One digression leads to another...

Things have been very busy lately.  Currently in week 17 of the November OS and workouts are as tough as ever with longer intervals and higher FTP targets.  No issues to speak of other than being on the edge of fatigue all the time. 

My new Team outfit came the other day….. this is the tri top and shorts.  I also bought my first pair of bibs (not shown). 


I can’t wait to show off my new colors at Boston.  There should be 6 to10 EN athletes there all in Team garb.  IMLP is going to have over 30 athletes all in Team EN outfits.  That is going to be awesome!

The OS by itself isn’t too bad, but when I toss in lots of run volume as I ramp up for Boston and the 2 half marathon tune-ups, it adds up.  I also started swimming too.  So my normal Monday and Friday “off” days are now swim days.  I had signed up for some lessons but my instructor hasn’t really been all that great and she had to cancel twice.  I’m thinking of canceling the rest of the lessons and just working on my own again.  Most of my swims are 2000 or 3000 all pull.  I average about 1:55 per 100.

On the run front, getting ready for Boston has been going well since I finally got past the calf twinge that came on during the VO2 max sets in January.  I have been doing fairly well with my 2 key workouts – the long run and my mid-distance tempo runs.  Soon enough I will add back the third key workout: speed skills.  They usually come in the form of Yasso 800’s or hill repeats.  But between the cold crappy weather and the intense bike intervals, I just don’t have it in me to load them up yet.  Still have 8 weeks to go – plenty of time.
This past Sunday I did my long run of 22 miles on the Deadmill.  Yikes!  Well, it really wasn’t that bad.  It was much better than the single digit cold, windy, icy outdoor option.  Definitely turned some heads at EN….. They must thing I am loony tunes…..maybe they’re right…

My final long runs leading up to the race will sandwich 2 20’s and 2 half marathons like this ….. 20 – 13.1 – 20 – 13.1 – 12 then the race.  I did this last year leading up to the Kentucky Derby Marathon as I was seeking my first BQ.  The protocol left me fresh, strong and healthy – it was weather and my race execution that killed me.  I had been training in the cold NE spring and race day in KY was in the 80’s when I finished – well, I bonked.  Still I liked the training and I’ll try the same routine again, only I need do a better job of executing.

Big news of the week is my trip into Baxter State Park with Jim O’Malley and one other.  We’re calling it the Grand Tour of BSP.  It will be a 5 day, 65 mile ski with full packs to circumnavigate the park.  We start Saturday at Abol Bridge and head to a bunkhouse at Nesowadnahunk campground – 16 miles on the Tote road.  Day 2 continues on the Tote Road to South Branch Pond campground – 19 miles.  From there we head across the lakes and thru the woods to Russell Pond, only 9 miles that day.  From Russell we continue on to Roaring Brook, an 8 mile trip.  The bugger of that leg is a major river crossing that can be scary if the water level changed enough to break up the ice.  Then several miles of cross hill skiing that includes 10+ drainages – 20’ deep gullies with little brooks in them.  Steep in, steep out, go a quarter mile, repeat.  The last day is longer but mostly on a tote road some 13 miles back to Abol Bridge. 

The long range forecast is for 6” snow the night before we start which will really help to make conditions excellent.  Then the weather alternates between partly sunny and chance of snow.  Overnight temps in the single digits and daytime temps to mid teens.  Perfect conditions for a ski trip.  I hope to keep my pack to 35lbs with water and food.