2018 Muddy Moose Trail Race

The New England winter of 2018

Crazy week started out in the worst weather conditions and ended with almost summer! I think it's turned to Spring...hopefully! I had a good week in general. Nothing really to complain about, but I'm sure if I think hard enough I can come up with something! I could technically complain about the intestinal issues still being there, but there's no point! I'm just dealing with it as best I can. It's definitely not as bad as it has been at times, but there are moments when it is. Haha. I'm working on natural remedies now to see if it helps. Tumeric, Digestive enzymes and better probiotics. I know. I know. Hippie shit. But it's cheaper than a doctor's visit, as I've made apparent I'm trying to avoid. My stomach has been wrecked since the food poisoning which has left my appetite up and down, but I think that's just going to take time to heal. Other than dealing with that now normal stuff, I really had an uneventful week and ran a lot of miles.

I got in one of my highest mileage weeks this winter with 66.8 miles, and that's without a long run. I failed on my long run on Tuesday due to pouring rain and sheer boredom; turned around at mile 6 instead of mile 9. I just didn't have it. I made up for it with some other decent mileage days, but the fact that I haven't done a long run over 16 miles since February is not a good sign for the Vermont City Marathon. I've hovered in the 15-16 range or done no long runs at all. Compare that to my 2015 VCM training of perfection, and I'm looking at a day of embarrassment on May 27th. Haha. Oh well. The experience will still be great because I love this race and the city of Burlington. I'm kind of sad I won't have any pals post-race this time around, but I'll make reservations for John and me at The Farmhouse, then drag him down to Foam Brewing and make an early night of it. John will be happy to hear that. Haha.

I had originally planned to make this a no-race weekend and stayed on the fence until deciding I was a definite for the Muddy Moose Trail Race in Wolfeboro. I still didn't register until Friday just to be sure I really wanted to do it. Obviously, I will write more about it later, but I will say that I now remember why I hated it and vowed never to run it again after doing it once in 2012. Funny how much I've changed since it was still really hard, but now I liked the challenge of it, so I see myself doing it again in the future. Plus, it's only 45 minutes from my house and only $15, so how could I not?

Monday, April 16, 2018- If I was ever elated to be a poor person, today was the day. The only reason I didn't register for the 2018 Boston Marathon last September was because I couldn't afford it. Yay for being poor! Haha. I was SO happy I wasn't running Boston today, and after seeing the misery, I have no regrets on missing it whatsoever. I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 mile run indoors on the treadmill that morning, and then sitting at work watching Desi win the women's title. That was far more exciting and fun than I imagined running it was. The weather here was just as atrocious, but I wasn't out running in it. Phew. Dodged a bullet with that one.

The weather really was probably the hands-down worst conditions I've seen all winter. Everyone was late to work because the roads were so bad. I was only 4 minutes late, but I was the first one here out of 6 of us. Another coworker showed up right after me, and we immediately got a tone. We weren't partners for the day, but since it was just us, we jumped in an ambulance and went. Fortunately, the call was in Freedom where my former partner, Rob, is now working full time so he showed up and rode in with us. I got to sit in the back and work with Rob. It was great.

The day was surprisingly quiet for the weather as bad as it was. Wakefield had a lot of car accidents, and we had one, but by the time anyone arrived on scene, the people involved had already driven off. We did end up on a call in the middle of the night. Only a fire alarm, but it still took an hour and a half of sleep away. Then got another tone at 6:15am to a place another crew had already been to the day before. We didn't transport, thankfully, so I was only out 30 minutes late.

My appetite came back with a vengeance that evening, and I agreed to get take-out calzones with Jen. I was starving, but then halfway into it, I thought I was going to be sick. My appetite would end up being mostly off all week with weird moments of feeling starving.

My drive to work. That was mostly ice.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018- Cold pouring rain all morning. Didn't end until about 4pm. I was so unmotivated from the get-go. I should have known that the 18 miles I had planned weren't going to happen. I tried to pick something that was on the flatter side and new to me so that I could get through it so I opted for an out and back on 113 in North Fryeburg. I figured it would be mostly clear and quiet. I do a lot of out-and-back runs, but I don't enjoy them. Today could have been a choice of multiple loops, but any dirt road was still covered in ice so I had to stick to the main road.

Tuesday morning. It was winter again at my house.

It took me forever to get out of my house, and then when I finally did, I couldn't turn my car around and had to back out which isn't easy with a clear driveway. The end is a hill, and I had to floor it, but with the shitty thick ice/snow, I still got stuck, with one rear tire on the paved road. Damn 2-wheel drive car! Had I been able to go out facing forward I would have made it. I had to walk back to the house, get my small shovel and dig it out. I lost my shit. Haha. I was just sick of this shit that I was slamming my door and cussing up a storm. I hope the goody two shoes neighbor's kids heard me. Haha.

Seriously?

I spent 20 minutes digging that icy slop away from the tires and was free. Stopped at the dump, then drove on to Sherman Farm where I parked for my run. The rain was heavy by this point, and I just wanted to not run at all. I'm surprised I made it to mile 6! The road was mostly quiet, but with nothing but a snowy shoulder, I ended up running in slippery slush anytime a car did go by. It just sucked. Cold, pouring rain all by myself and just utterly boring. My subconscious mind to told my legs to turn around at the 6 mile point, so they did. My conscious mind cheered! Haha. I was so done by the last two miles and just jogged it in. 12 miles in 1:29:37. 7:27 avg pace. 265ft of elevation gain. I think it was TOO flat. Not sure I'll do this one again.

Even though I was dripping wet, I grabbed my milk bottles to return and went into Sherman Farm and bought some chocolate milk and half-and-half. I changed into warm dry clothes in the parking lot then drove home defeated. How can I run a marathon if I can barely get through a 12 mile run? Hopefully, I'll be in a better place mentally on race day than I was today.

I showered when I got home then picked up John from school. I about died when I saw him walk out of the school....

I told him I was proud that he chose pimp as profession. Haha. He thought that was funny. The school director had found this coat at a thrift store and got it for John. It's pretty awesome even though it's torn in the front. That thing probably cost a lot of money back in the day when it was new. It's real fur.

Surprisingly, I had the energy to do upper body and abs tonight. So rare these days. I will get back into it regularly, but I'm still just lacking the energy most days which has led to my recent laziness.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018- Got up for 4 miles on the treadmill in 30:36. 7:39 avg pace. Mostly quiet day at work. We had another meeting about training that went ok, but we're not holding our breath on them following through on it. Time will tell. Fortunately, "supervisor" wasn't there so the discussion did go smoothly. But, honestly, things rarely get done with this company. So many roadblocks with the way things are run. That took two hours, then I spent most of the rest of the day writing that long-ass Merrimack blog post. We had one 911 late to the nursing home, but that was it. I had no appetite today after breakfast and mostly ate nothing. Ugh.

Thursday, April 19, 2018- Since I had failed at the long run and didn't want to do it Friday, just two days before Muddy Moose, I decided to do 2 runs today. I had already had a trail run planned for the afternoon so I brought clothes to do a road run from work. I did the North Conway short loop that goes up North-South Rd and back via the strip. Nothing exciting. My first mile was wicked slow. I could barely run from the stiffness/soreness after sitting down most of Wednesday. The run got better after that. 8.3 miles total in 1:01:36. 7:23 avg pace. I was looking forward to a much slower, more fun run on new trail later.

