Monday, May 22, 2017

Girls On The Run!

Busy Busy
In my last days here in New Jersey, I have struggled to get the mileage I would like. With last minute loose ends to tie up, training has fallen back some. When times get busy like this I usually try to force myself to sneak in both a morning and evening run. In the past I was able to get 50 mile weeks and still take a double zero on Saturdays and Sundays. Despite the shortage in valuable training I was fortunate enough to participate in "Girls on the Run VT". If you are unfamiliar stay with me here..

GOTR VT

WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY GIRL
CAN EMBRACE WHO SHE IS,
CAN DEFINE WHO SHE WANTS TO BE,
CAN RISE TO ANY CHALLENGE,
CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.
CAN.

www.Girlsontherun.org
Fisher Elementary at GOTR VT 2017


Last week was Libby's 5k for Girls on the Run. This program is a fantastic way to build self esteem, confidence, and fitness in elementary school aged girls. The program is in all 50 states and seemingly grows larger every year. This was Libby's second year participating and the 26th year of GOTR. Over the last few weeks, elementary schools have offered an after school program specifically for young girls to prepare them for a local 5k race. The 3.1 mile distance may not seem a lot for a seasoned runner, but as an ultramarathoner nothing sounds worse than 5,000 agonizing meters. The volunteers track the progress of the girls and show them that they can run a grown up distance if they train for it. 

Racing to finish their 5K, Mendon Peak in the distance.

Teamwork, and friendly encouragement made for a STRONG finish.

The girls on the back stretch...not pictured...the dopey stepdad
running and trying to take pictures....

Our event was in Rutland this year, along with several other schools. I am not sure of overall participation but I would estimate well over 600 kids plus parents and spectators. Ashley and I both registered to try to keep up with these fierce girls. Before the event the girls have the chance to purchase GOTR swag ranging from superhero pink capes to face paint. At the start the small group of girls Ashley and I were running with took off on us and we spent the first few minutes locating our front running adolescents. The course was thoughtfully designed, and wasn't an easy run. The Rutland fairgrounds boasts a half mile (8 furlongs for my gambling degenerate friends) horse track. This track was circled twice during the 5k, allowing parents and spectators to see and cheer on their kids at two separate points. The homestretch had Ashley and I running sub 7 minute miles to keep up with our little group of showoffs (who only showed signs of fatigue away from the watchful eye of any spectators).

Prior to the final event, Libby had a 5k PR of 44 minutes. She literally smashed that time completely out of the park finishing in 35:23 with an average pace of 10:53! Our tracks are below...

https://www.strava.com/activities/984827517

Some Tired Girls rocking their newest race hardware.

In the film "Finding Traction" Ultra Runner Nikki Kimball has a casual conversation about Girls on the Run with the GOTR VT that really resonated with me.  During her FKT attempt on the 273 mile Long Trail, Kimball insisted that one of the GOTR girls would come along and break her record in the future. I completely agree after seeing the support and encouragement these kids gave each other. I encourage anyone who has a daughter to get involved, or support this program! 
Happy Trails.


Sunday, May 7, 2017

Decent Week

Last Week
Last week I had the pleasure of taking a lot of days off for a minor (yet cringe worthy) medical procedure. I'll let you use your imagination here. Upon trying to "saddle up" again (Pun Absolutely intended) I took a trip out to Palmerton, PA for my Southernmost run on the Appalachian Trail. I did a 12.2 mile double loop, on Blue Mountain from route 248. Some was Northbound from here and some was Southbound. The route included what must be the slowest measured mile in PA. This section was somewhat technical, link to the Strava page and some photos are below:






Really Sweet View here, but craggy.

Bypassed the Devil's Pulpit on Blue Mountain 

58.8 Miles This Week
Rod Farva, sarcastically said it best "Watch out for this guy."  Really I had a great week mileage and recovery wise. Midweek, I tried to hang with some hard 5:45-6 minute pickup speed work (on pavement), and the weekend yielded some solid trail mileage. Saturday consisted of a local loop near the Jersey Shore (I didn't run into "Snookie" or "J-WOW"..sorry if that is disappointing). Wells Mills County Park in Forked River, NJ was a nice spot to try to move fast on some flat trail. Overall this parks outer loop AKA Penn's Hill Trail, is 8 1/2 miles and has a lot of short steep climbs and slippery wooden footbridges to fall off of. I managed to grab a course record there by about 5 minutes. This won't stand for very long as I really think it could be dropped below an hour. Link below:


Following a fast effort, today I sought some elevation. I really didn't find it as my run encompassed more than 16 miles and a measly 1,300' of elevation gain. I ran from Wind Gap, PA to Fox Gap, PA on the Appalachian Trail. Short of one very hard climb in the first half mile the rest was pretty flat. My pace was super slow, but for good reason...see below!


"Wolf Rocks" offers a bypass since it is very slippery especially in the rainstorm today, however
I heard banjos and gunshots that sounded pretty close to the bypass loop so I opted for slipping and falling off of a mountain over being turned into a handsome rug or skin suit.

"It's runnable"....We have all said it, but if you like your ankles and teeth you may want to take it easy.

Obligatory....

"Just 910 more miles to Katahdin"

Since this 16.7 miles offered about 1.5 miles of unobstructed running, I am satisfied with a 3:05 Gap to Gap to Gap run today.

Onward and Upward
In other news I will be back in New England where the mountains are taller in about three weeks. Happy Trails!