Training Log Archive: Fanatic

Leisurely walk after dinner to loosen up the legs a little. Knees weren't happy with the first uphill. Still very tired from yesterday's run/hike.

Group run on part of the Manitou's Revenge course. From Mink Hollow to Plank Road in Phoenicia. Twelve runners in total and they started out as though someone had fired a starting gun.

I was breathing like a horse, just trying to keep up with the group as we climbed the first mountain, Plateau. And I thought that perhaps they would take it a bit easier, but no, most of them were happy running on the flattish top of the mountain and then all the way down to Silver Hollow Notch, too.

And then Sheryl Wheeler, who has won the woman's division of the Escarpment Run many times, joined us. She had run in from Plank Road and would now run back with us. Or rather, I should say, she led the way back.

I had recovered a bit at Warner Creek, where everyone waited for Charlie Gadol, the RD who had organized this night training run. I had really fallen back coming off of the previous mountain, when I had stopped to put on some nylon pants for protection from the stinging nettles. This time, I decided to get up front when we took off from Warner Brook.

Little did I know that Sheryl would climb like a banshee on drugs up Carl Mountain! I tried to keep up as best as I could and barely managed to do so, but we came into the col between Carl and Mt. Tremper together.

That effort was a bit much, so I tucked in at the back of the group as we headed off to Mt. Tremper. A wise decision, in my opinion. Got to recover a bit for the steep, rocky run off of Mt. Tremper, a real quad killer as it descended for 2.8 miles.

I'd say tonight's run was most likely faster than what I'll manage while running my 21-mile segment of the relay on June 21st.

Another short walk in Kennedy Park. Was checking out an adjustment I made to my new hard orthotics.

Tomorrow I'm heading to the Catskills for a night hike with a few others along the Manitou's Revenge course from Mink Hollow to Plank Road in Phoenicia. Distance is about 14.5 miles; I expect it to be mainly a speed hike, with not much running in the dark. But I could be surprised.

Since I was going to a Friends of Mt. Holyoke Range meeting, I thought a short run/hike before the meeting would be fun to do. I headed west and downhill on Earl's trails, then swing to the south and started to climb and eventually headed east back to the Notch Visitors Center. Kept the pace slow so that I wouldn't be too sweaty for the meeting. :-)

For some reason, my legs are quite swollen from the Regaine, and I'm not sure if it is just water retention or swelling from the gazillion mosquito bites that I had on my calves. In any event, I thought that perhaps a run might get the blood flowing better and help diminish the swelling.

Too early to tell, but we shall see in the morning.

Recovery walk in Kennedy Park. I must say that my legs felt better than I thought they would. But my ankles and heel were chewed up during the Regaine, so I had to tape them up nicely to make walking bearable.