Michael Weinberg Part III

So why am I doing a part III on Michael Weinberg of Worcester, Ma? I could have just let this go. He has complied with law enforcement and has ceased contacting me. So why now? Well, Michael continues to harass friends and acquaintances with comments about me. I thought maybe he was disappearing, but he is not. He's still reading my blog and threatening me to other people. In fact, he's scaring people. I keep getting private messages telling me some creepy person is commenting on their blogs about me. He's using new handles constantly like "The Reaper", "Da Reaper", "Hey", "Sorry", "The Finish Line", etc. They are all coming from the same profile Michael created when I disallowed anonymous comments to my blog. People who have read the two previous blog posts haven't seen the really crazy stuff. I've only shared these posts with close friends. They are downright creepy and people need to see how far this actually went. Far beyond what I put in the other two blog posts. And Michael blames me for ruining him. But these are Michael's words. This is ALL Michael. I am just exposing him so people can see the truth and beware of the potential danger. Most of his previous comments were strange, but stupid (and some still are. A teddy bear? Really?). The ones you are about to read turned out downright creepy and threatening. As with the last ones, each photo reads from bottom to top. Otherwise they are in order. I thought long and hard about this one, but after receiving yet another message from a worried friend last night, I decided it was time. He hasn't stopped and probably never will, so I'm not either.

Frigid 5K Snowshoe Race

Despite the lack of snow, Six03 Endurance was still able to pull off its planned snowshoe race at the Nippo Lake Golf Course in Barrington, NH. This is the 1st time for this event which meant it wasn't part of the Granite State Snowshoe Series. That was unfortunate because it ended up being a stellar event with a great turnout, and the conditions were as good as one can hope for in bleak winter like this one.

John and I got there pretty early since I wanted to get in a decent warm up. I checked in then hit the pavement with Chill for 2.2 miles out and back. I took him out because I assumed he had to go to the bathroom, but he's so weird about where he goes that he refused. Too bad, dog. You'll just have to wait. The other dogs had gone earlier, so they were good. I got John out of the car and into the clubhouse, where he would be for the race, and then went back out for another 1.1 miles. I wanted to have close to 9 miles by the end of the day, so I needed 3 for the warm up.

It was pretty much race time when I got back so I took off some layers, grabbed the snowshoes, then made my way over to the start. I lined up close to the line like I always do in snowshoe races. I've learned over the years to start up front and avoid the cluster of runners farther back. Just a few words, then the race was off. It was almost like sugary snow, so I was immediately blinded by the snow being kicked up in my face by the guys in front of me. This happens a lot, but is fortunately short-lived since I usually end up in my own space quickly.

Only pic from the race. I'm towards the front in the Level Renner hat, nordic suit with popsicle stick in my hand. Haha.

The downhill start was fast, and I found myself behind Scott Mitchell again, along with two other guys who went off really fast. My goal was to stay as close as I could to Scott, but he moved on quickly passing the two guys in front of us. Jim Johnson and Eric Narcisi were already long gone up front, and the 4 of us were next. I knew the guys in front of me shouldn't have been, but it took me awhile to catch them. The course would all around the golf course with plenty of hills, soft snow and then thin hard-packed sections. About a mile in, the course hit a steep, ass-kicker of a hill. I knew I could pass those guys on this, so I pushed myself pretty hard on up to land myself in 4th place behind Scott. The course crossed the road over to what looked like flat running, but that was deceptive. It was a slight incline from one end of the field to the next with plenty of very soft snow sections. My lungs wanted to burst, and I was hurting. Scott began to pull away, and in my rearview I saw what looked like a really young kid gaining on me. What the hell?! Right with the kid was Chris Straub. Damn. I didn't want to get passed by them, but I was ALL done by the time we crossed back over the road. The course went down a steep hill then back uphill to the finish. The kid and Chris were breathing down my neck and then they both passed me at the same time, one on each side. Nothing like being passed by two people at the same time. Haha. Chris would end up in front of the kid who turned out to be Aiden Cox. He's the same age as John but is wicked fast. He has a 5k PR way faster than mine. I didn't mind losing to him at first...until later when the taunting started. Haha. That was all in jest. Yeah, it was a bit embarrassing to lose to a 10 year old, but this isn't just some 10 year old. This kid is impressive; he hold the 5k road world record for 9 year olds.