Went home, showered, printed out a map and studied directions for the later run. I left a little early so I could stop and renew my drivers license on the way. I'm really sad to lose my old photo because I was actually pretty then (and glowing because my Social Security card had just come in the mail that morning with my maiden name back on it), but I did my best to recreate it. Despite the camera being pointed up at my man chin from lower down and a closer shot, I still did a really good job with it. Here's my old photo. I'll share the new one when the real one comes since you can't really see it well on the paper copy.

A smile of naive optimism

There was a huge line of 6 people there so it took a whole 20 minutes! Haha. Nothing like the line around the block of the Beverly, MA RMV that I stood in when I got my Mass license in 1999. Haha.

The drive down to southern Mass wasn't bad. I found the lot I was looking for easily. This would be more trail exploration on a trail that I'm piecing together from maps and descriptions. I ran the opposite direction than the run plan just to loosen up the legs for a mile since I could barely run from sitting in the car. Once back it was off to track down what seemed to be difficult to follow from the trail description. This section was definitely the most road, unmaintained and unmarked section that I've done yet. This was really just connecting points through mostly residential sections. One part was so overgrown and the trail turn completely not even clear that it was a good 20 minutes of walking all over the place before giving up and cutting through someone's backyard to get to the next section. If I lived closer, I would definitely go out with some snips and clear what I could from this. The way back was much easier now that I knew which way to go, but I still went off trail twice briefly. Haha. The forecast had called for pouring rain, but I lucked out with only a little light rain briefly. The next section is much better marked and some sections I've done already. Hoping to have this trail completely pieced together by mid June. It's been fun, and I missed getting out there due to all of the snow. Today was 8.7 miles total in 1:47:04, even though actual running time was closer to 1:20:00. Haha. 482ft of elevation gain. The least of any section so far.

The next section that I warmed up on. Spring!

Had a few beers after the run then stopped in a Castle Island Brewing for some cans and then Whole Foods for pizza since I was actually STARVING. I mistakenly got a slice of buffalo chicken pizza. It was SO SPICY that I couldn't finish it. Never again. I'm glad I also had a cheese slice so I didn't continue starving. Haha. The ride home was a little rough towards the end. I was tired, especially after 18 total miles and all of the driving.

Friday, April 20, 2018- Slept in as planned since I needed to catch up big time since Monday. Happy to wake up to this face...

John didn't have school, but his dad came to get him for the day...as he's supposed to. Yay! The weather ended up being gorgeous out by the time I started my run. My plan was 6 miles with 6x30sec strides after. It seems like Passaconaway Rd has become my Friday run lately so I continued with that. It's a perfect 6 miles out with the loop around High St and Crossover Rd so I did that again. The plan was supposed to be an easy pace, but there's a Strava segment at the end of mile 1 and the beginning of mile 2 that I've had 2nd place by only 1 second forever. I decided to break it today and run hard starting at beginning of the segment. I forgot to look at its end, but I was pretty sure it was at the top of the long hill. I lucked out and beat the CR by 18 seconds. Then I slowed the pace back down a bit for the next 2 miles and picked it back up for the last two. I opted to use the flat cemetery on Washington St for the strides. I really needed the crowd support, and they were all lined up on both sides cheering me on from their graves. I ran them into a nice headwind, but the view of Chocorua made up for it. Jogged back after each one. Total run was 7.2 miles in 55:17. 7:40 avg pace (includes the jogging in between each stride).

I wanted to sit in the sun even though it was a little chilly and drove to Starbucks for a drink with the plan to come back to Davis Park and sit by the river. Then I remembered that I would have to drive all the way around in a circle to get to the park due to bridge construction. Said fuck it and had my drink at home instead on the deck where I sat in the sun in denial that it was actually too cold. Haha.

When John came home, I finally had to lay down the law and force him to do something with his hair. He wants it long, and that's fine, but it was matted from him not taking care of it all. I told him that long hair has to be taken care of and that he needed a trim to clean it up. It hadn't been cut since last summer. It took some convincing, and I kind of felt like an asshole. It's his hair and he should be able to do what he wants with it, but it was looking really unkempt and dirty. He reluctantly agreed to go to the hair appt I made for him at JC Penny. He was able to tell the stylist that he just wanted the ends cleaned up but still wanted it long. She was in for a challenge, but she pulled it off well. He actually really liked it! The matted hair was gone and it looked healthy again. She only took off an inch so it was still long. Phew! I dodged a bullet with that one! I still feel bad for forcing the issue, but I really felt I needed to.

Nothing else going on that night for us so it was back home. I got in an upper body and abs workout in again and realized just how much upper body strength I've already lost from slacking. Ugh. Maybe this next week I'll make a commitment to get in three days.

Not sure why this is so blurry

Saturday, April 21, 2018- Woke up to another beautiful day! Yay! I took the dogs out on our loop and once on the hill in my yard, I realized that I HAD to get my chair and sit out in the sun. So I grabbed my coffee, book and chair and plopped it down in the yard in the sun with the dogs.

I had been dreaming of a day like today for so long. Sitting in the sun with my coffee. I was also excited to continue reading a book that Dave Dunham suggested to me (Thanks, Dave!). So far, it's relevant and helpful. A lot I know already, but I like the way the author uses real life examples (including Dave!) to demonstrate his findings on aging and continuing a life of running into the much later years.

I had 8 miles to do today but absolutely zero desire to run on the road. With a race the next day, I figured this would be a good day to mess around on the trails and check out the condition of my Dirty Girl Trail Race 
With the race coming up in a month I wanted to update the racers on the course conditions. Once I was done with that, I planned to check out the new trail that the Waldorf School just made last week on another part of Tin Mountain property. I figured it would all come out close to 8 miles. I ran from home up Heavenly Hill and cut over to Tin Mountain, running about 98% of the course. I was surprised to find very little snow. Most patches were short sections in the shade. Probably 95% of the course was clear! I was surprised! I stopped a lot to take photos for my race FB page and cleared some of the major debris. It was a nice day to play on the trails, and I even got to see an owl as it swooped down in front of me.

My favorite part of the course

I ran back home after doing a loop on the course to grab the map of the new trail and set off on that via a trail at the top of the neighborhood. This new "trail" was only made last week so it was less a trail and more just following markers through the woods. My legs got pretty scratched up and itchy, but it was still fun and once packed down a bit, this will be a nice trail. I ran into a guy with a rifle walking around looking for a fox. I think he was surprised to see me out there and said he wasn't going to shoot it, just scare it away. Hmmm. I didn't really believe him, but there was nothing I could do about it. I ran on until this new trail ran into an already existing trail. There was only one marker after this and somehow I missed where the new trail continued back into the woods. So I ran back on the existing trail and then onto another trail bringing me back to the Waldorf School and ran home from there. Came out to 7.7 miles. 1:38:11 moving time (I made a lot of stops). 1,501ft of elevation gain. Close enough to 8 miles since it was probably over that in reality. That was the run I needed for today. Just something fun and in the woods.

I came home, showered and then took John and the dogs out on a walk on the new trail again. I wanted to figure out where I went wrong and missed the turn. John really liked the new trail, especially this vernal pool we stopped by. It was really eye catching.

Found a nice spring

I guess I'm not one to talk about doing something with your hair. Yikes.

