Bonus: JFK Photo Contest

After the avalanche of great JFK 50 photos we received, we think it would be unfair not to give the JFK photos the same treatment the DC-area trails contest submissions received. Therefore,
iRunFar is holding a second photo contest this Memorial Day weekend. Not only are we going to hold a vote to determine which JFK photos iRunFar readers like best, iRunFar is sweetening the pot with the same gift certificate prizes as offered in the DC trails contest: $25 for 1st, $15 for 2nd, and $10 for 3rd. (See full rules and prize info.)

As with the DC-area trails contest, we've posted the pictures without reference to the photographer to keep this focused on the best photos, rather than the photographer. iRunFar will add photographers' names to the photos after the contest is over. Read on to see the 11 finalists.

Please look at all the photos before voting... no one at iRunFar is a programmer so the poll is not displayed in random order as it should be. Now go vote for any 3 photos in the lower poll to the right. While the poll will allow you to vote for more than three photos we are relying on the honor system here - be honorable.

VOTE FOR ANY 3 PHOTOS!
(Click on any photo to enlarge)

1. Grossman graces the rocks


2. A crowd at Aid Station 2


3. Respite from the Appalachian Trail


4. Wardian on tow path


5. Appalachian Trail descent


6. Friends forever


7. Fast and flat


8. Tow path past rapids


9. Breckenridge blazing the tow path


10. Alone on the tow path


11. The tow path is tough!

Remember to vote for your 3 favorite JFK 50 photos! Voting ends 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 26.

Also remember to vote in the DC-area trails contest!

Click here to read more!

Vote for Your Favorite DC-Area Trail Photos!

Wow, up until a few hours ago, iRunfar's first contest was a complete and total flop. However, a a last minute surge from readers has left us with plenty of quality shots of DC-area trails. In fact, it was quite difficult choosing the 10 finalists. Y'all can put down your cameras now and get to voting for your favorite DC-area trail photos.

As a reminder, iRunFar is holding a contest for the best photos of DC-area trails with the three winning photos earning their photographers Pacer's gift certificates and a chance at publication in a national running magazine. (See more prize info.) We've posted the pictures without reference to the photographer to keep this focused on the best photos, rather than the photographer. iRunFar will add photographers' names to the photos after the contest is over. Read on to see the finalists.

Please look at all the photos before voting... no one at iRunFar is a programmer so the poll is not displayed in random order as it should be. Now go vote for any 3 photos in the upper poll to the right. While the poll will allow you to vote for more than three photos we are relying on the honor system here - be honorable.

VOTE FOR ANY 3 PHOTOS!
(Click on any photo to enlarge)

1. Potomac River Gorge from the Billy Goat Trail

2. Boardwalk in Greenbelt Park

3. The C&O Canal tow path

4. Perimeter Trail in Greenbelt Park

5. Runner on C&O Canal tow path

6. Valley Trail in Rock Creek Park

7. Billy Goat Trail on the cliffs

8. The Billy Goat Trail over the rocks

9. Early spring racing in Potomac Overlook Park

10. Potomac Overlook Park in Autumn

Remember to vote for your 3 favorite DC-area trail photos! Voting ends 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 26.

Note that iRunFar has just added a simultaneous JFK 50 photo contest.

(If you are bored, you can go read the contest rules; however, we suggest just looking at the pretty pictures again.)

Click here to read more!

Photo Contest: DC-Area Trails (and JFK, too!)

If you are looking for fame and fortune, you came to the wrong place. However, iRunFar is running its first contest, which offers the possibility of publication in a national running magazine and some shoe money.

To be more specific, iRunFar is looking for photographs of or from DC-area trails in connection with a forthcoming article on said trails. (See earlier post calling for DC-area trail suggestions.) We ask that you submit photographs of trails inside the Beltway with the notable addition of nearby of Great Falls National Park and the Billy Goat Trail. (Inclusion of runner(s) in the photograph would be nice, but is far from necessary.) Photographs need to be submitted by 6 p.m. EDT on Friday to be included for the full reader voting period,* which will run through the weekend. Read on for contest details

Why not give it a shot? You've got nothing to lose. Be sure to let your family and friend who may have photographs of inside the Beltway trails about the iRunFar photo contest!