I can only imagine the future he has ahead of him if he continues with running. Some day I'll be saying, "That guy beat me at a snowshoe race when he was 10 years old!!" And I'll be proud to say it. :)

I finished with absolutely nothing left in the tank as 1st woman, 6th overall in 26:39 with 3.1 miles exactly on my watch. I was happy with my race this time around. I still felt out of shape, but I gave a really good effort out there. I wasn't disappointed.

I went back inside to see John. He was busy with my phone, as usual. I know that makes me look like a bad mom, but he isn't on the phone all day. I get him out doing something after my races, which we did after leaving Barrington. I added some layers of clothes then went out for a cool down with Scott, Eric and Jim. Scott bowed out after 2 miles while the other 3 of us continued on to do three. Back at the clubhouse, brunch was being served to those who paid for it. I opted out since $20 was a little too much for me. Eric was sweet and bought me a beer and John a Shirley Temple, while Scott smuggled me over a danish, so I had people looking out for me. Haha.

Then came the NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN NOR FORGIVEN awards ceremony. I write that with jest, but it's been fun giving Tom Hooper a hard time for only recognizing the top 3 men with gold, silver and bronze painted snow shovels, 22oz Smuttynose beers, a belt buckle, fru-fru drink, bag and water bottle. We top 3 women were given only age group awards with a small beer, water bottle and $10 gift card to Philbrick's. It really wasn't a big deal to me, but we have been playing it up ever since. They shall never forget. Haha. Rosie is our inspiration!

We left shortly thereafter. On our way out, we ran into Gary Reuter and Erica Kahn. I mentioned we were headed to the ocean to take a walk with the dogs. Gary suggested Fort Foster over near his home in Kittery, Maine. This turned out to be the perfect spot! SO beautiful. And I had to pry John out of there. He didn't want to leave, saying he was having so much fun. Score!! And I should have known he'd love it since he loves rocky coastlines where he can climb. This is now one of our new favorite places. We were some of the last people there before the sunset.

York River Landing was only 15 minutes from Fort Foster, and I had heard they had a great beer list, so we drove over there for dinner. The Patriots game was on, and I pretended like I cared and watched some of it. We had a great dinner and some really great beer then drove home.

John at York River Landing

Liquid Riot's The Killing. I loved the name of this one. Good sour beer.

1/18-1/23/16

Monday 1/18/16- After hitting a lot of roads the week prior, I had no desire to leave work and run on pavement in the  frigid temps and blowing wind. I was due for some fun, so I decided a trail headlamp run was the way to go. The Fat bikes have been a game changer for us winter trail runners up here. Whereas we used to have to go out and break these trails in snowshoes ourselves (or convince Kevin Tilton to do it first so I didn't have to), those funny looking fat bikes have come to our rescue. I love them! They make the most perfectly packed trails so trail running is possible!

I picked up Spot on my way from work to the trail. I parked off Hemlock Lane by Walmart and hit my favorite trails and mountains. I ran the Sidehill Trail over to the Middle Mountain Trail then up Middle Mt. It was cold and windy up there, but I stopped for a couple of photos anyway, then continued on back down the way I came up until the trail junction. The trail conditions were absolutely perfect, and I was enjoying every minute of it. I really needed this run tonight; I love the peace and quiet of the woods and the carefree running I do out there. I haven't been doing as much of it lately because it does very little to help me with my speed, but I do have mountain racing season coming up before I know it so I do need to start training for that, too.

On Middle Mt. Brrrr. So bundled my face is squished.

