Jedi Turtle or Grease Monkey?
Saturday, May 27, 2006

Last November it was a bad water pump leaking coolant the morning I was driving down to the 'Gunks to run the After the Leaves Have Fallen 20K. In December it was a soft tire (and various mishaps while trying to change it on a sheet of ice) the morning I was driving to Vermont to run the I Love Woodford 3 mile snowshoe race. So I should be starting to expect automotive challenges before races... but I wasn't expecting my alternator to give up the ghost on Friday night, a day and a half before I drive to Ashford CT to run NIPMUCK.

Fortunately, after an evening of stressing about it, I popped over to Advance Auto Parts, bought a remanufactured alternator, and greatest blessing of all, installed it without any problems in about 45 minutes. So apparently this was a speed bump on the road to NIPMUCK and not the powers that be warning me to stay home tomorrow.

JMH

LAST RUN!
5-6 Mile Run at Five Rivers
Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Well, my last run before NIPMUCK. Not my last run ever! I hope...

The trails at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center were great today... kind of muddy in spots, but that's fun. The section along the Vloman Kill was especially nice - I love all the little waterfalls and the cool rock formations in the stream bed.

I've spent this week recovering from the duathlon last weekend and resting up for NIPMUCK. Short runs, nothing more than 90 minutes. And, oddly enough, it will be nice to get back to doing some longer runs once NIPMUCK is over.

I don't know if I'm truly prepared for NIPMUCK. I readily admit, it's a scary intimidating race right now, since I'm really not sure how well I'll finish (ie running, walking, or crawling) or how long it will take me. The forecasts of hot, humid weather are not helping.

Well, I guess all there is to do is go to Ashford CT on Sunday and find out!

NIPMUCK.

JMH

A short walk at Mendon in the cold, wind, and rain
Sunday, May 21, 2006

map of Mendon Ponds park

Ann and I wanted to get outside for a walk, despite the cold windy rainy weather, so we headed over to Mendon Ponds park to see the geese and walk on some trails I've never been on before (the cross country skiing/hiking/horseback riding trails in the eastern end of the park.) Only saw one family of geese, but the trails were very pretty and did a good job of keeping the wind off us (though it was a bit eerie listening to the trees creak and groan.) Off course it started raining just as we came off the trails (and while we still had a bit of a walk along the road to get back to the car) but that didn't last long. That's definitely a nice section of the park and one I'll have to do some running in this summer.

JMH

A Year of Long Distance - Race#2
Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon
Saturday, May 20, 2006

Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon 2006 results
Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon info

Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon 2006 Photo Slideshow

So here I am, a year after running/riding my first duathlon, back at the Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon. Originally I wasn't leaning toward doing this race again - it was fun last year, but the multiple loops are a bit repetitive, and I wasn't expecting to get a lot of time on the bike, due to training for Nipmuck. But I wanted to get in a shorter race in May, prior to the marathon, and I also wanted to do some duathlons prior to the Pinnacle Challenge in October - so I signed up for the Spring Classic again. And as it approached, I found myself really looking forward to it.

The Spring Classic saw some changes this year, in particular record registration levels (170 competitors half a week before, over 200 total on the day of the race.) This has the folks at Fleet Feet Sports and Yellowjacket Racing very excited, but it also created some logistical problems which they resolved by rearranging the course a bit. In the end I don't think that affected me in the slightest, other than adding to the overall feeling of anticipation.

The latter part of the week leading up to the race was one of the coldest I've ever experienced for May, and (of course!) rain was forecast for Saturday morning. In fact, I woke up in the middle of the night and it was pouring (great...) and when I got up to get ready, it was still raining pretty steadily (what fun...) But not long after heading over to beautiful Mendon Ponds park, the rain let up, and all we had was cold and wind. LOTS of wind.

So I checked in, and was pleased to have two of the volunteers remember me from last year (guess the guy who comes in last stands out!) Geared up in tights, a long-sleeved shirt, and a fleece vest - figured I'd be warm running, but I didn't want to totally freeze riding. And then hung around as the crowd built and they got ready to set us loose!