The general contest format involves you sending a few photos (fewer than 10, please) or a link to a small online photo album of DC-area trails to iRunFar via "irunfarblog at gmail dot com" before 6 pm on Friday.* It would be great if submissions were accompanied by a brief description of each photograph (i.e., location or event, if applicable). From the submissions, the iRunFar contest team will choose five to ten of its favorite photographs and post them before Saturday along with an online poll. Voters will then have the entirety of the long weekend (through midnight Monday) to vote on their favorite photograph. The top three vote getters win.

What do they winners get? Well, first and foremost (in our judgment), the three winners get a chance at being published in a national running publication. Please note that winning in no way guarantees publication, as the final editorial decisions are well outside our control. To make sure the winners get something, the top three places in the contest will receive a Pacers' gift certificate for the following amounts:

1. $25
   
2. $15
   
3. $10

That might not be much, but it's better than nothing and it's all we could spare from the iRunFar beer, er... rehydration fund. If you submit a winning photo, but don't live in the area, iRunFar will work with you to get a gift certificate for a local running store or, failing that, at a national online running or outdoor store.

Pseudo-legalese: Note that while I'm an attorney, I know nothing about copyright law. The following points basically boil down to - Is the photo "yours" and would you mind if the photo is published? Pretty simple, huh? To draw things out a bit, note that by submitting a photo for consideration, you are acknowledging that:

• You have publishing rights to the photo (i.e., you took the photo and it was not taken as part of job where someone else holds the publishing rights);
• You don't mind the photo being published on iRunFar;
  
• You wouldn't mind the photo being publish in a national circulation running magazine; and
• You will provide your contact information in case the magazine has an additional form for securing publication rights (We would need the contact information for winners, anyway).

Calling All JFK 50 Mile Photos!
iRunFar is also looking for photos from the JFK 50 miler. While there are no physical/fiscal prizes associated with JFK photos, iRunFar will be choosing a few JFK photos to submit for publication. For that reason, the same conditions noted above apply to the JFK photos. Note again, iRunFar does not hold the final decision of which photographs will get published. If enough quality photographs are submitted by 6 p.m. Friday, iRunFar may also run an online poll regarding the top JFK 50-related submissions.*

* It is possible that later submitted photographs may be included in the voting; however, the contest director may be in the mountains with no email access for the entire weekend and, regardless, many votes may have already been cast before the late submitted photograph is posted.

Click here to read more!

The Week of May 12-18, 2008

Synopsis of Week’s Training:
This week's running did not turn out exactly as planned, but the deviations were probably for the better and it was a great week nonetheless. Read on for a summary of my training this week.

Monday I broke a cardinal rule the cardinal rule - Never miss a run, because you were blogging. That said, after three and a half weeks (38 days) without a day off, this wasn't a bad thing. Had I actually wanted to run, I was home early enough that I still could have squeezed it in. One nice thing about the day off is that I could take a good reseting heart rate that night. The pleasant verdict was 42-43 beats per minute, which was lower than expected.

Tuesday, I ran to WUS and then did a moderate 8 with Keith. He showed he was ready for MMT. Met what seemed like half the MMT field for pizza and beer afterwards. Wednesday was another solid morning run with Wardian with second five miles spot on 7 minute pace. Hit the track for a couple miles of fun on Thursday night - ran 3.25 at 6:15 pace and then brought it down for the final three laps.

Friday was a wash with a morning run skipped to rest up for pacing duties and travel out to the Massanuttens in the afternoon. Sadly, my Saturday run was nixed when good friend Mike dropped from MMT. I could have paced another, but thought that my training would benefit from an off day and a full night of sleep than a slow 30 miler and a sleepless weekend. I got that full night's sleep (almost 11 hours!!!) and went out for my favorite lop in all of Virginia's mountains - the Jeremy's Run Loop. Great loop with almost 5,000' of climb (that's a GPS figure - I think it's a bit less) over the course of 17 miles. I took out Mike Mason's nephew for his first mountain run and longest run ever. He had a blast, spotted a bear and a great horned owl, and saw tons of wildflowers. I took a fun header, too!

