grand Tree Series results are in for 2015. I'd love to run a bunch of these races every year, but I'm happy that I got to do 3 this year. Anyway, I was surprised to see the results based on Top 3 races for the year:
Pretty cool stuff! Not as impressive as my brother winning the Series (based on Top 6) multiple years, but I'll take it.
Monday: 0 - stupid car issues sucked up all my free time today. I got a flat tire the night before coming home from my company Xmas party. Apparently my car (2012 Hyundai) does not come with a spare - although it looks like there is one in the trunk. Surprise!! I had to have it towed to my house late at night, and then towed again in the morning to a tire place. What a debacle.
Tuesday: 10 miles - hill repeats on my favorite improved and unimproved dirt road - Pardon Joslin Rd. It was super windy today and running did not seem appealing. I figured that sheltered hill repeats would be my best option. I even broke out my headphones for this one and listened to a podcast to help distract me from the monotony. I ran out and back on the road 3 times and then ran up and down the longer east side an additional time. 1,354' of elevation gain. Total time 1:15:38. GAP 7:16.
Wednesday: 11 miles - 50/50 mix of paved/unpaved roads in Exeter. I began in the same spot as yesterday, but at the west end of Pardon Joslin Rd, I just kept running until I hit 5.5 miles (at the top of NLT on Pine Hill). Lots of uphill on the way out. It was in the high 40's, but felt cold (or seasonable). The way back was much quicker. Total time: 1:18:08 with 849' of climbing.
Thursday: 9 miles - Rome Point trails in the rain. At least it was mild and not windy. Mindless zigzagging on the trails. The tide was high so not too much beach running. Easy pace. Total time: 1:12:08 with 451' of elevation gain.
Friday: 3 miles - OMF trails alone, but then ran into Galoob. I did some shopping in Wakefield while it rained and then made my way over to OMF to scope out the new course for tomorrow. Very wet out there! I could hear the stream before seeing it and it sounded like a raging river. The north end crossing is high and dry however. I continued on the mushy trails until I saw Galoob jogging with a rake. We stopped to chat and then another runner came by. It was a Turtle. After the standoff, Mike and I made our way to the lower water crossing. This one was not high and dry. We moved some rocks around to let it drain faster which should do the trick. I then finished up the new course up the hill and back down, around the pond, and back up the hill and then down and out to the skate park. Running time about 30 minutes. Tomorrow is going to be awesome!!
Saturday: 8 miles - OMF Trail 5K -3rd overall, 20:47 (top 2 were both 20:44). Really great race. Separate write up to follow.
Sunday: 10 miles - Carter Preserve trails alone in the morning. Nice crisp run. The temperature was in the mid 30's, and there was ice in some spots on the powerline trail. My body was pretty beat from yesterday's race, but this run actually felt pretty decent. From the powerline I ran the grassland loop before climbing the hill and entering the woods. I popped out at Rte 112 to run the hill up to the school trail entrance. I made my way back to the grassland, did another lap, and then backtracked through the woods to the powerline. I was happy to get in my 1:20 of running before traveling up to Boston for the afternoon/evening.
Weekly Total: 51 miles
Last Week: 72 miles
Year to Date: 3394 miles
December to Date: 171 miles
Nice Grand Tree result! I came in #106 :), see you Saturday!
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