First run went well, though at 2 miles I was barely warmed up and it was over. Averaged 11 minute miles, which shows just how effective my plan was to "take it easy" in preparation for the marathon. Hah.








Hopped on the bike, and set off for a very chilly 10 mile ride into some pretty good wind gusts. Then it was back for another mile, which was over before I realized it - good thing, too, because the bike-run transitions always kill my legs. The 2nd ride actually felt a bit warmer, though the effects of not-enough-riding this spring were clear as I struggled through the last few miles.






And I was definitely warm on the final run - ended the race with my vest unzipped and my sleeves rolled up. Felt like I was barely moving, but I made pretty consistent time on all three runs, and decent time overall - 2 hr 31 min 41 seconds overall. On average I think I did better running this year (much more consistent than last year) and went a bit slower on the bike (no surprise, given my lack of riding and the headwinds.) But I had a lot of fun, and my work for the marathon showed in that I wasn't totally dead at the end. I even had enough energy to walk the running course and take some pictures!









So I'm definitely glad I did the Spring Classic again. Don't know if the timing will be right for the Fall Classic, but if it is - I'll be looking forward to it!

JMH

Next up: NIPMUCK.

2006 event totals
snowshoe – 3 miles, 59.5 min
running – 28.1 miles, 7 hr 22 min
riding - 32.4 miles, 2 hr 32 min

Iaido Class
Friday, May 12, 2006

A fairly productive class - opened with our usual warmup and ceremonial cleansing of the training area, then split into groups (advanced women, advanced men, and beginners) to work. We spent most of the time working on a single kata - Nukiuchi, which means "Unexpected Attack." The kata begins with a draw into a horizontal cut, chest-high (a warning technique), and follows with a downward cut to incapacitate or kill the attacker as he turns to run away. After that is a series of movements preparing for the possibility of further attacks, either from the front or behind, and then, when it becomes clear this won't be happening, chiburi (shaking the blood off the blade) and re-sheathing the sword. We worked on this kata for about an hour, with only a couple of short breaks to practice another kata once or twice. I first learned Nukiuchi sometime before our trip to Japan in 2002 to train with Master Matsuno, and I remember being very excited to learn it, as it was the first one where we got to perform an additional cut after the initial draw-and-cut. Despite working on it for over 4 years, there are still many small details that I need to perfect, but at times Friday night it felt pretty good and I had a couple of times where I felt I managed to move from thinking my way through the kata to letting my body and mind just do it. Maybe someday I'll manage that with my empty-hand katas too...

JMH

"At every endurance event, there comes a time when you'll say, ' What the (expletive deleted) am I doing here?' And you'll say, 'This is what I do.'"
- John Spas, ultramarathon cyclist, quoted by Bill McKibben in Long Distance

SIX HOURS IS A LONG TIME TO RUN...
20 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Albany Pine Bush Trail Map

... and for those who are wondering - running for 6 hours and 20 miles freakin' HURTS.

Last fall, as I was working through the Six, then Seven, and then ultimately Nine Strenuous Weekends, I came up with the idea for a Crazy Pine Bush Run, which was basically - run all the major trails of the sections of the Albany Pine Bush that I frequent, in one long run. Today I did that run, albeit leaving out one section (Rensselaer Lake) for logistical reasons (plus I had never really decided if that was included in the Crazy Pine Bush Run or not.) I parked at the Willow Street trail head, ran over to the Karner Barrens (by the new Pine Bush visitors center) and ran the trails over there, on both sides of Rt 155. Then it was back to the Madison Avenue Pinelands/Great Dune (known around here as the water tower section) where I ran some of the trails before heading back to the car to re-provision at 3 hours. After that I headed back out and made my way over to Blueberry Hill/Kalkout Kill Barrens (known around here as Columbia Circle) and ran most of the trails there (one trail is currently a mess due to habitat restoration ie. all the plants have been stripped from the ground to remove a black locust infestation, so the section is basically a sandy desert.) And then finally back to the Great Dune to hit the last trail there.

