Week Ending July 18 - Stowe 8 Miler

Mon 7/12 - Easy treadmill 8 Miles in 1:02:00 [7:45 per mile]
Tue 7/13 - Childs race again 15:54 6:38 pace then track
                 Fois joined Mark, Norm and I.

                We decided on 4 1000s and 4 400's just enough to get in some good work
                without depleting ourselves before Sunday's 8 miler in Vermont.
                splits for 1000's with Fois / 400 recovery
                 3:20/2:07 3:17/2:15 3:12/2:07 3:18/2:15
                  Fois ablsolutely smoked me on #3 he about 3:06
                 + 3 min set rest regroup w/ Fois and Fuller for the 400's revovery walk for 70 secs
                 goal was 80... yea right
                75 - Norm got amp'd up on this one he and fois went 70
                     while I did my best to ket them go and run a true 80
                 76 - I tried to pace out a 79 but I guess I was too worked up from the 1st one...
                78 - better...
                68 - (last one is always for bragging rights) fois won most convincingly
               5600m of effort 18:06 [5:12/mi 3:14/km]
              ran cooldown with Norm in the dark and a nice light rain. felt like Heaven here on Earth.
              solid work 12 Total  in 1:28:00
Wed 7.14 - no run
Thu 7/15 - no run ... slug !
Fri 7/16 - 7 Miles in 52:00 [7:25 per mile]
Sat 7/17 - 8 Miles easy still HOT in 1:02:00 [7:45 per mile]  travel to Stowe
Sun 7/18 - Stowe 8 Miler 48:21 3wu/3cd 14 total

Summary for Week 49 miles in 5 runs - one decent track, one poor race again low milage. At least by body doesn't feel banged up right now but I got to rachet up the miles soon if Im going to do well in the fall marathon.

Stowe 8 Mile Race

The Grand Prix returns to Stowe after a couple years hiatus. A bit of a drive for most but the ski town village with its vistas, attractions and tasty eateries / breweries has been a fav of everyone I know. The inescapable heat of a mid July race was enough to do-in the event, just as it did the Whilaway 10k, also couple years back. But thankfully, the Stowe 8 has been revived.

This year a slight course change. A cross country style start in the fields with box seeding for the current top 3 mens & womens' leaders atop the open and masters teams. The race goes and the natural ordering of runners soon follows just as it always does but the cross start was something different and fresh, which is always welcome. The wind is noticably in your face for the first two miles which this year was welcome for it seemed to provide some relief to the heat and humidty, if just a bit.

I run a conserative 5:44 pace for the 1st mile feeling not to over taxed. I don't anticapte holding this pace for 8 miles but I know if I attempt a slow early pace with a negative split, the feeling of being left behind will be overwhelming. I don't think Ill be strong enough to run a solo effort clipping off runnners in the 2nd half. At the same time I know many people are going to underestimate this course. I'm betting 5:50 pace will be a fine placing for the masters age group and that's in the range I'm holding hope on hitting.

Mile 2 has the first steady climb and I dont feel my legs are ready to do battle today. I try to hold even with a slowly surging Dave Dunham but it's not happening. I do manage to work up to fellow Springfield Harrier Peter Fratini and we run side by side for the next mile. The first downhill is a good long drop which I conserve on rahter than attack in a 5:41 mile. I could have easily bombed down it and brought back some key maters runners but the next good uphill tester is close so I need to prserve what little punch my legs have a this point.

I split the halfway in 23:33 5:53 pace. So far, so good. I get to the base of the first climb and hold posiotn when what i needed to do was started reeling in the packs of keys masters I would liked to compete against today. But instead the gap grows and I find myself picking off a few here and there but for the most part the keys guys are getting further away from me. Worse as the course level some for the final two miles. I find myself unable to gear down and finish strong. I pass one or two more runners but tank seem to be aprroaching 'E' and the last 1.2 mile it seems like the tachometer is still reving high but the speedometer says something different. I'm getting slower, not faster.

Splits 5:44 5:58 6:11 5:41 6:06 6:12 6:14 6:15

82nd overall, 11th Males 40-44
6th in the GP Master Team