I ended up finding where we went wrong since I studied both maps. I see why I missed it because it wasn't visible until you were passing it. Walking made it slow enough not to miss it. The walk came out to 3.3 miles which included the neighborhood part, so it's probably just under 3 miles. I'll have to explore more next year to see if I can easily add this into my race and make a new course for next year. I'd love to take away the double loop course if I can.

I was beat when we got home. A lot of time on my feet today. Close to 4 hours! It was time to rest up for the next day's race. My car never rolled once today, and while it was nice for the majority of the day, I started to feel the isolation by the evening. I realized that, other than John, I had talked to no one except the hairdresser and the guy in the woods since Thursday evening. Yikes. Two full days. No wonder I started to feel down by the evening. I was so looking forward to the next day when I could have real human conversations at the race.

Beer on the deck in the sun.

At least I have my dog.

Sunday, April 22, 2018- Muddy Moose Trail Race

I was so happy for a local-ish race. No early morning wake up and long drive. Yay!! I was up at 6:45am and out the door by 7:45. John was very content to stay home, and since he's proved himself responsible, I gave him the chance. It ended up working out great. We talked about safety and what to do in an emergency, etc. He's always been a pretty self-reliant kid, and since he didn't have to go to race, he was even more motivated to be responsible. It all worked out great. He kept his phone handy so that I was able to call him before and after the race. Yay. Helped me not to worry unnecessarily.

Anyway, on the way down I passed my coworkers in two of our ambulances at the bakery and then got passed by the third ambulance on its way to Huggins with a patient. Haha. They got the short end of the stick. I got to Kingswood in Wolfeboro way too early, but it allowed me to take my time which was nice. The morning was pretty chilly, but I warmed up quickly on the 2 mile warm up. This was absolutely the most perfect weather for racing. Ideal to a T. Yay!! Finally. I was surprised to find I was the only one wearing a singlet at the start, though. Haha. I chose to be a White Mountain Miler today since it was a local race. I had also chosen to break out my running gaiters that I don't think I've worn since 2012 in hopes they would keep some of the rocks out of my shoes; they ended up working pretty well since not much large debris made its way into them.

Fergus Cullen has been putting on this race for years, but I didn't know who he was the last time I raced this in 2012. In fact, the only people I knew at this race in 2012 were Kevin Tilton and Ian Parlin. Funny. Looking back at the results from that race, I see 15 people I would meet at some point over the following few years.. That year, I ran it 6 days after running Boston, a scorching year. This race would also be very warm. The course was still muddy in the usual spots at the beginning and on the loop but much drier in between. I remember hating the mud and the course, except for the escarpment part which is like a half mile maybe each way. It was also a slightly longer course with a finish up through the golf course. My GPS got 13.1 that year. This year it would be 12.3 with the shortened finish. I only ran it 3 minutes faster than 2012. A lot of that had to do with the course conditions this year.(There was a 10 minute slower finish for some of the top people this year compared to last year). More mud, snow and ice and then just me bonking completely the last two miles and making poor decisions through the sucking mud that really slowed me down. Kind of sad, though, since I also bonked hard in the last two miles in 2012. Plus, I was only 6 days off the Boston Marathon! I feel like I'm back to my pre-2014 speed, but not for lack of trying. I've got ISSUES...well, more than the normal ones. Haha.

The race started in the same spot as before. I lined up with Hilary McCloy since I really didn't know a ton of people there. I saw this young girl lined up front with us who looked fit and wearing a Dartmouth Skiing singlet. I had no idea if she was doing the 4-mile or 13-mile, but she had me nervous. So did Hilary. Although Hilary hasn't run much this winter, she's been doing a TON of backcountry skiing, with a lot of vertical skinning, so she's super fit. Hilary is pure muscle and used to be on the US Ski Team which is why she's been so good at mountain/trail running. So I knew I had some competition there to keep me on my toes. The problem with that is that I tend to go out too fast in trail races when I know they're there. I go out too fast in every race, but I don't usually mean to in road races. I think after purposely doing it in trail races for so many years, I just can't break the habit when it comes to the roads. So this race was no exception. The start is quick anyway since it's downhill for about .3 miles before turning into the woods with the start of the mud. I actually felt like I was holding back, but it was still fast. Once in the woods, the mud wasn't too bad at first, but once we did hit it, I remembered how much fun it wasn't. Haha. With a fresh mind and body, I was at least able to make good quick decisions and skirt around most of it. It got worse, especially after the road crossing and then the gentle climb up to the dirt road stretch. Pace was still quickish through the first 3 miles. That ended with mile 4.

Just the beginning of the mud

The beginning of mile 4 was the climb up the escarpment section. It was steep and leaf-covered, but very short. Less than a quarter mile to the top, I'm guessing. This was a chance for me to power hike and I actually caught up to the guys in front of me on the climb. They got ahead again on the way down except for one guy who was super slow on the down. It was leafy and had one blowdown to crawl under and another  blowdown surrounded by snow to go over. I passed him right after the second one.

Once back down on the double track, I was able to catch up to another guy. This section was muddy, but not foot-sucking mud. As we passed the aid station, the trail started a looooong gradual uphill on a snowmobile trail with a lot of ice still on the trail. It was runnable for most of it other than a few soft spots, but it was still slow with just the slight slipping of the foot with every step and the extra expended energy to get through it. When it wasn't ice, it was muddy. This lasted almost 2 miles until we got to the "choose-your-own direction" loop. Last time, I chose counter-clockwise and for some reason, my memory remembered wrong that this was the slower choice! Ugh. Most everyone else went clockwise. When I entered the loop, there was no one in sight behind me, not even at a distance. When I came out of the loop, the two guys who were next behind me, came out with me. Dammit!! I probably lost 30-45 seconds from that bad decision! Clockwise! Always go clockwise! We all still had to contend with the same thigh-deep, foot-sucking water crossing, but the rest of it was much faster in the other direction.

This at least gave me some umph to stay ahead of these two guys even though it was tough. This section was mostly dry and/or downhill, and they both stayed right on my heels until we reached the base of the climb back over the escarpment just before mile 9. One of them stayed close while the other dropped back, but then another guy who had been much farther back caught me and passed me. It turned out to be one of my neighbors (I kind of feel bad since I've never talked to the guy). Over and back down the escarpment, I started to put some distance on the other two guys who had been on my heels. At the base of the escarpment the course turns back onto the dirt road for a short, but steep climb, followed by a small downhill before a longer, gradual climb before going back into the woods for the last 1.7ish miles of mostly mud. The road was much easier than I expected, and I almost caught back up to my neighbor, but then we made the turn back into the mud and I was suddenly just done. My energy was GONE. I couldn't even think straight. Normally, I would have had a gel of some sort around mile 8, but I was completely out so I had to just hope for the best. Well, it wasn't my best. I was so beat and stumbling. I couldn't think straight and started making terrible decisions running right into the worst part of the mud getting stuck constantly and having to use more energy than I had left to get out of it. That's when I remembered that this exact same thing had happened to me in 2012. Just lost it totally in the last 2 miles. I just hoped I could hold my lead over the two guys and Hilary (whom I knew wasn't far back since I had passed her going the other way on the halfway loop). I was so happy to see the course turn left up the hill towards the finish instead of continuing on to the golf course like it had previously. I was ready for it to be over. Came through the finish 1st female and 7th overall in 1:53:40. Full Results.

