Looking back at 2018

Low points of the year:

·        Pulled a calf muscle during the “Indoor Insanity” 5,000 at Bates

·        Ankle woes for most of the Spring and Summer

·        Terrible race at Cranmore (ankles) and Mt Greylock (Probably the last time I’ll do those)

·        Blow-up at Baystate, never felt good, limping the entire way.  Ran out of gas after 20 miles.  Missed two weeks of running after due to partially dislocated knee cap and messed up right ankle joint (from limping).  This took me right into a messed up LEFT ankle which cost me another 2 weeks.

The Good Stuff:

·        The biggest highlight of the year was scoring a gold medal at the USA mountain running championships (Loon Mountain).  I was also the top scorer for CMS, so I picked up a bronze (open) and two gold (masters, seniors) in the team categories.

·        CARS (Capital Area Race Series), took third place overall ($$$$) and first in the Age Graded Masters

·        Earned “Ironrunner” and “Mountain Goat” status in the USATF GP (roads) and Mountain series respectively

·        Completed the 90+ mile loop around Mount Rainier on the Wonderland trail including 35 miles the first day

·        After years of playing cribbage, dad finally scored a perfect hand

·        First win of the year was a 400 meter race (who would have thought?), my streak of wins goes back to 1979

·        David Lapierre (D-la) and I teamed up to win the Fudgesicle Twosome race

·        Successful transition to a new course at the Merrimack River Trail race

·        20 mile run with D-la on multiple rail trails, great day and great fun

·        Stayed on top of Kearsarge overnight with Robert, watching satellites and the International space station flying by

·        Diana’s Bath Salts rocking out at Cranmore

·        Mountain Division rail trail run with Kevin Tilton (MT&GOAT)

·        Hiked the Loon Mountain course with Richard Bolt (Boltski) and spotted a bear at 4 miles

·        Mt Borah climb with Eric Morse (Ed Horse) – 6:40 round trip bagging the highest point in Idaho!

·        Runs in both the Craters of the Moon and the Golden Spike national monuments

·        Fun (and fast) 20 mile run on the Baystate course with D-la, Nick T, and Dreamy Jim

Unusual:

·        While climbing Borah peak our guide kept reminding me to not “pat the dog” which is a term for using your hands on the rock for balance.  I’m so unstable that I patted the dog constantly and developed big holes in my gloves!

·        Announcer at Canterbury Shaker Village warning us about a “mudhole” on the “backside”, which had me giggling.

·        Eric Morse and I ran on the Arco Idaho track.  Both of us found it endlessly amusing that the local team nickname was the “Pirates” since we were in Butte County they were in fact the “Butte Pirates”. 

Extremes:

·        3 degrees during the New Year’s race

·        -18 degrees warming up at Dartmouth

·        80s and high humidity at Wachusett Mountain race in late May

·        85 and crazy humid at the Chelmsford 4^th of July race

·        90s and 5,000’ up in Pocatello ID.

·        90 degree days on the Wonderland trail (record heat)

·        3.5 hour drive to run a MILE (it was worth it)

Course records that held up another year:

Name                          Date                Years old        Time                Dist     Location, St            Type

Fudgicle Series             02/09/91          27.85                14:57                3.11      Tewksbury, MA       Road

Nipmuck                       06/02/91          27.54                3:01:54             26.22    Ashford, CT            Trail

Old Home day               08/17/91          27.33                14:44                3.11      Londondrry, NH       Road

Freezer Five                  01/01/92          26.96                24:00                5.00      Sterling, MA            Road

Valentines                    02/10/96          22.85                24:31                5.00      Bradford, MA            Road

Red shoe barn              04/14/96          22.67                24:12                5.00      Dover, NH            Road

Stu's 30k                      03/09/97          21.77                1:39:15             18.60    Clinton, MA            Road

Chicago Lakefront 50k   04/07/01          17.69                2:57:36             31.07    Chicago, IL            Road

Stark Mountain             10/06/07          11.19                23:50                1.00      Fayston, VT            Mtn

Bay of Fundy                06/25/17          1.46                  3:53:31             32.50    Lubec, ME            Road

PAWS on the trail          11/11/17          1.08                  14:00                2.22      Reading, MA            Trail