Life of an Age-Grouper

February was an interesting month of training. The first two weeks started off as planned with the focus on climbing. Despite the relatively short distances covered the stress of climbing was certainly taxing ( nearly 25,000 ft. ) The resulting accumulation of fatigue and subsequent need for recovery was perfectly timed with a week off from work.  I took full advantage of the recovery week; hydrating, fueling, resting, sleeping and spending time with Meliss and Noah.  As the fatigue dissipated and the rejuvenation commenced an ironic phrase kept popping into my head, "there is a delicate balance between peak fitness and absolute disaster."  I welcomed the snappiness in my legs as the week came to end. I wasn't however very hospitable to the emergence of a cold. The ensuing cold sucked the life out of me for nearly a week which resulted in a less then ideal lead into the Caumsett 50K. "There is a delicate balance between peak fitness and absolute disaster." ...

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...

I have stored away my bikes and packed away my swim gear because I have fully committed to finding my ultra! The new sense of adventure has my adrenaline flowing. There were a few must-haves when selecting my first ultra. First, it had to be on the trails.  The excitement, stimulation and changing landscape of trail running has no equal.  I also wanted the race to be off Long Island. Finding a race away from home would leave me out of my comfort zone.  With unfamiliar trails and faces the level of adventure would be through the roof.  As if the distance wouldn't present enough of a challenge I wanted a race that would allow me to redefine "my comfortable" and push me to and possibly beyond my limits. The Traprock 50K in Bloomfield, Connecticut meets all the criteria. Training for Traprock has already started. The first couple of months of training must be managed extremely carefully so that my body has time to adapt and then grow  from a totally new trainin...