Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Hills and Dogs

Ran 5.5 miles @ 7:54/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 161/177
Trails.
Extremely hilly.
Lower 70s, sunny.

I ran this evening with the Trail Monsters at Twin Brooks in Cumberland. We had a good crowd, about a dozen of us in all. The area consists of trails that dart in and out of the woods and fields on rolling hills that provide an excellent workout. I was pretty happy with my pace. Went a bit faster than I had wanted to prior to the run, but it felt great and I'm no worse for the wear. Very happy with how I've felt the past couple of days. I feel like I'm emerging from the cocoon of injury and am feeling strong and getting back the wings I once had.

On that note, I've made the decision to go ahead and run the Vermont 100 on July 20th. Whether this is wise is debatable, but I look at it like this: If you see a dog fall through the ice out on a lake, you must try and save him. Not doing so will result in a lifelong regret of knowing you should have tried to save that dog. The image of the dog struggling to get to safety will be a constant theme in your nightmares. Even if the dog doesn't make it, at least you tried, and all is well with your conscience. I've decided I'm going to try and rescue the dog.

5 comments:

Runner NYC said...

You go rescue that dog, Jamie! Just make sure you keep yourself safe while you're doing it!!

MB said...

That's a nutty decision to run your first 100-miler, it's only, what, seven weeks away?

Have some respect for the distance, remember Hyannis? c'mon you must be pulling our leg! My two-cents is to build up to the distance with a marathon\50k or 50-miler.

I figure you could probably do the 100-miler, the latter 40 miles may be pure hell, oh, by the way, that same dog will be there next year at the same Vermont 100 as in many years past.

Jamie Anderson said...

Yep, it's nutty alright. But what the heck? I've got nothing to lose. If I'm having trouble, no problem, I'll just pull out of the race. That very well might be the case. But I'd like to try and feel like I have a chance.

Also, ultras are very different than marathons. Lot's of walking and slow running. But I do appreciate the concern. It'll be a fun experiment if nothing else.

Rose said...

Well, I'm not sure about the analogy, but as far as the Vermont 100 - go for it! Sometimes we need extreme goals to really get motivated!

MB said...

I should talk, did my one and only 24-hour ultra on a low base with speed, finished second---but, it wiped me out for the next four years!
hence the concern for caution