While I ended up taking three days off this week, I still ended up with four quality workouts and 47 miles. Plus with the rest days I'm counting this as an unscheduled down week. I continue to feel stronger and feel fresh. Time to rip it up in training for a another three or four weeks!

By The Numbers:
Monday – 0. Doh!
Tuesday – 11.5. Moderate night trail run.
Wednesday – 10.5. Moderate run.
Thursday – 8. 4 miles of tempo.
Friday – 0. Travel.
Saturday – 0. No pacing.
Sunday – 17. Mountain run.

Weekly Mileage: 47
Year-to-Date Mileage: 896
Three Week Moving Average: 60.0
Year-to-Date Weekly Average: 45.4

Upcoming Training Goals:
Run 6 or more days this week with at least 1 hard run and one moderate run. Make this weekend a triple solid run weekend, but remember you haven't done many long runs and are not in peak shape. Temper the enthusiasm and run smart.

Click here to read more!

2008 MMT 100 Updates Combined

iRunFar hates strongly dislikes clutter. While iRunFar's separate MMT Updates served their purpose during the race, they clutter up the blog. Therefore, we've taken them and combined them into one post. Other than some tidying up of the format and a few corrections, they remain the same. The now read in chronological order, as well. Read on for a narrative of the 2008 Massanutten 100 from the start through Gap Creek 2 (mile 64.9).

Before going on to the updates congratulations are in order for Todd Walker on his long-coming and tough-fought victory, Amy Sproston on her excellent performance, Keith Knipling for racing his heart out for 21 hours, and to ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, CREWS, AND PACERS who made the racers' performances possible.

MMT Update: Shawl Gap (posted 6:48 a.m.)
Sean andrish came into Shawl Gap in first (1:15) closely followed by Tim Holsgrove and Keith Knipling. Harland Peele came through next in 1:16. Todd Walker cane through at 1:17:45 and Mike Mason at 1:18:45. Tommy Nielsen was just a few seconds behind Mason. Next were Dan Rose then Serge and then Adam Casseday.

Sean Andrish coming into Shawl Gap.

MMT Update: Habron Gap (post 8:58 a.m.)
Sean still leads (3:38) with Halrand Peele and Keith Knipling both coming in at 3:39 and change. The three leaders all look strong. All made quick trips through the aid station.

Veterans Tom Nielsen and Todd Walker came in together at 3:43. Half a dozen minutes later Mike Mason rounded out the top 6.

Word on the course is that after a cool start it's starting to heat up.

Sean Andrish cruising into Habron Gap - still in the lead.
Harland Peele is down the road a ways.

MMT Update: Camp Roosevelt (mile 33.3) (posted 10:56 a.m.)
There's been a lead change between Habron Gap and Camp Roosevelt. Keith Knipling passed Harland Peele and housemate Sean Andrish to take the lead.

Keith Knipling rolling into Camp Roosevelt.

Keith came into EC at 5:26:45 with Sean arriving at 5:29:00. Garland Peele and Todd Walker came in together just 30 seconds after Sean. A third of the race down and it's still a super tight race up front.

Tommy Nielsen came through at 5:35:00, Adam Casseday at 5:49:30, and Mike Mason at 5:53:00.

There are two notable men's field drops to this point. Mike Schuster did not start due to injury. Early player Tim Holsgrove dropped at Habron Gap due to a preexisting injury that flared up 10 miles earlier.

MMT Update: Gap Creek 1 (mile 38.9) (posted 12:21 p.m.)
On what is turning out to be a perfect day for trail running, Keith Knipling has expanded his lead on the field en route to Gap Creek 1 from Camp Roosevelt. KK came into the aid station with a clock time of 6:33:00 and was looking strong. Todd walker rolled in next, still
just 3 minutes behind Keith.

