This season has been full of alterations, and as we move into the Chicago Marathon taper we’ll throw another one at you. This week is the Lake Winnipesaukee Relay, which many of the usual Sunday Long Runners will be heading north to participate, including me. What does this mean for the Sunday Long Run? It means Walt, Ginny, and Carol will be stepping up to take care of the running of the long run, both figuratively and literally. Others that wish to join them should post there desired distance here. They’ve already begun to plan something in the 16-18 mile range.
Weekly Advice: My only taper advice is this… Don’t do anything stupid! We’ve made it this far, no reason to go ruin it doing something stupid. Seems simple but there will be an abundance of chances to hurt yourself (I just helped my neighbor move a piece of furniture) try to avoid doing anything you’ll look back on and say “What was I thinking!?”
Ok, everyone have a good weekend. Walt, Ginny, Carol: take it from here….
I am doing the Wicked Half Marathon on Saturday….then riding the 50M Hub on Wheels on Sunday. Best to all!
Hi, sorry but I will be running the Wilmington half-marathon Sunday, adding on 3 miles before. Nice flat route if you want to join me…
I think I can only run between 13-15. Please don’t alter the plan for me; I can always jump in mid way through like I did a few weeks ago.
Catherine I am thinking about joining you for the half, thanks for the invite & directions to your house, we might need them if it is raining hard! Not sure about the extra 3 miles!
Hello to all who may wish to join a small group of MRC runners trying to get in one decent long run with the Brueggers finish. Its a merger of routes…
This may be a wet run… 2 wstops only… about 17.8 mi max but can be individually adjusted to satisfy training needs.
8am start Brueggers Swains pond back to Brueggers (WS 4.8 mi), continue on Main to left at Franklin, Franklin to left at Main St. Stoneham (WS2 at Friendlys 8.8 mi) around Spot pond counter clockwise, back to WS 2 (13 mi), and retrace main to franklin to main back to Brueggers (17.8 total). If you want to cut it shorter there are a number of rights you can take to get you back sooner, or if you want to add on you can take a right onto the fellsway to wyoming back to Brueggers for 20 miles. We would only need one WS at friendlys ( the other one in the parking lot in back of Brueggers).
Please let us know if we are to expect you for a portion of this run. We’ll figure out the wstop drop number 2 by Saturday evening. Thank you very much. Walt
I might run later in the a.m. if it’s raining as I am going shorter and might run with Teresa. I can do a water stop if you need help. Just tell me where and when.
I am in for 17.8, maybe stretching it out to the 20.
I am in, for 17.8.
Look forward to it.
John
Nick ( and anyone else),
My address is 12 Somerset Place. Its off Mystic Ave which is 2 streets on the right before Waltham St. where the race starts. My home # is 978-447-5550. I am planning to add on the 3 miles earlier so I can meet you at my house or at the start but feel free to come over even if I’m not home,esp. if its rainy. My kids will entertain you!
Sunday continues on from both the Wilmington half (Catherine) and MRC Sunday LR from Brueggers. Figuring on rain dampened clothing/shoes which will probably force runs of 8 to 10 sec/mile longer than expected.
Am hoping heavier showery periods delays til 11 am when most of us are done but right now not optimistic.
Preparation should include anti chafing remedies for the clothing-skin abrasive areas as well as as anti blister action for the wet socks/running shoe. Body glide is one solution.
A hat to shade the eyes from rainwater can be helpful… but also running this as a race (a number of miles at desired overall Marathon goal pace) may mean no hat and shedding the wind breaker which I (not speaking for MRC or anyone else) think is easily doable in 55 to 60 degree running temperatures.
One correction… Ginny pedometer-running mapped the route… its exactly 17.0 Those going longer can plan on adding either before or after.
See all of you for an 8 am Sunday departure— and will add Ginnys link to the map in a subsequent post…
Thank you very much, Walt
MAP of route and specific mileage. Please expand it for your use and I will bring copies.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3218163
Thank you very much to Ginny for route design and mapping!
Wstops are Brueggers and Friendlys up in stoneham
Walt
I am up for the 17.8 miles. Hopefully no rain!
Just checking- am I doing the Friendly’s WS? I am glad to help if you need me but don’t want to show up in the rain if someone else has this covered already. I can bring my own supplies if needed.
Thanks for posting the link to the route map Walter, and for making copies. Carol and I will provide the water stops this week, so thanks for offering Joanne; no need to get wet if you don’t have to. I’ll pick Carol up behind Friendlys’. That spot will serve as water stops 2 and 3. We’ll have the first stop behind Brueggers. If anyone is looking to add on to the route if you take a right onto the lynn fells parkway instead of going straight back to brueggers, and go left on W. Wyoming, and left back to Main St. That will add 2.5 miles to the route. See you all in the morning.