Don't really know if I'm ready for the Nipmuck Trail Marathon, but the time for long training runs has passed - it's tapering time! Hopefully the taper period will work its magic and the marathon will only be somewhat painful (unlike my long training runs!)

JMH

"And what did I learn from running eighty thousand miles and hundreds of races, being the first to cross the finish line and once or twice not crossing it at all, those runs on icy roads in winter storms and those cool fall mornings when the air was ripe with the smell of grapes, my feet softly ticking against the pavement?

"I learned I was alive and it felt good. God, it feels so good."

-from "Running with Time" by Roger Hart, in How Running Changed My Life

RUNNING THE TRAILS, RUNNING THE RAILS
7 Mile Run in Fishers, NY
Saturday, May 6, 2006

Lehigh & Auburn Trail map (Victor)
Fishers Park trail map
Lehigh Crossing Park trail map

Last October I ran and biked the Black Diamond Offroad Duathlon in Fishers, NY, and spent 4 miles on the trails in Fishers Park and 10 miles on rail trails, dirt roads, and a bit of pavement in the surrounding area, all in 45 degrees and the rain (and naturally I had a blast freezing my backside off.) I've wanted to get back there again either for some running or some riding, and today was my opportunity. I needed to get in a short (90 minute) run, on the way to Ann's house, but still have time to get showered and change once I arrived so that we could head off to her nephew's annual Boy Scout fundraising dinner. The trails in the Fishers area seemed ideal - fairly flat, and I knew them well enough that I could be pretty sure of keeping to my 90 minute time limit.

Fishers Park is small but riddled with trails that run though both the woods and some fields. The two other major trails in the area are the Auburn and Lehigh Valley trails, both on abandoned rail beds. The Auburn trail was once the Rochester and Auburn Railroad, and runs from just north of Fishers down to Victor. The first time I rode it (3 years ago, maybe?) it was mostly singletrack and quite rough-and-rugged... in other words, lots of fun! Since then a major portion of the open trail has been widened, leveled, and given a base of compacted stone dust. A connecting ramp has also been built, connecting the Auburn trail to the Lehigh Valley trail at an old railroad trestle. The Lehigh Valley trail runs from Victor all the way to the Genesee River and the Genesee Valley Greenway just south of Scottsville, and was once the route of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which was built to take advantage of the lucrative coal freight business (also known as "black diamond", hence the black diamond logo on the trail markers and the name of the Black Diamond Duathlon.) The Lehigh Valley trail has also been widened, leveled, and given a nice stone dust base. I must admit to having mixed feelings about this - on the one hand, I'm pleased that resources are being used to keep these trails open to the public. But I do miss the old trails, which were wet, muddy, rocky, bumpy, in places overgrown, and generally a lot more interesting and fun!

Anyway, I parked at Fishers Park, geared up, and headed off for one of the Auburn trailheads. First surprise - had to run up a hill to get there! Ah, well, that was a good workout. Hit the trail and headed along a "unimproved" section, including running through a mammoth tunnel under the Thruway. Crossing through Fishers again, I started a long and at times slightly boring run down the section we rode in the Du. A little ways before the end, I ducked through the woods and ended up in the Lehigh Crossings Park, for a brief change of scenery and terrain (fields and dirt road instead of stone dust trail.) Then it was back on the Auburn trail, and up onto the Lehigh trail, for more basically flat, straight running. Finished up with a short stretch of road and then a run through Fishers Park, and managed what was probably about 7 miles or so in an hour and a half. Not a bad run, all told.

The trails are a bit dull at times, but the scenery can be pretty, and there were very few people out when I was there. I'll have to go back with the ATB this summer and ride the rail trails some more. There's a park with some fairly extensive mountain bike trails just off the Auburn trail in Victor - it could be fun to go for a ride and/or a run there sometime, too!