Keith Knipling charging down a classic stretch
of Massanutten trail coming into Gap Creek 1.

As has been happening all race, runners continue to bunch up. Harland Peele, Tommy Nielsen, and Sean Andrish all came into Gap Creek 1 with 80 seconds. Harland led the group into the aid station in 6:42:00. Tommy was running smart and Sean was hanging in there.

Don Rose has moved up - coming in to the aid station in 7:11:15. Mike Mason came in at 7:15:00, but left a minute or two before Don.

We have received reports that Amy Sproston has led the women's field all day through Camp Roosevelt. She is running 25 hour pace, looking fine, and seems to be relaxing (i.e., feeling more comfortable) as the race has progresses.

Note: iRunFar apologizes for any delays in posting updates and any "batches" of update posts. Updates are drafted and dispatched as our correspondents leave each aid station. However, as the iRunFar Trailside Posting System is dependent on local technological infrastructure, we have encountered difficulties now that the race has entered Fort Valley. The reasons for said difficulties are self-evident.

MMT Update: 211 East 1 (posted 3:04 p.m.)
Keith Knipling continues to expand his lead over Todd Walker from 3 to 7 minutes in the 9.1 miles from Gap Creek 1. Keith came through 211 E 1 in just over 8 hours and 21 minutes.

The gap between the top two spots and what was the peleton has grown from 4 minutes at Gap Creek 1 to 211 E. Harland came in to 211 24 minutes behind Keith (8:41 total time) and took his time at the aid station. Sean Andrish came in 8 minutes after Harland and is looking
much better than he did at Gap Creek 1.

Moving into fifth place is Adam Cassesay. Adam matched Harland's pace over the last strech, made up 7 minutes on Andrish, and passed Tommy Nielsen.

Mike Mason (9:18:30 total time) was a big mover heading to 211 E - going from 8th to 6th and keeping even or making up time on Harland, Sean, and Adam. Don Rose was 4.5 minutes behind Mike.

In other news, Serge Arbona made it to 211 E without ever having been to Gap Creek 1. He was directed back towards his pre-GC1 deviation. While he is now out of contention, Serge valiantly headed back up the trail. To finish Serge will need to run at least 120 miles.

(We finally saw the results of our previous updates and have noticed that the addition of photos negatively effects the format of the text. Therefore, we're skipping the already taken photo for this post to see if that improves the format. For the time being, just imagine the back of a Virginia Happy Trails Running Club tee-shirt donned by Keith heading into the 211 E aid station.)

MMT Update: 211 East 2 (posted 5:43 p.m.)
Keith Knipling maintained his 7 minute lead over Todd Walker over the 10 mile Bird Knob section of the MMT course. Harland Peele fell further off the lead and is now 45 minutes back. Adam stated exactly 46 minutes behind Keith, thereby passing Sean Andrish and coming within a minute off third place. Sean is now 55 minutes off the lead.

Mario Raymond made a huge move to pick sixth place off from Mike Mason.

We can confirm that Tommy Nielsen lost the trail after Gap Creek 1 and has dropped from the race.

MMT Update: Gap Creek 2 (posted 5:48 p.m.)
Word is that Todd Walker made up Kieth Knipking's 7 minute lead and added 5 minutes of his own. Adam Casseday is running very strong in third with Harland Peele.

Time for me to sign off and get ready to pace. Happy trails and keep the rubber side down.

MMT Update: Gap Creek 2.1 - Final Update (posted 8:24 p.m.)
Sean Andrish still hanging tough at Gap Creek 2. Mario Raymond looking good am moving up. Mike Mason a drop at GC2.

Amy Sproston came in not long after Mike looking very strong. Top 5 overall not at all out of the question for Amy. Watch out boys, here she comes!

Click here to read more!

What's Your Favorite Trail Inside the Beltway?