Catherine,
Looks like I will bag it for today, please don’t wait. Thanks for the invite!
Ngl
Dont give up… it will get better after 9am.
Radar trends show that rain is now tapering in Hartford and points west. it will be raining occasionally moderately through about 9am…then i think it diminishes in melrose and points north through west…it might even just be sprinkles or drizzle by 10 am.
so prepare for a soaker for all running before 9am… then it tapers. walt
Nice running Ginny, Carol, John and Joe… we did it and other than some diminishing showers in the first 30 minutes… we ran dry, under a low overcast with a temperature/dewpoint of 60/57. The wstops worked fine and I hope everyone was satisfied with this preparatory run.
Jim, we owe the kitty as a LR unit, $5 next week.
Thank you very much everyone,
Walt
For the limited number of troopers that showed up for todays long run I’d have to say we all had pretty decent runs. Since the caption for this weeks run was to make it up as we go along, we did some of that. Except Joe. He pretty much stuck to the plan and ran the planned out route adding on at the end finishing with a scant 20 miler under his belt. Nice job, Joe, and he was still smiling by the time we caught up with him on Brueggers beach. I’m not sure what Walters final mileage was today, but I can attest to his strong form, intent concentration, focus, and fast pace as he passed us along spot pond heading back to brueggers telling us he was at 15.5 and requesting we post a recap on the forum. If everything is in alignment for you on race day, you’re going to do awesome Walt. So here goes my recollection:
The five of us started out in the rain with Walters assurance that it wasn’t going to be that bad for long. He was right, after about 1/2 hour the rain tappered off, and we only had a few episodes of heavy drizzle after that. Running down Swains pond road is always a treat, and it looks different everytime we do it. Today we noticed the beginning stages of the foliage change with the rain drops plunking into the water in the foreground. On the left smaller pond we saw a lone swan with its head and neck tucked under its’ wing sheltered from the rain. It looked like a giant white orb, and the peacefulness it evoked stopped our conversation while we admired the scene. Gotta love this part of the run! After a refreshing drink and a few wardrobe changes at the first water stop, we headed for Stoneham. Running on Franklins St. we encountered a “mad honker”, who did not like sharing the road with a runner. Just to be sure we got his message he started honking about 1/4 mile before coming upon us. Wake up Stoneham. Hope there wasn’t anyone trying to sleep in. Refueled and hydrated and trying to stave off a creeping chill we headed out of WS2 into the third leg of the run, around the pond. We were talking about how hard it is to start back up into the run after stopping when somehow Johns foot landed in a huge unforeseen puddle with a big kersplash. We’ve all been there and know the soggy feeling of running with a saturated shoe. Didn’t slow him down though. Since Jim is in the habit of reporting road kill sightings I feel obligated to report 1 completely flattened dead snake stuck to the side of the road. Good thing it didn’t register with me what it was until after I hurdled it. Yuk! The last few weeks I’ve noticed the further into the run the stronger people are running, and today was the same way. We pulled into the third stop, refueled one last time, and decided we were going to add on a bit at the end of our run to get close to 20. Going down Franklin St. John convinced us to add a really good hill. I said he was taking over Jims role this week, and he may be the object of some not so nice words. Turns out the hill was the one on Warwick Rd., a real thigh burner. After that one my communication to my legs was completely annexed from my brain. What was I thinking? (well I can’t say what I was thinking). It was a “good hill”. From there we turned onto the fells, and since we had to make up some distance, we started making up a route to get us back. We continued down the fells to Washington St, to Pleasant, to W. Wyoming to Main and finished up at 19.5 miles. Glad the Lake Winnie crew had a fun successful race and weekend, and perfect weather to boot. You were missed. Taper time!
Nice recap Ginny. Thanks for the company to both you and John. Had a good run – although I have been feeling it a bit today!
Great recap, Ginny! Glad that you all had a great run and got the distance in. Mark the Wilmington Half marathon on your race calenders for next year. Its a well-supported, local, challenging course. The race director was thinking of canceling this race b/c of low turnout, hope not. The weather may have deterred some people and the other events that went on that weekend.
Hope you all are resting and looking forward to tapering!
That is a solid re-cap. Yes, thanks to everyone who came out. Walt was dead on with the weather call (he needs a tv gig and to start buying my lottery tickets) and it all worked out very well. I have no doubt that Winnie was more fun but we all got done what needed to be done. Thanks guys.