JMH

"When you see a mountain, climb it. When you get to the top, go down the other side. When you come to a river, cross it."
-Description of the Hardrock 100 course by Race Director Dale Garland

Sounds like a pretty good summary of trail running to me!

JMH

COYOTES HOWL
6-7 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Monday, May 1, 2006

Toward the end of last week my left knee began giving me a fair amount of grief, which had me seriously concerned about whether or not I'd be able to keep up with my training plan and have a chance of completing the Nipmuck Trail Marathon at the end of the month. So after several days of no running and a certain amount of feeling sorry for myself, as well as some research into the possible causes of the pain in my knee (probably overuse, surprise, surprise), I once again hit the trails in the Pine Bush to determine what I can and can't do (in particular, how would running or walking up hills affect it.)

It definitely felt good to get out in the woods again, and much of the time all I got from the knee were mild twinges. I carried an expandable treking pole with me, and discovered that (1) it's a big help on the hills, and (2) if I'm going to RUN up those hills I need poles in both hands. (So now I'm thinking about a carrier for the poles that I can strap to my back. Collapsed, they're about the size of escrima sticks, so it might be possible.)

I hit the trails fairly late, so I didn't have much company, at least not of the human kind. Shortly after dark I heard what sounded like dogs howling - figured it was dogs at one of the nearby developments, but then decided it was too close, so my 2nd guess was kids out fooling around. A little further and I realized - nope, not kids: coyotes! I'd read about the coyotes in the Pine Bush but had never seen any sign of them, but they were definitely making a racket last night. They quieted down as I got near, but I'm pretty sure I heard them moving through the woods off to either side, and I may have even seen the eyes of one as he crossed the trail a ways ahead of me. It was a bit spooky, but pretty cool at the same time.

Later I caught a deer staring at me from off the trail - two orange reflections in my headlamp. Possibly one of the group that I've seen repeatedly over the last few weeks of running in there. He took off when I turned out my light momentarily. Guess he was no longer a "deer in the headlight."

Of course, the coyotes may have been laughing at me, since last night I was the Trail Running Geek from Heck. Normal running gear (shirt, shorts, and waistpack with water bottles) supplemented by a pair of 1 lb wrist weights (working the upper body/cardio), a treking pole in one hand, and, once it got dark, a headlamp. I guess it gets the job done but I'm glad no one's snapping any pictures of me.

So tomorrow night it's another run, longer and possibly hillier, to see what my knee can and can't handle. Next Monday is the last LONG run (20+ miles) assuming my knee can take it. I had been thinking of running the Thom Bugliosi 26K Trail Race on Saturday, but I'm going to pass on it... no sense risking an injury running a race on an unknown course. I did find a cool-sounding offroad duathlon for the following weekend - don't know yet if I'm going to give it a try, guess I have to see what the body's up for when the time comes. I'd REALLY like to run and finish Nipmuck, even if I'm slower than slow.

JMH


coyotes in the Pine Bush, photographed as part of a research study run by the NY State Museum's Wildlife Science and Conservation Initiative.

COLD WET LONG RUN
18 Miles from Fairport to Gates
Saturday, April 22, 2006

map of the route

Saturday was the last day of classes for the AMAI Fairport location, so I went and helped with the last two classes and then got geared up to do a long training run while the Rochester instructors and students worked on getting the location into shape to turn it back over to the landlord.

The day before I had decided to do something different for this run, based in part on the weather forecast I was hearing (cold and raining.) Rather than do a pair of out-and-back runs along the Genesee Valley Greenway (too easy to wimp out and cut those short!) I decided to run from Perinton Park in Fairport to Ann's house in Gates, a distance of just over 18 miles. Since it was a point-to-point run, and I don't have a cell phone to call someone to come pick me, I knew I would have no choice but to finish what I had set out to do!