I know there are quite a few iRunFar readers inside the beltway. As many of these beltway insiders will be stopping by for iRunFar's Massanutten 100 coverage this weekend, it seems like an ideal time to ask:

What are your favorite trails within the Capitol Beltway and why?

While I know many of the local trails, I'd love to learn of more. (Just last week I learned of the excellent Gulf Branch access trail to the Potomac Heritage Trail.) I'm sure other local iRunFar readers as well as future tourists or business travelers would also love to know more about the trails the area offers.

I'm also writing a article on the area's trails and would like to hear people's thoughts on the DC area trail systems. [I will ask for permission before quoting anyone.]

With that, it's off to the Massanuttens!
Click here to read more!

Test of the iRunFar Trailside Posting System

Alright, some folks seem to want play-by-play from the MMT course this weekend. If this post is successful (and there's a cell signal in Fort Valley), we'll go live from trailside early this weekend.

An early warning/apology to RSS subscribers who don't want to follow MMT this weekend. iRunFar will be posting individual updates rather than modifying precious posts. That said, there aren't likely to be more than a half dozen posts on Saturday.
Click here to read more!

2008 Massanutten 100 - Women's Race Preview

While women's field at this year's Massanutten 100 does not have the numbers the men's field does (20 ladies in the race versus 140 lads), it promises to be an interesting race in its own way.  With so many very talented men in the race, someone is going to end up nailing a fast time for the win.  The tiny women's field means it's actually much more wide open.  A speedster could run away from the field, a long shot could nail it, or slow and steady could win the race.  Be prepared to follow this weekend's action with iRunFar's 2008 MMT 100 Women's Racecard. [Get your Men's MMT Racecard here.]

2008 Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Racecard - Women

• #8 - Janine Baker - Ran a 9:54 at Mountain Masochist and 9:58 at Collegiate Peaks last year.  Has speed at shorter distances.  Living in Colorado should help her cause.
  
• #20 - Kari Brown - Kari was second at last year's MMT with a time of 30:30, but gets the nod for her 5:07 Seneca Greenway 50k performance this March.
• #111 - Kerry Owens - From 2004 through 2006, Kerry's MMT times improved from 29:09 to 28:41 to 26:39 - times good enough for second, third, and third place finishes respectively.  Owens has many solid finishes at numerous rugged 100 mile racers.  She is tough, experienced, and knows a thing or two about running MMT.  A lock for the podium.
  
• #127 - Eva Rosvold - Eva ran solid times at Bull Run Run (8:43) and JFK (8:17) last year and won the Bel Monte 50 miler this March.  Rosvold has two 100 mile finishes to her credit: 26:34 at Kettle Moraine '04 and 28:41 at Bighorn '07.
• #140 - Amy Sproston - The speedster in the women's race.  If Amy runs smart and stays upright, the race is hers to lose.  So far this year Amy's won the inaugural Coyote Two Moons 100k and has been second at the Holiday Lake and Promised Land 50ks.  Last spring, she won both Bull Run Run 50 miler and the Seneca Greenway 50k.  Sproston has a lone 100 mile finish - a 31:21 at Bighorn '07.  She can trim 6+ hours off that if she's on this weekend.
  
• #148 - Laurel Valley - Try searching for results for someone named "Laurel Valley" and you'll come to the point where all you need to know is she ran a 7:04 50 mile back in 2002 and 4:09 50k a year later.  Good enough for me to wrap this up and go for a run.

Also worth mentioning for Top 5 contention are Susan Donnelly (#39), Challen Edwards (#41), Lisa Fleming (#47), Jen Foster (#48), Ruthann Helfrick (#67); Inga Olsen (#110).   The course is so tough, the field so small, and the competition so open, it may be a good to put bet down on one of these ladies to place. Admittedly, the lack of heat or rain in this weekend's forecast helps out the more predictable front runners.  Bad conditions at MMT = a rocky, chaotic nightmare. A very long nightmare.

