Ultra Beast and Beyond

Beach Reached!...Well Kinda

First off, Happy Easter and best of luck to my friends who will get zero sleep tonight in anticipation of running from Hopkinton to Copley this Patriots Day. I have a few predictions, but I will leave them on Facebook so I don't look like a fool here (I think whatever I type on Facebook disappears eventually anyway right? Either way here is a throwback to my 2014 post on this matter:

http://ultrabeastandbeyond.blogspot.com/2014/04/boston-2014.html

I have a love hate relationship with road marathoning, and may be retired from this distance, at least on pavement. Breakneck was this weekend, and that's a 26.2 I can get after. Unfortunately Breakneck was sold out when I decided to register so this weekend was another of double long runs in the Garden State. Today (Sunday) while I was waiting for Ashley and the kids to get here I decided to knock out my short term goal of reaching the beach on my heatmap. It was hot so the 13 1/2 mile out and back was uninspired and barely sub 8 minute pace. I think the distance was far to not carry water, and my legs were tired from my mountain run yesterday. Below are the tracks, and I know Barnegat Bay isn't EXACTLY the "beach". LBI is next and I'll cross that BRIDGE when I get there...

Warm Easter Sunday trek to Barnegat Bay

Heat Map Had a different meaning today

High Mountain Preserve (Saturday)

I left the Appalachian Trail alone this weekend and decided to check out a closer park in Wayne, NJ. High Mountain Preserve has a nice ring to it, but it's really not that "high". Despite leaving a bit to be desried on the vertica front, the trails were technical, and maintaining a steady pace was a solid interval workout with a lot of up and down. Despite learning the trails as I went, map in one hand it felt pretty good. I'm not sure if it was the varying terrain or the two VERY light days I had midweek, but carrying speed was neither difficult nor painful. I was able to pick up three or four course records on some of the climbs too. Overall 11 1/2 technical miles with 1,400' of gain seemed pretty easy at a little over 9 minute pace. Details and photos below:

Tried to touch all of this park

NYC Skyline From High Mountain 

That's it for me, HOPPY Trails.