From the junction, I headed back uphill to the summit of Peaked Mt and then looped back to my car via the Peaked Mt Trail and Pillar-to-Pond. Came out to 9 miles exactly without even trying. I felt so good and so refreshed mentally after all of the road running. My pace was still decent. Certainly not what I was running before I got injured, but I'll get that back eventually, too. Here's a video I made on the top of Middle Mt. The noise in the background is the wind.

Tuesday 1/19/16- Up and back at it first thing in the morning. I wanted a decent run that was slightly less hilly, so I opted for a Stark Rd and Rt 153 loop with an out-and-back through Cranmore Shores. I had a really good run. Solid pace. The only drawback was miles 9 and 10. The headwind I hit was probably the worst headwind I've ever run against. Seriously. I was thankful to be going downhill for most of that. Finished off the run with 12.2 miles at 7:30/mi pace. I was happy with that. Decent hills, but "flat" for what I'm used to. Only 442ft of elevation gain.

We took a short trip to Portland after John came home. I had some beer on hold at the Bier Cellar and John wanted to go to Get Air Trampoline Park. It was so not crowded there, and at one point, John had the whole place to himself. It's great when he can go places during the week when all of the other kids are in school. He got a few hours rest and then it was right to an hour of ninja class when we got back into town. When he's doing something he loves, he goes all out. Waking up early is not one of those things. Haha.

This place wears him out!

Just a "few" things from the Bier Cellar. Spot wasn't happy to share the back of the car with the beer.

One of my Bier Cellar holds. SO GOOD.

Wednesday 1/20/16- Up at 4:30am for my 5-mile treadmill run. I pretty much just stick with the same workout every Wednesday morning and just try to improve on it. It's so early, and I have limited time, so I'm not changing up the distance at all. Just sticking to a progression run with the same incline changes. Never under 1%, and at 3% for a half mile every other half mile. Sometimes I feel great and other mornings I'm tired, so this run can be hit or miss. It's really just about getting something decent in before a long shift of sitting at work. Today's run was good. 7:05/mi pace. 

Worked the first 24 hours in North Conway. Not much sleep on this one since we had a late transfer. I got maybe 3 hours. 

Thursday 1/21/16- Right from North Conway to 10 more hours of work at the Tamworth Base. I was pretty tired all day, but I got a nice second wind for the night's run. I felt like I really needed to get on the snowshoes again, so I picked up Spot from the house and then drove over to Whitaker Woods. I follow a lot of the Scramble course, but I like to add on more single track around the back side which is really awesome. It connects right up with the single track on the race course down near the base of the power lines. I pick the course back up and follow it until it bears right to go towards the finish. I continue straight to do another climb back up the big hill and another single track loop. It's a tough run. The funny part is that it was over a minute faster per mile than the Scramble. Conditions were a little more solid, but not really enough to be over a minute faster per mile and at almost double the distance. I guess I just felt really good. 7.3 miles at 9:07/mi pace. 738 feet of elevation gain. 

The night's beer. Another one of my new favorites.

Friday 1/22/16- I decided to torture myself with the 16-mile Eaton/Freedom loop that Jim Johnson showed me over a year ago. It's probably the hardest road run I ever do. I've struggled through this one even when I'm in great shape, so being out of shape and running it was hell. Without much snowfall, the pavement section was clear. I did have to put on the microspikes for the dirt road section, but it isn't too long of a stretch. Normally, this is the type of run I wouldn't do on the winter with the bad road conditions, but it was a perfect day for it. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so I couldn't complain there. It was the hills!! Brutal hills!!! It's a great training run, but I have to say that I did not enjoy it at all. I was just too out of shape for it and ran over 30 seconds slower per mile. Plus, the pain I have been having in the glutes and lower back became excruciating over the last 6 miles. Not a fun run. 16 miles at 8:13/mi average pace with over 2100 ft of elevation gain. Not a bad performance really, but considering I could run it much faster a year ago was a little defeating.

Profile map of the run. Hurts just looking at it.

John had taken a hike at his homeschool group so he was all set exercise-wise when I picked him up. I was thankful for that since I was beat.