And to answer your question, yes, I did try to pare down the "worth mentioning" list, but all the women gave me reason to think they could run a solid enough MMT to go Top 5. To give you perspective, last year the fifth place woman at MMT ran 33:41 with 31:21 taking third.  For the record, I think both spots will require significantly faster times this year..

How do you think the women's race will shake out after all is said and run this weekend?

Click here to read more!

2008 Massanutten 100 - Men's Race Preview

Race fans get ready, 'cause there's sure to be some spectacular racing in Virginia's Massanutten Mountains this weekend! I was excited when the initial field was drawn up in December of last year and that excitement hasn't waned a bit. With the lack of genetic freaks like Matt Estes, Karl Meltzer, and Sim Jae-Duk in this year's field, the race is wide open with a stable full of studs ready to pound rocks... and their competitors' wills into submission. As I will be pacing one of the contenders, Mike Mason, I won't be posting odds on the race. Instead, below's a numerically ordered racecard all you fans can use to follow the big dance on a rock pile this weekend. [Get your Women's MMT Racecard here.]

2008 Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Racecard - Men

• # 5 - Sean Andrish - A local who's spent many a day running over the rocks. Back in May 2004 he had a particularly good day on Massanutten's finest - winning the race by 40 minutes in a time of 20:49. More recently, Sean won the Uwharrie 40 in February (6:05) and the Promised Land 50k going away just two weeks ago in the outstanding time of 4:44.
• #7 - Serge Arbona - A veteran 100 miler who is perhaps more suited for speed than rocks having just won the Umstead 100 in less than 16 hours. (Serge also won Umstead in 15 hours in change in 2005 and 2007.) That said, he had back-to-back 22:"high" MMTs back in '04 and '05.
• #27 - Adam Casseday - Dark horse from the Mountain State. Casseday probably eats rocks like he eats ice cream... with sprinkles, of course. That could be a dangerous combo with his 4:08 Holiday Lake 50K++ speed. To contend, he'll have to temper the early enthusiasm of his first 100. (Adam, you are a full-pull virgin, right?)
• # 30 - Joe Clapper - Can someone hold Joe's blocks at the start? The big question on the day is can Joe hold his lead for more than 50 m... meters that is.
  
• # 68 - Tim Holsgrove - It pays to do your homework - both as a writer (me) and runner (Tim). This wee lad from Britain's green & pleasant land earned legit ultra credentials by winning the 2007 Grand Union Canal race, which is 145 miles in length. Mister Holsgrove best be aware of the challenge he faces in Virginia's grey and unpleasant land for if he's not the sun may yet set... and rise again on this man's Empire this weekend. Here's a BBC Radio interview of Holsgrove following his recent win at the 78 mile Jurassic Coast Challenge.
  
• #79 - Keith Knipling - What need be said about a man who ran three Massanutten-area 100 mile races in three weeks last May - winning two and placing 3rd at MMT with an awesome time of 21:18. In March, Knipling and Andrish rocketed a 50k over the Massanuttens - finishing together. Two weeks ago, Keith ran a speedy 5:07 at Promised Land. No other contender has as much MMT experience as Keith.
  
• #94 - Mike Mason - Mike's got a 22:33 MMT to his name (2006) and won the rugged Bel Monte 50 miler in March. I've seen this guy massively negative split a 100 (Cascade Crest 2006)...after going all Skeletor on us in the heat of the day. That said, the lower the Mike's position at mile 25, the higher his position at 75... and after that The Cleaner will take care of business.
• #105 - Tom Nielsen - Tough. As. Nails. I would fear racing this man at the end of a 100 miler like few others. Tommy's got an MMT win (2003- 21:55) and a pair of victories at Angeles Crest ('99 + '00). He's also a regular Top-10 finisher at Western States with one 2nd ('00) , two 3rds ('98, '99) and two 4ths ('01, '06) to his credit.
• #130 - Mike Schuster - If Schuster's healthy, he's a smooth operator over rocks. In March, Schuster won the Chocolate Bunny 50k with Andrish - the pair finished the night 50k on the Massanutten trails in less than 6 hours. Last September, Mike set the course record for the 71 miles of the Massanutten Trail "The Ring" with a time of 15:41.
  