This run was also different from virtually every other one I've done in the past year in that 2/3 of it was on pavement. While in some ways pavement running is easier than trails (and so not a great way to train for a TRAIL marathon!) given my lousy knees I knew 12 miles of pavement might be a major challenge (and so this run was also a first check into the feasibility of my running the Adirondack Marathon in September, since that will be entirely on pavement, albeit with the possibility of my running parts on the unpaved shoulder.)

Anyway, finally got my gear sorted out and packed into the nifty North Face Mountain Biker waist pack that I got for Christmas (thanks, Mom and Dad!) This pack is a major piece of work - I ended up with 5 water bottles, two spare shirts, a bunch of Clif and granola bars, spare socks, etc, etc - everything I might need for a 5 hour run with no hope of support once I'd been dropped off at the start. Of course, it weighs a ton loaded with all that gear, but I used most of it during the course of the afternoon, and it sits fairly comfortably on my hips (with very little bounce! too cool!) At the last minute I decided to pull on my tights - good choice, too, because my legs were nice and warm the whole time, and they would have been freezing in just shorts. Ann dropped me off at Perinton Park, and off I went.

The weather forecast had called for rain in the morning, then clouds and maybe scattered showers all afternoon, with temperatures in the low 50's. Well, it was raining when I hit the path, and it rained until about the last hour of my run. Sometimes light, sometimes hard, but rain, rain, rain. There was also a breeze much of the time which would have been refreshing on a hot day, but which was freakin' cold today! So in fairly short order I looked like a drowned rat and only became more waterlogged as the afternoon progressed.

The first six miles, from Fairport to Perinton, are on a stone dust path - nice running surface. Saw three other people - two walkers and one runner. From Pittsford on the path was paved, and I only encountered half a dozen other nutjobs out in the rain (no surprise, most of them were runners.) At one point I had a nice chat with Chet, a local ultrarunner out training with his wife Diane for next weekend's BPAC Six Hour Run in Buffalo and then the Damn Wakely Dam 32.6 mile trail run at the end of July. It was really nice of Chet to slow down and talk to me, and they were very encouraging when I passed them on their way back. But for the most part it was just me, the rain, and the pain. Yup, running 18 miles HURTS.

Made reasonably good time... averaged a little over 15 minute miles for the first 15 miles, including two longer stops to change into a dry shirt(not it it stayed dry for long!) and consolidate fluids. The last three miles was a killer and took me almost an hour. Not only was I running along the local roads, and not only was I well into the really painful and slow shuffle last miles of a long training run, but it was mostly uphill! First a fairly gradual grade and then a steeper one for the last mile or so. That was just no fun at all.

So the total damage for the 18 miles (plus maybe a quarter mile) was 4 hours 49 minutes. Not great, but I did finish, and under fairly challenging conditions too. (And I keep reminding myself that my long training runs for the Anchorage marathon were absolutely miserable, and took substantially longer than the marathon itself. Of course, since this is my 2nd marathon, this may be the one where the long runs AND the marathon are both miserable. But I hope not.)

Two more weeks of long runs, then it's time for - TAPER! That's going to be sweet... of course, I have to survive a 20 mile and an over 20 mile run first...

JMH

A Year of Long Distance - Race#1
Northern Nipmuck 16 Mile Trail Race
Saturday, April 15, 2006

Northern Nipmuck 2006 results

Northern Nipmuck 2006 Photo Slideshow

After more than a few years of riding and running, you'd think I'd have learned what could be referred to as the "hill code" - you know, when a course description or a guide book describes what the hills are like on the route. It goes something like this:

• "flat" = either flat or flat with small hills (which might still be steep)
• "rolling" = a whole bunch of hills, some long, some steep, and some both
• "hilly" = up and down mountains

Why do I bring this up? Because this is the official description of the course for the Northern Nipmuck 16 Mile Trail Race:

7th ANNUAL NORTHERN NIPMUCK TRAIL RACE
16 Miles of Hills & Hollows

The course runs 8 miles south on the Nipmuck Trail to Boston Hollow Road in Ashford (the northernmost point of Nipmuck Marathon) and returns on the same trail. The terrain is constantly rolling, and although there are no monster hills, there are enough steep sections to test your anaerobic capacity. The total gain over the 16 miles is approximately 3,200 feet. The footing is usually decent, but there are some steep, rocky sections that demand caution. If it has rained recently, expect to get your feet wet in several of the low-lying areas. Snow and ice may be present on the course at this time of year.