Not too far from the finish

I talked to Fergus briefly, guzzled an entire bottle of water and walked back to my car. Wow. I was trashed. Now I remembered how hard this race was. No crazy long, steep climbs, but a lot of elevation gain at 1,688ft with all of the long, gradual climbs and shorter ups. It beat the shit out of me, and my last two miles' pace proves it. Haha. I was happy enough with it, though. I had to be. I got a win at least.

I called John to check in with him, then walked in circles trying to find the locker room so I could shower. Hilary came in after me so we shared war stories. I also asked her about my high hamstring tendon problems since she's a Doctor of Physical Therapy. She said that's often caused by the lack of using your glutes for power and instead using the hamstrings which made sense since I was unable to use my glutes at all while cross-training during my injury (gluteal tendon tear) in 2015. I had to focus on things that didn't cause pain, and even though I was able to come back well in 2016, I started having trouble engaging my glutes due to weakness (and laziness!). I never did have the power I had prior to the injury, and the overcompensation on the right side caused problems there for the first half of 2016. So I was engaging my glutes less then, too. Following the timeline, it's no surprise I started having hamstring issues after the  2016 Manchester City Marathon for the first time ever in my life. It was only just over 4 months later after snowshoe racing on ice mostly that the tendinitis (tendonopathy?) began. Other than mountain running, I did absolutely no other leg strength training after my injury, and, looking back, that's probably where my mistake began. It's just so hard to do isolated leg work when your quads are so fatigued from running down the mountains. The things I'm learning by having this timeline are really interesting. It's like piecing together a puzzle that makes perfect sense in hindsight. It's all so clear and obvious now, and just a shame that I was too dumb to see it coming then. I'm still not doing the right thing either, and Hilary gave me some things to work on to really specifically target the glutes. It won't get rid of the tendon problem, but it will help me in immensely in the long run once I take care of the tendon problem. I have to face it eventually that this issue is only going to go away with rest, i.e. little running. I can do the things to make it hurt less, but it always hurts. It's hurt every day since last March. I knew last November I needed to take the time off, but I only gave myself a week since it was mainly my quads hurting then. I'd just gotten used to the tendon pain. So, stupid me still refuses to take the time off yet. I think once I get through VCM, I'll take it really easy for most of June. Still run and race, but keep it almost all off the road like I did last year. I already know this year is a wash, and that's ok. Really. I'll be disappointed at times, but in the back of my mind, I know that I have to give myself the ok to not do well this year. And then I have to make the commitment in mid-November to focus on the healing. It's actually recommended to keep running, but only 3x week and only the amount that doesn't show symptoms (pain), in conjunction with specific exercises. Blah, blah, and so on. Haha. I know. Dumb to wait until November, but I just got invited back to New England's Finest at Hartford again! No way am I turning that down. :)

So anyway, back to Sunday. Sorry about the tangent. I left the race shortly after picking my award out of a box of moose related stuff. I was starving and called John to ask if he wanted Subway. He did so I stopped there and got us sandwiches. I couldn't wait to get in the car and stuff my face. Haha. But as soon as I got in the car, I all of a sudden felt sick like I was going to vomit and my stomach didn't feel right. I just assumed this was because I needed food so I ate the sub anyway. By the time I got home, my stomach was in agony. Like doubled over in pain. I was still able to shower and get John out the door, but not without feeling like I was being stabbed in the stomach. I didn't care, though. It was too nice and I had to get John and the dogs out in it.

We went to Pudding Pond. My stomach pain would come and go throughout the walk. I felt like I wanted to die and then I'd be fun. I felt like I could just curl up in the sun and sleep often, though. I've had this issue before after a longer race with a hard effort like today and after many marathons. So this wasn't something new. It just sucked already having issues on top of this.

Funny looking beaver

Even though I wanted to die, it was still a good 2.5 mile walk. John wanted to go to Frontside Grind after that, and I was game because I felt like a cold beer would help settle my stomach. I was psyched they had the Moat Imperial Stout! Dark beer to the rescue! And sure enough, it was the cure! Stomach issues vanished after that, and I was actually able to eat a little food later on.

It safe to say I was junk the rest of the night. Watched South Park most of the evening with John. Still crazy that I like having tv again. I never thought I would after 16 years without it, but it's just fun again...except for the cost. Haha.

So I thought I'd on a little extra from the present. I finally decided to test out an iron supplement. The extreme fatigue I've been having lately made me consider anemia as a culprit. Looking at the symptoms, I have had almost all of them mildly for the last 6 months or so, but since I've had this intestinal issue now for two months, the symptoms are no longer mild. I have so little energy all the time, and that's SO unlike me. Shortness of breath and dizziness and an increased resting heart rate have been common. I can barely get through a long run, and when I do, I can barely get up off my ass the rest of the day. I have no idea if it's low iron, though, or not. It could just be the fact that I haven't been able to eat much or even absorb much haha. I've lost 5lbs now due to these issues, and it's not from being healthy so it could honestly have nothing to do with iron. But I'm still going to try it out. I figure why not. I'll keep you updated.

2018 Merrimack River Trail Race

This photo could be the story of my life. I'm actually laughing as I write that because I was laughing when it happened and sometimes you just have to laugh at your ridiculous life. It just sums it all up right there. That was the first of strange events that happened on Thursday, but I'll get to that later. Haha. Things were looking up this week. I felt so much better. I ran a really difficult long run and felt pretty good. I was ready to get back into it...until the 3rd of strange events happened on Thursday, but I'll get to that sooner rather than later. Yes, I'll be taking everything out of order. It's kind of how my mind works and how I do things. Always bouncing around different thoughts and doing multiple things as once until I realize I never finished the previous things. I do have the ability to focus sometimes, but not so much lately. My life has changed so drastically in the last 3.5 years that a lot of it is still new to me, and it's just so much. New relationships, new lifestyle, being single, just so much, letting people go, making new friends, letting people into my world for the first time ever. So I think that has a lot to do with my scatterbrain that is evident here. But I'll stop this before I keep going and prove myself right! Haha.