Saturday 1/23/16- I debated taking a zero day, but since I wanted to hit 60 for the week, I decided to jump on the treadmill for a fast 3.2 miles at 6:49/mi pace. That was all I needed. With a race the next day, I need to recover a bit from the 16-miler. 

John and I attempted to ski at Black Mountain, but the conditions were horrible. Beautiful views from the lift, though.

John on the Platter Pull. Not as easy as it looks. I've fallen off this thing at least 4 times.

View back towards Crawford Notch

Since the ski wasn't enough, we picked up the dogs for a short walk at the Albany Town Forest after. We actually had a really good walk and ended up in hysterics after Phoenix got taken out in mid air by Chill. I just happened to be taking pictures when it happened.

He loves to climb trees.

Phoenix being taken out by Chill. So funny.

Snowflake Shuffle

Millennium Running's Snowflake Shuffle popped up on my newsfeed on Facebook some time in December. I think the only reason I signed up for it was for the hoody. I can't think of any other good reason really since it was almost 2 hours away and the day after Whitaker Woods. Maybe the free beer after? Yeah, probably one of the reasons. Well, the day ended up being chilly but beautiful. John and I headed down to Bedford and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise on the way.

I had jumped on the chance to have VIP parking for the race since John was going to be hanging out in the car. I didn't want him over in some lot half a mile away, so I didn't mind paying the extra $10 to have a parking spot right at the race site next to the Copper Door Restaurant.

I checked in and then headed right out on a warm up. As soon as I turned out of the shopping center onto the road that the course was on, I found the road covered in ice. This made me really nervous about the race, and I was hoping it would melt before the race start. I was still able to get in 2 miles at a decent pace, even with the ice. I came back to the car then walked over to Dunkin Donuts to get John a smoothie. It was about 15 minutes left until the race start, and since I wasn't waiting in a porta potty line, I ventured back out for another (short .9 miles) warm up to find some woods. I came back and got ready to line up at the start. I didn't recognize a single person lined up near the front. I saw two younger girls who were dressed to look fast in small shorts and tank tops; they were doing the typical "I'm fast" warm ups. I decided right then that I was going to beat them... just for that. It was way too cold for those outfits, first of all, and the warm ups just annoyed me. That was enough motivation to be sure I beat the two of them. Haha.

The race got under way after the National Anthem, and I went out fast immediately. I was 5th initially but quickly passed the 4th woman to set my sights on the two tank top girls. Another woman shot out in front of me and just by the looks of her, I had a feeling she was going to win this one. The first mile was a short uphill before a quick down. I hit the first mile in 6:01 and immediately passed the first girl in the tank top to move into 3rd. I stayed close to the other tank top girl and the other woman, who would quickly take the lead. The course stayed flat for a short distance before heading back up the hill we had come down in the 1st mile. I was gaining on the second woman (tank top girl) at this point and just past mile 2 (slow 6:18 mile for me), the course turned right onto another steeper hill. The second woman lost all momentum here and I was able to pass her easily. The first woman would continue to hold a steady pace in front of me after the course turned around to go back down the hill. It took a right at the bottom to head back towards the finish line. I was still holding 2nd, but I could hear 3rd place breathing behind me so I ran as hard as I could and found myself slowly gaining on the 1st woman. It wouldn't be enough time to catch her, though, and I ended up finishing behind her by 5 seconds in 18:37. I was super psyched to see a time only one second off my PR... until I realized that night that the course was short at only 3 miles. My time wasn't impressive, but my effort was 100%. I was perfectly content with that. This race was just speed work for me anyway...and to get a hoody. :)

Giving it my all to keep 2nd place

The first woman heard Jamie Staton call my name as I finished and just as I walked by her, she said, "I know who you are." And this is when I felt like a jerk because I had no idea who she was! I figured she had to be somebody fast, so we struck up a conversation and proceeded over to the Muscle Milk sponsor area to pose for a photo. I learned that the 1st woman was the super fast Tammie Robie. We had never met, but I had heard of her. She was cool, and I enjoyed talking to her. She's finally ready to get back on the Grand Prix circuit this year, so it will be cool to see how she does.