OK, the "hills & hollows", "constantly rolling", and "steep sections" should have clued me in, and I should have ignored the "no monster hills", recognizing that this description was probably written by someone who has repeatedly run Greylock and Escarpment. Maybe I wouldn't have thought this course was all that tough back when I was regularly running in the Berkshires (prior to 1999 when I moved to Albany.) But for where I'm at today - this is one tough course, with some killer climbs and descents.

The alarm went off at 5 AM for a 7 AM departure... that would have been an easy race day last fall, but I've gotten out of practice. Grumble, grumble. Didn't help that I woke up at 3:30 or so to a thunderstorm (and had visions of running for 4+ hours in the pouring rain!) Anyway, got on the road without mishap and had a fairly pleasant drive along the Massachusetts Turnpike (which is mainly woods and mountains for the section I was on.) Arrived at Bigelow Hollow State Park in Connecticut, and fortunately saw some runners on the park road, since there were no signs or indications that a race was taking place! After checking in and gearing up, I headed down to the starting line, about half a mile from where I had parked (the race uses the park as a base, but actually starts across the road from it.)

This is one of the smaller Grand Tree events, probably a combination of the distance this early in the season and the terrain the race covers. Still, I saw a number of folks I recognized from last year's races. And since it's an out-and-back, I knew I'd be seeing them again, as they passed me on the way back! After a few words from the race director (including a warning to "Pay attention to the blue blazes and orange flagging tape! If you get lost, don't complain to us - we'll just laugh at you!") we got the command to go, and off we went.



Well... sort of. The first half mile was what I would consider a monster hill - a nonstop climb! Apparently many of the other runners thought the same thing, since there was a long line of folks trudging up the hill. 10 minutes later things flattened out a bit and we started running... for a few minutes until the next hill... and then a little more running... until the next hill... and so on. To add a little variety, some of the hills went down instead of up (my bad knees LOVE steep downhills... argh!) We did hit some sections where it was possible to run for a while - those were great!



Fairly quickly I found myself pretty much alone on the trail, except for one other young gal who was going pretty slowly. Turns out she'd never run trails before - for some reason her boyfriend wanted to run this race, so she came along with him and ran the first half just to see what it would be like. Running with her made me realize that I'm a grizzled old Trail Turtle - she was pretty clueless about trail running, and asked questions about whether or not there are special shoes for it (I guess her road shoes weren't providing the best traction!) and how fast the really good runners would be going. She also started to get lost on a number of occasions - admittedly, it takes practice to keep an eye on the trail (so you don't end up kissing the ground) and keep an eye out for blazes at the same time. To her credit, she never once complained, though she did say she thought she'd probably hike back to the start instead of running.





After an hour, we hit the first road crossing and aid station, at the 4 mile mark. That was reassuring, because it meant I was on target for a finish time of about 4 hours (little did I know what the second leg would be like!) Not long after that my trail buddy decided it was time to head back, so I wished her and her boyfriend well and continued on toward the turnaround. The trail wasn't bad for the first couple of miles, as it climbed up to the top of a ridge along a gradual incline (actually runnable!) And then it turned into a monster - steep downhills, steep uphills, running along rock outcroppings - absolutely killer. At that point the bulk of the other runners started passing me on the way back. At times we were on sections that could be run, and I ducked to the side of the singletrack to let them pass. Much of the time we were passing on sections I was staggering down (trying to keep my knees intact) and they were staggering up.






