The sun sends down its radioactive heat while each barefoot stride splashes up cool ocean spray. The waves try to pull me into itself with every step and then tries to push me back out, like it can’t make up its mind…
Read MoreIt’s been over 9 years since my Trek 820 Antelope was stolen. It’s strange that after so many years I’m still hurt and angry about it. But the reality is that some punk, or punks, opened the side door of my garage and unceremoniously stole all my bicycles. I guess they didn’t steal ALL the bicycles, they were kind enough to leave my Trek SU100. The one with flat tires and every single component rusted out from winter riding and neglect.
When I was a teenager I loved bicycles. I loved fixing and tuning them. I loved cleaning them until they shined. But rather than actually riding them, I spent most of my time drooling over the bikes in the Trek bicycle catalogs. For some reason the shiny, sleek frame of the Trek 830 with its sparkling green to purple fade and its chromoly frame is what I remember the most. I had no idea what chromoly was, but it sounded futuristic and awesome at the time…
Read MoreIf all you learned about running was from what you saw on Instagram, you’d think that running is only perfectly executed runs in gorgeous locations, run by beautiful people. The reality is, some runs really suck and sometimes, the entire day leading up to those runs suck. Not to mention, I look downright sweaty and gross by the end of any run.
My day at work started off with everything going wrong. When things go wrong, they usually go very, very wrong. It can quickly become a high-stress situation that can leave me feeling jittery and shaking (not to be mistaken with the affects of overdosing on coffee). After being on the phone diagnosing and fixing issues all day I finally hit a stopping point and closed my computer for the day…
Read MoreWhen I was 14, my greatest ambition was to play video games. When I was a teenager I “competed” in a bicycle race, that I failed miserably in. I played basketball, but showed little motivation to push myself, especially when it became painful. I was most certainly not thinking about multiple day treks across the polar icecaps.
It could have been jealousy or possibly pride, but I’m ashamed that my first thought upon seeing this book was that she probably had super rich parents who could buy her everything she needed to make this type of adventure possible. This of course was where I was wrong. Yes, money helps to physically get to the starting line, but after reading this book you will realize that strength, skill and mental prowess are paramount to success….
Read MoreSometimes people work their way up to a 50 mile race, I decided to jump in head first. I honestly had no idea if I’d be able to finish or not. My mind said I could, but my fears said I couldn’t. I had put in my training time and felt confident. I knew things would be tough, turns out the race was tougher than I had even feared it might be.
My alarm went off at 3am, although I’m not sure I was actually asleep to begin with. I slept terribly and had been waking up every couple hours. Forget pre-race jitters, I was experiencing pre-race anxiety. Fortunately, despite the rough night of sleep, I was feeling pretty good, ate a bowl of oatmeal and headed over to Wachusett Mountain for the start of the race …
Read MoreWhen I run my mind likes to wander. Even though I know exactly where my feet are going, it’s always a mystery where my mind will take me and where it’ll end up. One particular day I was contemplating the meaning of life and whether I had the guts and ability to run a 50 mile ultramarathon. While I have ran a couple marathons and plenty of smaller races, an ultra is way beyond anything I have ever experienced before. All I could think of was my dead body being medivacked off the course, which then reminded me of my very first (and last) bicycle race.
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When I was in high-school I was obsessed with bicycling. I religiously read my Bicycling magazine from cover to cover, absorbing every little tip and trick. I would spend hours tuning, cleaning and buffing my Trek 830 Antelope until it gleamed. I would swap out components for newer and better ones. I spent hundreds of dollars on Paul Love Levers when they first came out (kudos if you remember these). While I could rattle off a plethora of bicycling facts, when it came to actually bicycling, the only places I rode were to the bookstore and the grocery store…
Read MoreThe Saucony Perigrine 8 was my first trail running shoe ever and I wore them for my first 50 mile ultramarathon, which happened to be my first ultramarathon ever.
My choice to purchase the Perigrine 8 wasn’t very scientific. I started trail running this year and was mainly motivated by finding a cheap, but quality shoe, just in case this was a passing fad for me…
Read MoreThanksgiving for me (and really any holiday for the matter), is about traditions. I love watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I love getting together with family and eating the same kinds of food every year. I also love the races that occur. 2018 was my first time running the Troy Turkey Trot and despite the weather being insanely cold 7º F 😱 🥶 I had a ton of fun…
Read MoreThe Mohawk Hudson River Marathon was my second marathon within the same year. While my first marathon was less than optimal, I had a much better experience the second time around. I really enjoyed that this was a local race in my hometown. I was able to take an Uber to the starting line and finished in downtown Albany, NY. Because it was a local race I saw some friends that I didn’t know were running the race.
The Mohawk Hudson River marathon is a long standing race and put on well. The course is mostly downhill, but the last 6 miles are relatively flat and destroyed me. I hadn’t trained as well for this one as my first one in Martha’s Vineyard and I could tell. I was hoping to hit under 4 hours, but missed that goal. The amount of time that I was over my goal corresponded nicely to the last 6 miles I could hardly run 🤦♂️…
Read MoreThe Martha’s Vineyard Marathon was the first marathon that I have ever run. I was originally training to run a marathon in the Fall of 2018, but my training partner suggested we get one in during the Spring as a test run before our Fall marathon.
The race as a whole is a great, well put together race. The course has beautiful scenery and really highlights the best of Martha’s Vineyard. The main problem with the race is that it occurs during the Spring and presents a potentially mixed bag of weather. When I ran, it was cloudy, a bit chilly and during half of the race it rained. This made for a miserable, and not so scenic or enjoyable run. I really wanted to run this again, but wasn’t sold on making it a priority because of the possibility of not getting good weather again…
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