Life of an Age-Grouper

Paumonok Pursuit 70K Run and Relay Paumonok is a local trail race put on by Jen and David of Jayasports.com. Jen and David are two long time fixtures of the endurance/multisport scene and have developed unique races across Long Island. Paumonok offers runners of all abilities an opportunity to enjoy the Paumonok Trail from Rocky Point to Hampton Bays. Despite the infancy of this race I have a feeling it will be be a fixture on my calendar for years to come and that it's popularity will only grow.  My intentions for Paumonok was to utilize it as a final tune up for Traprock.  It would serve as my last long run and as an opportunity to dial in my nutrition, clothing and sneaker choice, as well as pacing. The previous weekend I had an absolutely amazing time racing in Connecticut so the days in between were focused on recovery. Last year Mother Nature blanketed the course with 4 inches of fresh snow and freezing temperatures.  This year as I sat in the parking l...

The Xterra Shepaug Trail Race brought me back to my childhood as I found myself smiling and laughing  as I ran through puddles, jumped over down trees, charged and climbed uphills, launched over streams, evaded thorns, danced through mud and occasionally got lost. The Shepaug 25k was easily the most fun I have ever had at a race. Long Island certainly has trails that can be utilized for mountain biking or running and I'm extremely fortunate to have trail access right out my front door but these trails are lacking.  The topography and environment simply don't provide what I want to run on or through and certainly can't prepare you for real trail running. I had an idea of what Connecticut could offer me and as such I signed up for the Xterra Shepaug 25k Trail Race in Bridgewater, Connecticut.   I did my best to prepare for this race but found it difficult since there was limited information on the World Wide Web. It didn't take very long however to figure out wha...

The bar has been raised over the last three weeks. Volume, duration, intensity have all been pushed to new levels and I'm now ready for some recovery! I'm roughly 3 months out from Traprock and I believe I'm setting myself up for success come race day.  As I look through my training logs to reflect and develop the next training block I cant help but be pleased.  The 3-3.5 months of base training I put in have certainly paid off.  The foundation created during this time has allowed my body to safely and quickly adapt to the increase in training stress I have applied over the last 3 weeks. For instance I have put in 60 mile weeks for the past three weeks without a hint of consequence. I have opted to reduce the training volume this week and utilize it as a micro recovery period.  My intentions are to permit my legs a bit of recovery in order to absorb and adapt to the recent training stresses so I can put in another successful, big volume block of training bef...

The second and last Base Training Period comes to an end this weekend. I plan to celebrate the fitness I have been able to accumulate over the past two months at the Indian Island 15k Trail Race on Sunday. This last block of training went very well.  I followed the game plan almost perfectly and I can't wait to reap the rewards at the end of December.  My body has responded quite nicely to the gradual escalation of volume this month.  There has been positive changes across the board starting with an increase in my aerobic endurance. Improvements in my mechanical efficiency have also been noted.  I had anticipated that I would be challenged mentally as the longer runs have grown longer however, It has been easy to stay checked in and to be in the moment. There has been an obvious change in my physical appearance. Over the first month I dropped about 5.5 pounds. This month I have lost 2 more  for a total  of 7.5 pounds.  Nutritionally, I have done m...

Goals for the first month of Finding My Ultra: 1. Consistency: CHECK 2. Frequency: CHECK 3. Average Mileage per week between 20-30: CHECK 4. Form>Pace: CHECK 5. Homework: CHECK Consistency and frequency were my two top priorities for the first month of base training. Both of these were achieved. I was able to run for the entire month of October without any hiccups.  I started off running five days a week and then at the midway point increased the frequency to six days a week. The pattern for each week was essentially the same; Monday through Friday I ran before work, Saturday I would be finished by sunrise and Sundays I pedaled my bike.  Im headed into November full of confidence, curiosity and a sense of adventure. October and November are being treated as base building. I achieved my goal of averaging 20-30 miles per week (I averaged closer to 25-30 miles/week).  My runs alternated between "hard" and "easy".  This alternating pattern was a ...

Finding my ultra 1.3 Paumonok Pursuit 70k This past weekend the Paumonok Pursuit 70K was another excellent opportunity to learn what is going to take to go long, to find my ultra. I was part of a 5 member team and ran the first leg, 10.75 miles.  This distance certainly is not long by any stretch of the mind but presented an opportunity to learn and to be schooled on the nuances of ultra distance running. What I learned from my 10.75 miles in the trails: 1. Im learning from my mistakes and this time I ran in trail running shoes along with just one pair of socks. The trail shoes allowed for great traction on the undulating terrain that was blanketed with a fresh 3-4 inches of snow.  The effort, form and pace of those that wore running sneakers were truly handicapped.   2. Keep a "clean" distance between you and the runner ahead of you.  At the start of the race everyone was very keen on not giving the runner in front of them any breathing room. As ...

Finding my ultra 1.2 Today's Organic Endurance Group Trail Run was another opportunity to find my ultra.  We created a 3.5 mile loop through the West Hills' trails.  Here is what I learned from today's run. 1. Clothing choice is pivotal.  The temperatures were in the single digits with a negative windchill factor so there was no other choice but to bundle up.  I wore 4 layers up top; starting with a thin Under Armour long sleeve, followed by a long sleeve shirt with a mesh back for breath ability then, a short sleeve shirt and finally another long sleeve with a breathable back, and a cycling jacket. On my feet I wore two pairs of socks; one thin pair and then a thick skiing type sock.  While I was warm for the entire 3:30 hours I was out there, I sweated through everything.  The arms of my jacket were soaked and the mesh around the toe box of my shoes were definitely wet.   Sweating through so many layers is definitely a concern of mine. ...

My first taste of ultra running a few months has left me with an insatiable thirst. I cannot get enough of it. I'm constantly seeking out any and all information on ultra running. Thanks to an insane ultra running community for posting up countless inspiring and amazing videos on Youtube. I'm slowly learning about the famous, legendary and iconic races such as Western States and Badwater however, the race that has caught my eye is the Gorge 50k in Oregon. This race has everything that excites me about ultra running; trail running, nature, solitude, scenery, landscapes, vistas, energy. The only drawback is that it's during the Winter, in Oregon....I hate the cold. Let me rephrase that, I hate when it's so cold that I can't feel my toes or fingers. This past weekend I had an opportunity to quench mm thirst taste when Matt and I took our athletes to the Fat Ass 50 for a group run. Since it's the triathlon season is just starting up for most of us we limited our at...