Finally made it to the turnaround, to find that I had to climb down a cliff only to climb back up it a few minutes later for the run back! But the folks at that aid station were really nice - they refilled one of my water bottles and repeatedly said they didn't mind being out there, because it beats running the course! I also got my picture taken running in; hopefully I'll be able to get a copy of it! My time to the turnaround was a bit longer - 1 hr 15 minutes - but I still hoped to finish in 4 1/2 hours... (foolish!)







So then it was time for the trek back, at which point the real challenge of an out-and-back became apparent - every hill I came down on the way out I had to climb on the way back, on legs that were rapidly giving up all semblance of wanting to run. My feet were really starting to hurt too, between pounding against rocks and my toes getting mashed into the toebox of my shoes on all those downhills (and doing the bulk of the work on the steep uphills.) There was one point where I was in a shady pine forest, listening to the birds, and I found myself thinking it would be really nice to just stay there and take a nap. But I persevered, going slower and slower and cursing the hills more and more, until finally I made it back to the aid station at the middle of the course. That took about 1 hr 30 minutes. Incredibly, the nice fellow there was very positive about the whole thing. We refilled my empty water bottles with a mix of water and Gatorade, and off I trudged for the last painful 4 miles.







Up, down, up, down. What running I did was fairly slow - more like a fast walk - and some sections I'd run when fresh I had to walk, simply because the trail was too rocky and rooty for me to risk stumbling and crashing. After what seemed like forever (but was actually a little over an hour) I came to the top of that original half mile long hill and "ran" (ie. slowly plodded) down it, to find folks still waiting at the finish - the fellow from the last aid station(who cheered and gave me five as I plodded by him) and the folks recording the times. The last four miles took me about 1 hour 20 minutes - I finished with a total time of 5 hours 8 minutes.

And then slowly walked the half mile back to the car...

The course was really beautiful - cool shady pine forests, mountain laurel (OK, those stretches were hot and sunny on the way back, since there were no leaves on the trees!) rocky ridges, and a variety of cool boulders dropped by glaciers ages ago. A few muddy sections, and three or four stream crossings, but since we've had a dry spring, it really wasn't particularly messy. (Just as well... by the time I was done, I had a number of blisters, and that was in spite of trying to keep my shoes dry!) At one point we ran alongside a pond, and at another point alongside a stream, all under shady pine trees. We crossed a field of big mossy rocks - a pain to run through (or stagger through, on the way back) but way cool all the same.

The volunteers at this race were fantastic - I'm planning to write the RD about that. I doubt any of them expected to be out there that long, but they were still positive and supportive - what a great group of people!

Afterwards, I chatted with two other runners (there were only three or four still there when I finally shuffled into the parking area) who tried to convince me that I should run Seven Sisters, a mountainous trail run at the beginning of May. Maybe next year - I have to get into much better shape for this kind of running before I tackle a 12 mile race that's like the Northern Nipmuck course but with worse footing and longer hills (their description!)

So, I'm glad I approached this as a training run - I would have blown up had I been trying to make good time on this course, for this distance! And, as a training run, it had a lot in common with my 1997 marathon training runs - slow times and blistered feet! It also showed me that I need to do more work on these kinds of trails to get ready for the Nipmuck Marathon - I suspect I will be spending time up near Thatcher on the Long Path over the next few weeks, and perhaps I can manage a trip down to Beartown. Albany just doesn't have much in the way of gnarly trails.

This also reinforces that another year of training before tackling Escarpment is probably a wise move, since Escarpment makes the Northern Nipmuck look like a walk in the park...

(And I'm NOT going to talk about the fact that I got my butt kicked today by a 76 year old man and a pregnant lady...)

Next up - the Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon in late May! And lots of distance work over the next few weekends to get ready for the Nipmuck Marathon...