So like I said, I was feeling so much better and ready for marathon training crunch time, then whoever has my damn voodoo doll stuck a needle in its stomach. I got food poisoning! Vomited all night long starting just before midnight on Thursday night and continuing until about 7:30am Friday morning. Left me feeling tired and empty. Just what I needed, another fucking issue. Fortunately, I got out whatever the hell made me sick that last time I was up close and personal with the toilet, but it left me completely depleted and no desire to eat anything for 2 days. I basically had to force food down, but it just sat in my stomach most of the time. I wasn't even sure I would be able to race Merrimack on Saturday. Fortunately, I pulled it off and was able to get out of this very brief setback quickly, but what the FUCK. I mean seriously. I've never been this person. This person who always has something wrong with her. I'm not one of those people who plays up being sick to keep people's attention and pity. Why would I do that? I don't have the attention. I can't milk it so that I don't have to do the chores or take the dogs out or make dinner for John. We get no sick days at work. John can help me a bit, but I still have to do it all, sick or not. I don't like being sick. I used to consider myself a really healthy person, but I'm realizing that I really haven't been healthy much for awhile. I don't like being weak. This makes me feel like a weak person in general, and weak is NOT my M-O. I feel pitiful, and I hate that. Ugh. And it seems like all I do in my blog posts is complain. Bitch, bitch, bitch. When in reality, I actually laugh all the time. I'm just having a hard time writing funny things now or talking about the things that make me happy, except for John and the dogs. I don't have another Vermont City Marathon Blog Post left in me anymore. It's probably the most amazing blog post I ever wrote, and it can still bring me to happy tears every time I read it. But that person just isn't in me right now. So many good things I thought were possible then and in the year that followed were all false, and I am in a rut. A life's rut, not just running. Fortunately, I am strong enough of a person to realize that I will get out of it at some point, and that maybe I just have to hit all the lows again to get me there. That's what got me out of my marriage. I hit the last low and it gave me the push to finally change it. I feel like that's what's happening now. It's like I have to feel all of this shit. Live it, breathe it, cry over it and then I'll be able to slap myself upside the head for being a whiny bitch and move on. I know I'm going on and on again, but this is my outlet for it, and if you choose to read my drivel, I really do apologize. Haha. Why I choose to put it out there for the world to see, I really don't know because I've always been a fairly private person, but I guess I don't care about that anymore. And I also apologize for this never ending paragraph. I really did try to edit it and find a way to break it off, but it just never had a break. It's like a run-on sentence which takes me back to my inability to focus. Wasn't this supposed to be a running blog? Haha. I'll end it with a positive spin, though! I'm still down 4 pounds from being sick. Not quite my ideal race weight, but still under 120. Normally not the best way to lose weight, BUT every year since 2012, from mid-March to mid-April I've gained 7-8lbs for absolutely no reason I can figure out. This is FIRST time since then that I haven't which means I don't need to go crazy cutting weight for VCM...unless I start eating like a pig again in the next few weeks and gain all of the weight back plus some. Haha.

Ok. We all know this is a lie. It will happen again.

I was surprisingly able to get my miles back up to 60 for the week. Woohoo! Even with Friday's setback I pulled it off. I can't say I had a good race at Merrimack, but I expected it and went into it with the attitude of just enjoying the race and new course, which I did. The running plan didn't quite pan out due to the craziness of Thursday/Friday, but it just made things interesting for a day. Haha. I can at least say that I'm mostly happy with how the week turned out running-wise. I'm not super optimistic about Vermont City anymore, but I'm not giving up yet. I still have a little time.

Monday, April 9, 2018- I needed to recoup from the Doyle's after party so I opted not to get up and run early. The weather for the day looked beautiful so I decided I would run loops around the base later on.

Upon getting in my ambulance at work, I realized we had a terrible cardiac monitor on it. No way was that going to fly with us, and it's actually not even supposed to be on our ALS trucks since it has no capnography. So Jen and I ended up pulling off a heist at the North Conway base and switched out the crappy monitor with the really nice one that's just sitting on our backup truck there. (There's a whole issue going on there that I won't go on about.) We got caught off-guard and found the "supervisor" was there unexpectedly. He tends to hoard supplies and good equipment at the North Conway base while leaving our Tamworth base stripped of supplies and with bad equipment, so there was no way we were asking if we could switch monitors. The good monitor belonged on an active truck working under an ALS contract, not sitting on a back up truck under a BLS contract. So Jen distracted him upstairs while I pulled off the switch. We drove away with a high-five! We totally got busted due to the company snitch, and I guess the "supervisor" was pissed, but we had a legitimate reason for taking it, and the monitor stayed on the truck through Saturday. Haha.

After we had our first call, I decided to run. Jen offered to pick me up in the ambulance if we had a 911 if I wanted to run the road around the block instead of circles around the building. I totally took her up on that. I put my work clothes in the ambulance and went out. The block is just over 1.5 miles total basically running in and out of 2 towns 6 times. I only wanted to run close to 4.5 miles so I ran it 3 times. Very boring, but it felt so good to get out for a real run at work. It was a bit chilly but so nice out, and I felt really good, too. The tendons were barely noticeable, and the head cold was pretty much gone. The run was a little fast the first few miles since it's so flat, so I slowed it down. Mostly awesome positive splits. Haha. :) 4.7 miles for the total in 34:46. 7:20 avg pace.

That evening we had another encounter with the terrible paramedic on a 911 call. He kept his composure this time, but I wasn't going to stand for his behavior. He moved our bag to where I couldn't get to it so that he could put his stuff in the truck. When I got in after he did, I immediately demanded he get my bag and proceeded to throw his gear into the doorway. I then did the body block so that Jen and I could actually do the care that was needed until it was time for me to drive. En route he did nothing for the patient and called in a stroke alert when Jen and I knew he wasn't having a stroke, just low blood sugar. When we got to the hospital, the doctor wouldn't even listen to the paramedic. Literally turned his back on him mid-sentence. Turned out that Jen and I were right. How scary is that that an AEMT and an EMT knew better the patient's condition than a paramedic? He was very quiet on the drive back. Wouldn't even speak to us. I don't know if it's because he knew he was wrong on this one or if he just hated us that much that he couldn't say anything. Haha. It turns out things are actually in the works to have something done about him. It isn't just us, but also the hospital. It will be interesting to see what comes of it. Crazy the drama that surrounds EMS. You just don't know until you're in it just how cutthroat it can be. Blows my mind sometimes, and then I realize that oh yeah, I'm a guilty party in it.

We lucked out with sleep this time around. I was so glad, too, since I really needed it for the next day's long run.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018- Being gung ho about the clear dirt roads, I finally decided to try a run I'd never done before. With 16 miles as the plan, I mapped out the run on Strava, and it came out to 15.9. Wow! The elevation gain showed over 1500ft so I knew I was going to be in a world of hurt, but I was looking forward to it. It did NOT disappoint. I started at the Silver Lake Railroad in Madison and started on the familiar run up High St to North Division before veering off into uncharted territory toward Drake Hill Rd. It was as much of an ass-kicker as predicted. About 50/50 dirt road/pavement.
My splits were all over the place for the run with the drastic changes in ups and downs, but mile 5 took the cake with a steep climb of 242ft. 9:08 that mile. Haha. The rest of the run hovered in the 8s for the most part with some dips into the 7s. My plantar fasciitis decided to flare up a bit in the last 5 miles and became excruciating by the end. Although, the tendons were sore, I was surprised at just how minimal it was. I finished the run off with an even 16 miles by going .1 past the railroad station. 2:08:53. 8:03 avg pace. Normally I'd be upset with an average pace like that, but not on that run. It was pretty tough. 1,562ft of elevation gain. Pretty much what was predicted. I was actually pretty happy with this run despite it looking slow "on paper" (can we even use this term anymore?).

I got to John's school early for pick up so that I could get the dogs a walk in on the Jackman Pond Trail beforehand. The school dog joined us again which was fun...until I lost her. Oops. She's only 9 months old or so and a great dog but still doesn't listen too well so when we got halfway around the pond and she bolted, she didn't listen to me calling her back. I was so worried for the rest of the walk, but there was really nothing I could do since I had to get back to the school. I just hoped she ran back on her own. We finished off the full 2 mile walk just in time for John to come out. I told him about the dog so he went inside to tell the director, and it turned out that the dog had already come back on her own. Phew! I thought I'd lost the school dog forever. Haha.

That night was the usual ninja class and then prepping for another 24 hour shift at work. John decided to wear his mask from Halloween for ninja class and made me put it on. I don't think it quite fit my face. Haha.