Top 3 women posing with a race sponsor

I did a short 1-mile cool down right after, stopping half way to talk to Andy Schachat for awhile. He had been announcing mid-race. I ran back to the start/finish area, picked up my award and free beer and some food.

Sam Adams Cold Snap morning beer

As soon as I finished my beer, John and I drove to Boston to visit the New England Aquarium. It had been two years since we'd been there, and John loves it. I figured he deserved some fun after putting up with my double-race weekend. The place was insanely crowded, and don't get my started on strollers. I'm just going to say that I think they should be banned from the place. Haha. We had a great time despite the crowds. John begged for the top-shelf giant $150 stuffed sea turtle from the gift shop on the way out. I compromised and got him a bottom-shelf  $12 stuffed sea turtle instead. He loves this thing, even 4 weeks later, and he's not really a stuffed animal type of kid.

Look! It's the hoody from the race!

Crazy looking eel

Posing with the fish

John with his sea turtle

Loves this sea turtle

 We drove back to NH right after we left the Aquarium. I was STARVING, but that was nothing a little Kelly's Roast Beef couldn't fix. I got a large sandwich and french fries and ate every bite. I don't think I've eaten that much in one sitting in a really long time. John was out cold and didn't eat his sandwich until we got home.

Once home, I topped my night off with my last Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout that I brought home in my suitcase from North Carolina. Sad to see it gone!

This would finish off my week with some decent mileage. It was only 52.9 miles, but with the two short races and the much needed zero day, I was pretty happy with it. Even in my best shape last year, I only ran just over 60-mile weeks, so I know I'm in good shape at this point if I'm up in the 50s. Building slowly still. Although I had some good races place-wise, it was somewhat of a disappointing weekend for me. It reminded me that I still have a long way to go, but it also reminded me that I'm back racing somewhat competitively, so I will get to where I want to be eventually.

Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble

Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble is always the most difficult race for me every year. I think it's because it's the first one of the Series and the first time you're getting that good lung burn reminding you that you must be crazy to find snowshoe racing fun. I was also pretty nervous about how well I would do considering I was still out of shape. I had only been back running a month and a half and really only picked back up on the speed 3 weeks prior, so I had a feeling it was going to be a bad race for me.

John and I drove over to Whitaker Woods. The weather was pretty awesome since it was snowing. Last year I would have said the opposite, but we needed the snow this time around. John fell back asleep in the car and stayed there until AFTER the race. He was tired and wanted to stay in the car to sleep. That was fine with me. As what happens every year at Whitaker, I stepped out of my car to so many familiar faces that I've missed the last few months. I've said it before, but these people are like family to me since I don't have anyone else other than John within 1200 miles. I love it. I went inside, chatted a bit and then got all ready for a warm up, which I did solo. I was too nervous so I wanted to run alone to be able to think about the upcoming race; go through the course in my mind. I only did 1.5 miles then got back to the start area to get ready for the start. I didn't see any competition around so that made me feel a little relieved, but I was still thinking about how much slower this was going to be than 2015. The course was the same as 2015, so I would be able to compare at the end.