• #151 - Todd Walker - Todd has been the first human at MMT the past three years - finishing second to Matt Estes in 2005 (19:24! and beating Meltzer), fourth behind "The Korean," Meltzer, and Estes in 2006 (19:13!!), and second to Meltzer last year (21:11). He's the fast runner from each of the past three MMTs returning to kick rocks this year. Oh, and no one else in the field has run within 90 minutes of Walker's 19:13. So although I'm not ranking, it's hard not label Walker as the favorite.
  

Those are the players for podium spots, folks. The best of the rest include CJ Blagg (#13), Scott Myers (#101), Brad Smythe (#138), Kevin Townsend (#146) [added 5/13], and Brennen Wysong (#158). Since I'm not making any predictions, how do y'all think the race is gonna play out this weekend?

I should added that there are a couple notable omissions from the original entrants list - Matt Estes and Wynn Davis. Certainly the retention of Estes in the field would have dramatically changed the race. Wynn Davis would have been in the thick of things, too. Oh, I also withdrew. ;-)

I must share that great minds think alike. Midway through writing this post I came across Dan Rose's preview of the MMT men's field. For the record, I did not read it until I completed my participant profiles. Eerily similar. Take a look for yourself. I hope Meltzer posts odds on the MMT field giving his recent experience with the race.

If the mountains and my phone allow it, I hope to be posting periodic updates from the MMT course right on up to 6 p.m. on Saturday when I'll head out toe-stubbing with Mr. Mason.

Click here to read more!

The Week of May 5-11, 2008

After a long break, I hope to start posting weekly training updates for the foreseeable future. I had stopped when my training took a serious downturn in early March and never restarted because I wasn't sure anyone read my training updates. However, with a teammate 4,000 miles away, I figure I should try to keep him in the loop. By posting these updates on iRunFar, I also let you know what I'm up to and hope to keep myself accountable over the next couple months. Read on for a look at my training week.

Synopsis of Week’s Training:
Alright, here's my week. I started the week with an easy run to work. Tuesday included 8+ miles of moderate night trail running with Keith Knipling - fell hard twice. Wednesday morning broke with a progressively faster run with Mike Wardian and Steve Tappan - we cruised the last 5 at just under 7 minute pace.

On Thursday I ran my first speed session on the year and felt good enough en route to turn a 3 mile workout into a 4 mile workout. Had little trouble running 6:15-20 pace on flats and slight declines... slowed considerably on inclines. Friday was an easy run to work. I also drank too much Friday night... hence a not-so-fun not-so-fast run on Saturday.

Sunday's long run started well with a decent 10.5 out to the American Legion Bridge. Identified wild ginger for the first time ever - a highlight of my week. Had an okay first couple miles back, but was walking by mile 15. Probably walked 2 miles total on the return trip. Got some refreshments at Potomac Overlook Park's Visitors Center. Was able to run the final two miles home. Was stupid for not bringing any gel - a really dumb move so early in my training.

That's it for this week. I may post a recap of my year to date training... if I get a chance. As a side note, I've run every day for five and a half weeks. Feeling strong.

By The Numbers:
Monday – 7. Easy run to work.
Tuesday – 11. Moderate night trail run.
Wednesday – 10.5. Moderate run.
Thursday – 8. 4 miles hard.
Friday – 6.5. Easy run to work.
Saturday – 8.5. Hungover run.
Sunday – 21. 15 good miles, 6 awful miles.

Weekly Mileage: 72.5
Year-to-Date Mileage: 849
Three Week Moving Average: 61.2
Year-to-Date Weekly Average: 45.3

Upcoming Training Goals:
Bust out two more solid weeks of training before taking a much needed (and overdue) down week. Pace Mike Mason to a solid performance at the Massanutten 100 next weekend. Keep incorporating a speed workout every week. Eat better and get good sleep. On that note, good night.

Click here to read more!