So pitiful. Haha.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018- Usual treadmill run in the morning. 4 miles in 31:06. 7:46 avg pace. Nothing crazy. Pretty steady day with calls. It was seizure day apparently. One might have been faking it, even though I don't think so, and the other had a massive brain bleed. Fun, fun! A few other things here and there, but once again, a full night's sleep! Can you believe how short this part of my blog post is?! I'm just adding in these extra sentences to make it longer. :)

Thursday, April 12, 2018- It started off normally then turned into far more drama than I'd planned. Haha. My brother and his new girlfriend were coming to Boston for a conference he had to attend. Crazy that this would be my brother's first trip to New England since New England has been my home (for the most part) since 1999. Obviously, this would be their first time in Boston, so I was excited to have them here. We were going to go out then I was staying over with them that night.

I left close to 9am for the drive south with a planned stop at Middlesex Fells to run the Skyline Trail before going on to Boston. I had been noticing some increased shaking in my rear passenger side tire lately and just hoped it would hang in there until my appointment for new tires the following Tuesday. Well, just as I crossed the Rochester/Dover line, the tire blew. You'd think I'd start cussing up a storm and pitching a fit, but instead, I just started laughing. I did it to myself. I waited way too long to get the new tires, so I just laughed at myself and got a tow truck via my insurance company. The tire was absolutely dead, and I wasn't wasting any effort putting on a spare. My car is 6 years old with 130,000 miles on it, and I've never once used the towing that I pay for, so I decided today was the day.

At least it was good weather!

The tow truck driver got there in about 20 minutes then drove me south to Town Fair Tire in Somersworth. My appointment for Tuesday was the same company, just the one in Portsmouth, so it kind of worked out. What didn't work out was that they didn't have any tires close to the cost of what I had ordered, but I really didn't care. This was going to save me a trip back down here on Tuesday, and it would all be done with. I would only get to Boston about 2.5 hours later than planned. No biggie, though, since it didn't really matter when I got there. It was actually the best time my tire could have blown since I was alone with nowhere I really had to be at a certain time, and I was right near a tire place. So, it all worked out in that sense. What also didn't work out was that I now had to run in Somersworth instead the Skyline Trail. Booo.

I got my car all set then ventured out on a run of Somersworth. I'll be honest in saying that it definitely wasn't something worth running again, but the day was beautiful (I even got a slight tan!) and new-to-me roads at least kept it interesting. The guy at the tire place recommended the power line trail right next to there, so I was super excited...until it ended .85 miles into it. I forget that non-runners often don't get the distance thing. Haha. But it was ok, I just turned and started running the road. I ran through a cemetary and then about a half mile of trail at ballpark before finishing it up on the road. I did miss a turn somewhere on the way back since I didn't realize at the time that I came out on a different road from the ballpark than I went in on. I was glad I had my phone so I took a look at the map and readjusted my route back. Haha. 8 miles total in 1:02:49. 7:50 avg pace. I ran comfortably and never looked at my watch. 328ft of elevation gain. Once back, I changed clothes then waited another hour before my car was all done and I was back on the road. Woohoo.

So that's what tread looks like!

The drive into Boston was quick except for a slowdown on Storrow Drive. I had booked valet parking at the Mandarin Oriental on Boylston since it was right near the Marriott where they were staying. Hard to believe with Boston Marathon weekend coming up that the cheapest parking for 24 hours in the Back Bay was here, but I managed to luck out. $20. Easy enough. And valet parking just makes you feel fancy for a few minutes before reality kicks in and you realize you look like a hick from New Hampshire.

I met my brother, Brandon, and his girlfriend, Jessica 2.0 at the bar of the Marriott. She's called 2.0 because Brandon's 2nd ex-wife is also Jessica. Haha. Yeah, we O'Dell's aren't the greatest at holding down marriages. Only my brother, Jason, has survived. But to be fair, even though my parents had been previously married before marrying each other, they have been together for almost 45 years now. So there's something to be said about 2nd marriages at least. Well, unless, you're Brandon. Haha. So, anyway, I said a quick hello, grabbed the room key and headed upstairs to clean up. At this point, I hadn't showered in 31 hours and I had run. Talk about gross. So I showered then got all dressed up for Boston! Ok, so dressed up is the same as my every day and post-race clothes (just cleaner). Granted, if it were warmer, I would have worn a dress...that I'd wear every day in the summer and post-race (just cleaner). Haha.

I look so...what's the word? Oh! New Hampshire!

I met them back at the bar, and by this time I'm starving. I never ate dinner the night before (although, I'll confess that I had a Butterfinger Blizzard that my partner, Jeff, bought me around 5ish; it could definitely count as dinner). We decided to venture out somewhere to eat. I didn't realize that they wanted me to choose a place. Hmmm. The places I wanted to go were kind of a long walk, like the Barking Crab and the Tip Tap Room or the North End, and Jessica didn't bring any shoes for walking. Haha. She ended up being a trooper in the boots she wore and still walked pretty far. As far as the Back Bay for restaurants, I had no idea. Then Brandon asked about Cheers. I'll admit that I went to Cheers my second time in Boston in 1995 since my friend wanted to show me all the stuff, so I got it. I walked them over there and they got their token photo by the awning and under the sign. We decided to go down to the pub for a drink and apps since I needed food. Well, the beer list sucked and the quesadilla there is most likely what made me end up sick all night since I walked out of there definitely not feeling right. It was only an app quesadilla  and chips and salsa so it really wasn't much food, but I walked out of there with my stomach feeling like I'd just eaten a Fisherman's Platter.

Jessica and Brandon and Plain Jane

Turns out they wanted to see Quincy Market so we could have gone to the Tip Tap Room or the North End after all, but at this point no one was hungry. I walked them through there, then they wanted to stop at Sterling's in Govt Center for more drinks. So, at this point, I had had one beer and was about to have one more. My brother was just about to have his 3rd and 4th vodka and soda, although these would both be doubles so it was more like 5th and 6th. On our way out of there, things started to get weird. We walked up the steps to the T station to take the T back so that Jessica didn't have to walk, and Brandon started to get a little mean to her. So... they were fighting. Awkward!

Once back at the Pru, Brandon had to veer off and make an appearance at a conference event in the Sheraton so Jessica and I went back to the Marriott bar and hung out chatting for over an hour until Brandon came back. It was fun getting to know her a bit since this was my first time meeting her. For some stupid reason, I ended up ordering a burger even though I wasn't hungry at all. That ended up being a bad idea. When Brandon came back, the night ended up turning bad. I don't want to bash my brother too much here, but he and liquor don't mix, and he had had three more drinks at the conference thing, then two more with us at the table.. He turned into a monster and was so mean to Jessica. We got him back upstairs where he proceeded to start screaming and kicking our room door which caused that inside door lock hook to fall, locking us out. He started to fight the guy who came to unlock it and screaming at people who came out of their rooms. I was mortified, embarrassed and nearly in tears since I was having to physically get in between him and the hotel worker. He's had incidents like this before after drinking liquor, but this was my first time ever witnessing it. It was really hard to experience. He almost got kicked out and arrested, but we got him in the room. He insisted on going dancing, though, and said he was going without us. I just couldn't do it. I was done. And I was starting to feel sick. He walked out, so Jessica went with him. I was happy to be away from it, but I was so disappointed in how everything had gone down. It got worse since they just ended up back at the bar downstairs. I don't know how he wasn't arrested, but they both made it back to the room within about 45 minutes. At this point, I had been lying in the bed the whole time pretty sure I needed to throw up. And sure enough, I did, and then I did again and then again. It was so bad. What a fucked up day!