I had decided to bite the bullet and wear the new Six03 nordic suit. I don't usually wear stuff like that, so I was a bit self-conscious, especially being over my normal race weight. I was definitely not super comfortable. Haha. But whatever. We lined up on the line for the start, listened to Kevin Tilton's pre-race speech and then we were off. I shot off fast, too fast, but that was my goal. I usually try to get as far ahead as I can right from the start. Tom Hooper and I ended up running together for probably the first 1/3 of the race. I commented to Tom just as we entered the tree line about .1 from the start that I was already done. I felt like it. My lungs wanted to pop out of my chest and my legs were screaming. The first climb wasn't too bad, however, but I could tell I was moving slowly. I hustled down the next hill and then suffered again on the longest climb on the course. I was getting dropped and/or passed by people I was beating easily last year. That was definitely a punch in the gut. I was still with Tom up this part and right behind Scott Mitchell and another racer. By the time we climbed the hill and finished the downhill single track, the other racer and Tom were really beginning to slow, so I finally passed them, just trying to stay as close to Scott as possible. From here, I was in the place I would finish in. I wouldn't pass anyone, nor get passed. Scott would finish ahead of me, but his lead continued to grow from this point on. We came out of the next single track portion onto the power line trail and looped back around. I was shocked to see the second woman, Sarah Canney, pop out of the woods only about a minute back. I knew I had the race in the bag, but I wasn't expecting it to be so close. I felt disappointed knowing that I was not in the same place as before, but I kept plugging away. The trail stays mostly flat from this point on so I attempted to keep a strong pace. By the time I hit the field, I was spent. Like nothing left in the tank. I was sucking wind so badly after I came through the finish. So out of shape for this! I was 1st woman but finished the 3.8 miles with a sad 14th place overall in 32:19, about 2 minutes slower than 2015. I was definitely happy with the win, don't get me wrong, but it stung. I was so disappointed. Full Results

Only about .3 to go! Photo by Jamie Gemmiti

John got out of the car and came into the building to hang out while I did a short 1 mile cool down solo. I wanted to be alone to once again think about the race and try to boost myself up a bit mentally before heading back into the crowd of racers. It worked. I definitely felt much better and enjoyed socializing with some Six03 teammates before the awards. I know Kevin was stressing at awards time on getting my name right this time, and he was able to pull it off. Leslie Beckwith is no more! Haha. The awards were pretty sweet, literally and figuratively. Kevin's wife, Jess, made some awesome baked goods that I proceeded to eat all of in a span of 2 hours. I also got $40 to the Moat and a fleece pullover from Ragged Mt.

John asleep in the car at the race

Don Fredrikson and me. Photo by Diane Levesque

John and I went home from the race to grab the dogs for a ski at the Albany Town Forest. I apparently had the wrong wax on my skis for that type of snow and pretty much had to walk on my skis the whole way. The snow kept sticking to the skis making it impossible for them to slide. We still got in 2.1 miles. By the time we got home I was beat. I had another race the next day, but I decided to have a few beers anyway. I didn't care too much how I did since it was only a 3-miler. Just racing it for the speed work.

Afternoon ski at the Albany Town Forest

1/10-1/15/16

Since I'm so far behind, I'm just going to do some brief updates on the days in between races, then do separate posts for the races. Sitting at my desktop has become really uncomfortable after a  prolonged period of time, so I just haven't been motivated. I really need to catch it up, though, or I will get even less motivated.

Sunday, 1/10/16- The triathlon really beat me up, but I really wanted to get in 60 miles for the week. I needed 10 to make it happen. Pouring rain and slippery roads left me with the treadmill as my only option, so I did my usual progression run at 1-3% incline for 10 miles, 7:11/mi pace. Definitely a decent run on sore legs. This completed my first 60 mile week since before I was injured. I was psyched, but it turned out to be too much too soon, and I paid for it over the next few days.

John and I took a trip down to Portsmouth in the absolute pouring rain for the rest of the day. It was the last day I could get to Runner's Alley to pick up my Seacoast Series shirt before the deadline. I was super psyched at how nice the shirt was; it's now one of my favorites. I'm not sure if I'll be doing the Seacoast Series again this year. My calendar is already so full as it is, but we'll see. I definitely plan to do a few of the races, but 5 of them will be pushing it. 

After picking up my shirt, I took John to Blitz Air Trampoline Park. It's like Get Air in Portland, but a little smaller. Unfortunately, John and another kid collided, and John got knocked in the nose. He tried to be tough, but it hurt him so badly that he eventually let out a few tears. I felt so bad for him. His nose ended up with a slight bruise across the bridge of it the next day, but wasn't painful. He was still able to jump for awhile after a break, and we played the Terminator arcade game just before leaving, so he was happy.

