No medium tights to be found

So there's an apparent national shortage of medium running tights right now. Who'd have thought my size was so hard to find? Is it because winter is ending?

Mud run

More spring rain had left the woods pretty soggy this evening. My Brooks Cascadias handled it all pretty well.

I saw four wild turkeys together.

Two weeks until the Bash trail race. I'm going to have to hold back in the early miles, until I get stronger. The last two racing seasons I've started with a 5k, but the Bash is twice or that... or more. It's billed as "10kish".

Rainy day

Resting the hip I tweaked last week. Have a cold. Hope to run again soon.

Springing forward

21 days to the first trail race of the season on my calendar.

Snow in Oswegatchie Hills

My first trail run of '09 was on the Oswegatchie Hills Preserve trails, which still had a couple inches of snow from around New Year's. It was slippery in some places and I couldn't see the smaller rocks but I had no mishaps. I really labored on the uphills and took two walk breaks. It was beautiful in the woods today though.

Later on I did a pushups test: 30. There's much work to do.

Happy New Year!

It was 7 degrees F this morning, off to a cold start in '09 already.

Here's a pic to round out 2008. On a balmy day in late December, some younger runners showed me how to handle Connecticut's rocky terrain in Guilford's Westwoods, home of the Bimbler's Bash Trail Run.

2008 year in review

What the heck has happened to this blog?!

Two things, primarily. First, I've been engaged in an ongoing pursuit of a new home, a process which consumed a great deal of attention in November - December particularly. Second, I've been taking an online class for work (pretty tough class, incidentally). This is on top of normal stuff - work, family, etc. That doesn't leave enough time for reading other blogs or writing my own. The class ends in a month, and with any luck (though it's been limited so far) the real estate search will wrap up this winter.

I've always been reflective at the end of a calendar year, while thinking ahead to the next year. So, let's review 2008.

2008 began well with a gradual buildup in running, continuing what I had started in 2007. By January 2008 things were moving forward, I was running three days a week, and my long run was at 4-5 miles. Rather than run more road 5ks this time around, I got into trail running. Here are some of the running highlights and low points of 2008:

January - increased weekly long run from 5 to 7 miles
February - First race in over a year - Valentine 5K Run at Silver River State Park in 25:37. Pretty satisfying given the soft sand and very relaxed first mile.
-increased weekly long run to 9 miles
March - Trout Creek 15K Trail Run in 1:24:06. Technically my longest race ever, this featured a totally unfamiliar course and flooded bridge crossing at 5K. An epic running adventure.
April - Flatwoods Four Trail Run in 34:35. Crowded, twisty, rooty first mile, but ran middle two miles under 8:00 each. Good effort.
May - increased long run to 11 miles and spotted black racers seemingly with every run on the Florida Scenic Trail.
-joined local runners group and began running more on roads and hills.
-injured right Achilles tendon.
June - rest/recovery. Working on 100 pushups challenge.
July - rest/recovery. Still working on pushups.
-moved to CT.
August - more rest/recovery. Did 40 straight pushups.
September through December - Easy walking/running. Trying to get used to hills. Pushups kinda fell through the cracks.

Two steps forward, one step back. Hopefully 2009 will see another step or two forward in fitness. I'm looking forward to getting in shape for more trail runs this coming spring.