Friday, April 13, 2018- After throwing up one last time in the morning, I was so shaky and dehydrated that I got dressed (in the running clothes for my now thwarted run along the Charles; day 2 of thwarted run plans!), went downstairs and bought a Gatorade and a Life Water. I sat in the lobby and pounded the Gatorade then waited a bit to see if it was going to stay down. Fortunately, it did so I went out for some fresh air and a walk down to the Public Garden where I sat in the sun for awhile watching all of the excited runners there for the marathon. I have to say that I really enjoyed being in Boston seeing all of the excitement a lot more knowing that I wasn't running it. Haha.

I walked back with the expectation that Brandon would still be asleep. I planned to wake him and say a quick goodbye since I just wanted to go home at this point. He turned out to be awake, though, and I'm really glad he was because we (Him, Jessica and me) ended up talking about the night before for probably an hour. He had vague memories of the night, but remembered none of the anger and meanness. I didn't sugar coat anything for him either as to how he was and that he needed to cut out the liquor. It was a good sign that he didn't try to brush it under the rug. He kept wanting to talk about it and asked us a lot of questions. I could see true pain in his face for having let this happen. I think it really helped him to hear it from me because I'm his sister, and he genuinely felt badly that he had acted that way in front of me. He figured out as best he could that he had had about 13 drinks (plus one beer) over the course of the day, with most of them over a span of 6 hours. I was really glad I did stay and help him get through that. Jessica would end up texting me three days later to let me know that he hadn't touched another drop of alcohol and that he couldn't stop talking about that night. That he felt so badly about it. She said she finally had to tell him it was ok and that he could stop. She said the rest of their trip was wonderful. I was SO glad to hear that. I just hope he can stay away from it since nothing good has come from it for him.

I said my goodbyes and took the elevator down. My stomach was starting to feel ok-ish so I got a small coffee and lemon loaf at Starbucks downstairs before walking to get my car. My car was pointing towards the Boston Marathon Finish Line when I got in it, and it's a straight shot down Boylston to 93 so I went that way, driving under it. That was pretty cool.

I was able to keep down the coffee and lemon loaf, but it just sat in my stomach. I still felt completely drained and tired. I could barely keep my eyes open for the drive. I had planned to run from John's school when I got there, but when I passed the Cotton Valley Rail Trail in Wakefield, I turned around and went back to it. I thought this would make a good run, even though I had absolutely no desire to run. Haha. I was so tired that I had to sleep for about 20 minutes first before getting myself out. From Rt 16, the rail trail looked completely clear of snow and ice, but that would not be the case. Haha. A quarter mile in, showed it to be the opposite. Almost 100% covered. I had microspikes in the car, but I didn't feel like going back for them. I just ran a mile and a half out then turned around. I was way too beat to even be running and the snow/ice just made it worse. Not even worth the effort. The only thing it did help was to loosen up my legs that were so sore and stiff from the drive. 3.1 miles felt like 20. 28:17. Hahaha.

I stopped at the store then picked up John from school. I was so happy to see him. I had called him the night before when Brandon and Jessica left to go dancing since I needed someone to talk to about what had just happened. Kind of cool that he's old enough now for me to do that. (My other friend I would have messaged about it had long since gone to bed because he had to get up early for work. WTF. Work on Friday? What's that about?)

Once we got home, I took the dogs out, showered and then plopped down on the couch for This is Us episodes. I was so tired. Like so, so, so tired. I'd still eaten nothing since the lemon cake so I had to find something I could stomach. The only thing I felt like eating, and I'm guessing probably because of the high sodium factor, was ramen. Yes, that 10 cents a package ramen. Haha. This exactly...

So I had ramen for my pre-race dinner. Haha. I knew I had to just give up on doing well the next day. I didn't even know if I was going to make it to the starting line, to be honest. I decided I was definitely going down with the plan to race. If I threw up or felt really bad on the warm up, I'd just stay and spectate or volunteer (if needed). At that point, it almost sounded like a much better idea. Haha.

Saturday, April 14, 2018- Merrimack River Trail Race-

I did make it to the start line!

I had been really excited to be going back to Merrimack after skipping it last year, especially with the new course. I was a little bummed not feeling the 100% I thought I would be feeling just 2 days prior, but it was what it was. I was just happy to be there. Even though I had no desire to eat anything, I forced down a bacon, egg and cheese bagel on the way and had some coffee. I really needed the calories to get through the race, and I just hoped that I didn't ruin getting to the start line by stupidly eating a breakfast sandwich. Haha. My stomach was definitely wonky and I was a little nervous since it felt like the food was just sitting in it, but once we got going on the warm up, I felt ok, and my stomach seemed to settle. It was nice being here and seeing so many people I knew as we ran the warm up. It was a lot of the Mountain Series crowd whom I won't be seeing much of this year. The weather was so nice and a lot warmer than expected. I was way too warm by the time we finished the 2 miles. I can't remember the last time I'd been at a race start with pleasant weather. Haha.

I stripped down to my singlet, made sure John and the dogs were all set, then walked over to the start. Petey gave his usual fun pre-race announcement then sent us on our way. I love this race because you literally have about 10 yards from the start before it turns right into single track. Whenever any of my racers complain to me about my race needing more than a 1/4 mile of wide space before entering the single track, I'm seriously rolling my eyes (in my mind) and thinking, "I should introduce you to the Merrimack River Trail Race." Haha.

Today, I was really thankful for the less crowded race because it made that quick entry into the single track not bad at all. I fell right in line with some people right away. In fact, it was so perfect, that once past that bridge, there was very little place exchange for me the entire rest of the race. I passed a guy just before the overpass, and he passed me right back. One guy passed me shortly after that and ended up between Christin and me. Later on in the race, I would pass one guy who then passed me back. So I literally gave up one place the entire race. Crazy since it's usually so different there for me. But, anyway, I felt like we were going at a good pace and not crazy fast like the last two times I've run here, but when my watch said 6:56 for the first mile, I was a bit taken aback. Oops. That was too fast. 2 and 3 years ago that wouldn't have been too fast, but in my broken condition today, it was too fast. I didn't look at my splits again until mile 5, so when I looked back and saw I ran 7:19 and 6:56 for miles 2 & 3, I realized why I was all of a sudden beat at mile 3. Haha. Of course mile 3 is where we start the real rolling part of the course so I slowed anyway. The hamstring tendon problem was ever apparent on the every single climb, even the short ones. Just no power at all. Power hiking will have to become my friend again for sure since it's now MUCH faster up the longer, steeper hills than running. Comparing a few of the climbs on Strava from the past years really shows how much my tendon problems have slowed me down. 10 seconds slower over .1 for "The Dipsea Steps" segment on Strava compared to 2015 is significant.

For the first 3.5 miles, this one guy ran right on my heels. Like, literally right behind me. All it took was the one and only longer, "technical" downhill to lose him. Like he was on my heels at the top and by the bottom, I could barely hear him. Man, I looooove technical downhill. Haha. I was happy to lose him because he was driving me nuts running so close. No idea who he was either since I never once turned around to look at him. My guess is that it was either the guy in the blue shirt or the guy being covered by my ponytail. Haha.

