Back to blogging here...

I've decided to move back to this blog for a number of reasons.
1. I'm voluntarily leaving the Wasatch Speedgoats.
    - I'm no longer running 100's, which is one of their requirements, plus I'm moving aside to make room for new members. You'll be seeing me wearing my VHTRC shirt in most of my trails races and once I move back and get settled with the Monadnock Milers, I'll be wearing their shirt again for my road races.
The Perogoats blog was more about us both being members of that team. Deb is still a member, it's just me leaving...at least for now. Who knows what the future will bring for her, she's very much into painting and gardening and her training seems to get pushed aside more and more. Especially this year her not getting into Hardrock has taken the wind out of her sails.

2. Deb never posted on there, so I figured I'd just come back here. I need a place to write my daily notes about anything and post any pictures I've taken.

So far it's been a tough year....I woke up with a fever in October and my life hasn't been the same since. Off and on Cipro (the tendon killer) since then to push out a prostate infection. I just finished a 21 day round of 1000mg's of it and see my urologist on Wednesday to see if it's cleared up.
The antibiotic, Cipro, is not just a tendon killer. It also made training difficult, breathing has been heavier, my paces have been a lot slower and I just have felt overall really tired.

I had planned on running a road marathon last year to attempt to qualify for Boston again, but this kept pushing things and I settled on a marathon in El Paso last month. I even had to withdraw from a half marathon in Albuquerque the day after I woke up with the fever.

El Paso was a bust....I just couldn't get in shape and it turned out to be near or at 80 degrees that day where the average temp was supposed to be in the mid 50's. So I just wore my HRM and kept my HR at what "should" be my marathon pace HR. It worked for awhile, as I was on a 9mpm pace for the first 5 or so miles, but the closer to Mexico we got, the hotter it got and as my HR stayed at 145, my pace decreased in the heat. I ended up at 4:40, my PW in the marathon by 50 minutes. I have run in the past almost 2 hours faster than that! Of course that was 30 years ago ;-)
I won't give up the hunt for that elusive BQ time of 3:54:59. The goal is actually 3:45 to get a BQ-10 in order to register early. I know I can do it, just have to get through this illness.

Last weekend I went to the Salida Trail marathon, which I've done in the past a couple of times. It's a really nice race, very similar to a fat ass where the entry fee is low, but you do get a shirt and some good food at the finish. They were even serving beer this year, which I bought one....and nice Elevated Porter :-)

We had these views all day long at Salida 

The race never felt good....my breathing was heavy from the start, but as it got later in the race I slowed down off my hopeful sub 5 hour pace. My 2 times here were 4:45 and 4:56. Towards the end, after 20 miles it becomes rolling hilly trails and I started to get paranoid as my shoulder joints and achilles tendons were all aching...so I started thinking about the Cipro destroying tendons and backed off to avoid a rupture. This cost me the over 60 ag win as around mile 21 the guy who did win it went by me while I walked. Well, he can finish ahead of me, but not beat my time of 4:56 from 2 years ago ;-)

Just got back from a nice rike in the forest with the dogs while Deb cleans the rental cabin. She's going to go for a run after that. Me and the dogs went on these nice XC ski trails that were mostly dry, but had mud, ice and snow in spots....but it's a nice place to bring them because it's quiet and not many people hike up there. It felt good, I'm right now trying to keep my Maffetone HR at MAF-5 in order to repair and recover from the Cipro and infection. I will, in time, move it back up to MAF +10, which is where i usually train and is 130ish.

Future plan, once we get past the Zane Grey 50 next month is to train for a 5K. Work my way from the ground up....my theory is if I can improve that, the marathon times will follow. Once we move back to NH, I'm planning on running more road races and less trails, I'll be supporting Deb in her trail races.
It's been a long trail running period, with my first trail 50K back in 1987, my first hundred miler in 1998 and many years of Hardrock. I'll miss doing Hardrock, but that ship has passed. It's becoming too difficult to get in and I always struggle there. Got my third finish last year and in the opposite direction, so I feel complete there. I do have one ultra trail carrot dangling in front of me and that's the VHTRC's Reverse Ring. Deb's finished that and I haven't...got to get that done ;-)

OK, I think I'll end this here, but will be a more regular blogger....maybe even daily!
Until the next time, Happy Trails!
Steve