I had been wanting to check out Earth Eagle Brewing there in Portsmouth, so we drove over there for beer and food. The place had a great ambience. The beer was interesting. The New England Gansta' IPA was excellent. Normally, I love most stouts, but their Black Adder was brewed with anise seed, and I just couldn't stomach it. I tasted like drinking black licorice, so it was definitely not my fancy. The other beers were decent, but nothing stood out. We had dinner there, too. Also nothing fancy, but it was good. 

We headed north after that. I wanted to hit Trader Joe's on the way home but pulled into a dark parking lot in Newington to find the power out in the entire shopping center and all of the stores closed. Oh well. Home from there.

Shirt for the Seacoast Series

Earth Eagle flight

Earth Eagle Brewing in Portsmouth, NH

Two dogs disappeared for over an hour because they found a deer leg. This was all that was left when I found them.

Guilty party #1

Guilty party #

Monday 1/11/16- Work in Tamworth as usual, followed by a short, but quick, 6.2 miles on Ossipee Lake Rd at 6:47/mi pace. Looked good on Strava, but I was struggling. I felt beat from the week prior.

Tuesday 1/12/16- I knew I was tired, but I still went out for a longer run in the morning. 11.2 miles through Albany and Conway, with decent elevation gain at a sad 7:52/mi pace. It was terrible from the start and just got worse. I felt horrible. I knew then, I needed to take a day off to let my body recover. The 60-mile week that included a pretty tough race had left me with a need for recovery. 5 months ago, I would have been fine, but I had only been back running 6 weeks at this point, so I felt it. And I knew it was time. I was pretty happy with myself for coming back easily and not pushing it and then recognizing when I had pushed it and then backed off.

John helped me with the grocery shopping for once!

Eating snow during our afternoon walk

First time seeing the Blackhook Porter, so I had to try it. Not bad.

I decided to do donuts around my driveway my car. That was REALLY fun.

Wednesday 1/13/16- Slept in the extra hour and skipped the treadmill run for a much-needed zero day. I worked the 24 hour shift in North Conway and got plenty of rest since we weren't busy.

Thursday 1/14/16- I went right from my 24 in North Conway to my 10 hour shift in Tamworth. I brought along my backcountry skis to make a track outside the new base. It was great. It's still circles, but larger circles! 2.2 miles.

I was ready to run again by the end of the 34 hours at work, and I felt refreshed. I wanted to do something at a quick pace, so I parked in Tamworth Village and ran a flat 9 miles out and back on Tamworth and Depot Roads. They weren't icy, so it was perfect. 7:02/mi pace. Perfect. The run was a little boring, but my goal right now is more to push myself and get back to where I was as fast as possible. So I'm not doing as many runs for fun as I would normally be doing. I tend to save those for spring, summer and fall anyway.

Sunrise over Silver Lake on my drive into work

Skiing at work

Friday 1/15/16- I visited my chiropractor again finally to see what he could find was causing all of my low back, buttocks and upper hamstring pain. It was really hindering my speed, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I was able to run fast, but not without pain. He took another look at my X-ray from the previous visit and examined my back and pelvis. He found that my sacrum was tilted forward causing a strain on the ligaments. He said it was most likely from losing core strength while injured and from overcompensating, all the things I thought might have caused it. It was a relief to hear, even though he really wasn't able to help me with anything other than an adjustment. He advised strengthening which I was already in the process of doing, so I had hope that I was on the right track to getting better and that I wasn't really injured.
Since I was in Fryeburg, I decided to pop on over to Haley Town Rd, one of my old go-to's when I would run after work there. It has some decent climbing, but not so much as to make it a slow run. I ran the same old out-and-back for 8.4 miles at a 7:16 pace. Normally, I'd be happy with that pace, but considering I ran it at a 6:43 pace last April made it a little depressing. Still, I was ok with it. I had to be. I'm not there yet.

The new Six03 nordic suit. Made me look like a badass poser.

John getting interviewed after his homeschool group for a Tin Mountain video