As we approached the power lines, I could see the guy standing where the trail would begin the loop, thus the end of the out-and-back that used to be so crowded on the old course. This also meant the new longer, steeper climb to the power lines. It did not disappoint; it was certainly steep. As I approached the last third of it, I did finally start power hiking, and sure enough, it was much faster than my run. I think that helped me run it faster than people who ran the whole race 10 minutes faster than me.

We crossed the power lines and began the loop section which I really, really liked. We stayed up high on the way back and then down lower on the way back. The amount of rolling hills pretty much stayed the same. After the turn back at 4.75 (GPS) miles, the two guys in front of me had about a 15 second lead on me, and I never once saw a single person behind me the entire second half every time I looked back, so I kind of got complacent for the section back to the powerlines and found myself losing focus and thus race mode. I got it back a little after we got back on the out and back section when I caught a glimpse of Christin ahead of me, maybe 45 seconds. I ended up picking it up a bit and passed one of the guys in front of me. Unfortunately, I don't think he liked that very much and just stayed on my heels and tried to chat. And of all questions he chose to ask, "What team are you racing with?" Hahahahaha. I was definitely not running chat pace, and then I realized this wasn't a one word answer. Damn me and my damn multiple teams! Hahaha.

I had the angst of Scarlett!!

I finally decided against explaining and just said, "CMS". He kept talking and I humored him with a response, but that was it. I had no more breath for talking and he finally passed me again to catch the guy in front of me. Since I no longer had any glimpses of Christin (and would learn she put on over a minute on me in about the last 3.5 miles), I kind of lost focus again. I could still see the guys in front of me, though. Strangely, we came up on a guy who was running really slowly. I thought it was a guy must have been way out front who had dropped back, but looking at the photos, he was never in front of us, so he must have just turned back at some point to jog it in. But I had him, and the other two in my sights when I all of a sudden noticed we were almost down to the road. It only took a second to realize that we were on the old course. That we'd missed the turn up the new big (and final) climb. Ugh!!! I was so mad. How the hell did I go off course at Merrimack AGAIN?! Haha. Well, just like last time, I followed the people in front of me. I must have been totally zoned out to have missed the turn since the course had been really well-marked. I was actually pretty bummed out to miss the hill, and I thought about turning around and going back. In hindsight, I probably should have, but I could already see that we were close to the intersection of the correct course so I kept going. The only thing I worried about was whether or not Christin was still ahead of me. I knew the wrong way was maybe only .1 shorter, and she had had a huge lead, but it still made me nervous. Fortunately, Brian Gallagher just happened to have dropped out of the race and was walking back just as we came out on the road so I asked him if Christin was still ahead. He said she was. Phew. I was relieved. No one had been anywhere near me from behind when I went the wrong way so I wasn't concerned about having taken anyone's advantage away so it all worked out. I would have have stopped and waited if I had passed Christin by going the wrong way.

This last section was flat and fast just like the beginning, but I was kind of losing energy at this point. The two guys who were right in front of me at the road crossing put on a full minute on me for one and 31 seconds for the other which shows just how slowly I ran. They had never really been more than 10-15 seconds ahead of me the entire race. I just couldn't muster up the speed, and I think a lot of that happened to be just from being sick and depleted since it really should have been much faster than it was. I gave up a little too much in the last quarter mile or so and cost me going under 1:14. Haha. Oh well. Came in 3rd female in 1:14:05. 21st overall. Full Results

Coming into the finish

I wasn't super happy with my time, but it was all good. I was ok with it since I know that I'm slower right now than 2015 & 2016 with my body just falling apart. Haha. I was still happy to get 3rd female. And I really loved the new course. It probably won't work out to run it next year since I really am planning to do Boston in 2019, and they will probably fall on the same weekend. So it looks 2020, I will be back at Merrimack! Haha.

As soon as I finished, I grabbed some snacks for me and cookies for John. I took those back to the car then went out for a 2-mile cool down on the trail in the opposite direction of the race. For my award, I got another pair of the gloves and some Goya cookies, and then I actually won something in the raffle this time! Yay. 2 pairs of socks, chestnuts and Cream of Wheat. Haha.

I stayed for a bit after getting warmed up in the car then John and I took the dogs for a walk on the trail. John fished a basketball out of the river that looked almost brand new and was still almost completely pumped up.

We went right home from the race with only a stop at Starbucks and Five Guys for John. My stomach was still messed up, but I tried to force the Goya cookies down. I couldn't finish them and wanted nothing to do with food the rest of the day. When we got home, John was still in the backseat of the car when he said he was stuck and needed my help. I turned around to find this vine ring he'd brought back from the Rivah stuck around his neck and shoulder! I quickly rushed back there....to take some photos. Hahaha! :D Then I helped him out of it.

I showered then hit the couch. I was so done. Whatever energy I had had left was completely gone. Not eating didn't help. I couldn't even get up. I watched 3 episodes of This is Us, and one of them was the really sad episode (not going to give it away) so of course I cried. Haha. The show is a little depressing, but it's also so good! Typical Saturday night in Loserville. Maybe one day that will change, but I don't see it anytime in my future. At least I have my awesome kid who finally came in there and saw me in my sad state. He made me laugh and then asked if I wanted some cinnamon toast. For the first time ever, my kid made me dinner. It may have just been toast, but the cinnamon sugar part was something he had made in baking class himself. I asked for just one slice of bread folded over since I didn't think I could eat more than that. Omg. It was so sweet of him. To go without being cooked for for so long and then have it be John who made it for me really made this so much more meaningful.

I went to bed pretty early. I was so tired.

Sunday, April 15, 2018- I actually got a lot of sleep and felt much better the next morning. The weather was so crappy, though. Nothing but ice. I almost fell so many times just taking the dogs out. It was nasty. I wasn't driving or running outside anywhere this morning. So depressing. April 15th and I'm having to do a long run on the treadmill. It was supposed to be 13 miles which I would have had no problem doing 2 months ago, but, now, I'm done with long runs on the treadmill. I was amazed I made it to 10.5, and it seemed like FOR-EVER. 1:20:05. 7:38 avg pace. Exactly what I was going for pace-wise today.

After my run, I thought I would be tired, but I actually felt good. I had eaten some Cream of Wheat (haha, my Merrimack winnings) in the morning before my run and didn't feel bad from it. I kind of had my energy back, too. Good thing food poisoning effects are short-lived. Haha. I took the dogs out again, and I could tell by the sound of the cars on Rt 16 that the road was clear. What to do? What to do? Go play candlepin! I dragged a reluctant John out to Saco Valley Lanes in Fryeburg, and once again, John loved it. He even wanted to play a 3rd game. He got his first spare ever, too, which had him almost beating me in the second game. I had a good first game, but it went all downhill from there...kind of like my races lately. Haha. It was still really fun. I just wish it wasn't so expensive or we'd play more often. It's the only thing to do indoors around here. This place sucks so bad. It really does. We make the best of it, but it just has so little to offer outside of the mountains and lakes.

That was pretty much it for our day. I did actually eat dinner that night and really looked forward to WATCHING the Boston Marathon from a distance the next day. Haha. I was so glad not to be running it this year. For once in my life, I was thankful to be poor or else I would have been out there. Haha. Thanks, but no thanks. I'll take my chances on it again next year.