JMH

2006 event totals
snowshoe – 3 miles, 59.5 min
running – 23.1 miles, 6 hr 25 min
riding - 12.4 miles, 1 hr 1 min

A Year of Long Distance

In 1997 I signed up to run the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska, as part of a fundraiser for the Leukemia Society of America's Team in Training program. When I sent in my registration I had never run, other than short stretches in summer karate classes and at the annual karate camp I used to attend. Training for the Anchorage Marathon was TOUGH. The long runs were difficult and painful, and by the end of most of them my toes were so badly blistered that each step felt like hot knives being jammed into my feet. But, after my final long run, a 22 mile exercise in utter torture that took me over 5 hours to complete, I was confident that I could complete the race. And not only did I complete it - I had a great time - the best long run I had ever done!

In 1999 I signed up to run the Nipmuck Trail Marathon, and came down with a nasty stomach virus four days before the race. In 2001 I signed up to run the Adirondack Marathon, and decided not to run it on the morning of the race, after a night of very little sleep (noisy neighbors!) and, realistically, knowing that I really wasn't sufficiently prepared to run a marathon.

When I began training seriously again in 2005, on some level I knew that I was once again heading toward long distance running...

MAJOR RACES FOR 2006:

• Nipmuck Trail Marathon - May 28, 2006 (I'm finally going to run it!)
  
• Greylock Trail Half Marathon - June 18, 2006 (only a half marathon, but it goes up and over Mount Greylock!)
  
• Savoy Mountain 20 Mile Trail Race - August 20, 2006
  
• Adirondack Marathon - September 17, 2006 (Another one I'm finally going to run!)
  
• Pinnacle Challenge Double Duathlon - October 15, 2006 (5 mi road run/6 mi mountain bike ride/ 13.5 mi road bike ride/ 3 mi trail run - way cool!)

and the "finale" - either the

• Mendon Ponds 50K trail run - early November 2006

or the

• Stone Cat Ale 50 mi trail run - early November 2006 (my money's on the Mendon 50K)

And of course, a few shorter events in between the longer ones...

I had originally hoped to do the Escarpment Trail Run at the end of July... but now I don't think my legs will be in shape for that kind of mountain running this year. Maybe next year (or maybe if Nipmuck and Greylock go REALLY, REALLY well...)

So now all I have to do is train and stay healthy and uninjured!

It should be a challenging year...

JMH

Next Race: The Northern Nipmuck 16 Mile Trail Race - TOMORROW!

2006 event totals
snowshoe – 3 miles, 59.5 min
running – 7.1 miles, 1 hr 17 min
riding - 12.4 miles, 1 hr 1 min

9 Mile Ride in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, April 13, 2006


Pine Bush Ride Photo Slideshow

Decided to take a break from "training" and just enjoy the gorgeous weather from the seat of my mountain bike on the Pine Bush trails. One of the treats of going out mid-day is that there are very few other people on the trails! The weather was perfect for trail riding - sunny and warm. Got some good pictures, too!

Tomorrow is a "rest day", in preparation for the Northern Nipmuck 16 mile Trail Race - for me, a long training run in preparation for the Nipmuck Marathon! (only 6 weeks away!)








JMH

8 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Frogs call "peep, peep, peep, peep" from the swamp.
Rabbits and deer bound away as the runner draws near.
Spider's eyes reflect the headlamp's light like turquoise jewels.

JMH

2 SEMINARS WITH MASTER FUMIO DEMURA
Self Defense Seminar
Empty Hand Kata Seminar
Monday, April 10, 2005

Master Demura's Japan Karate-Do Genbukai International


Master Demura teaching the self-defense seminar

Once again we were incredibly fortunate to have Master Fumio Demura, one of the greatest living martial artists, as our guest for two seminars. The first, which focused on training methods and self-defense, was open to all students and instructors in AMAI. The second was a truly unique opportunity for AMAI black belts, in that Master Demura taught us an empty-hand kata from Shito-ryu karate.

Master Demura opened the first seminar by talking a bit about the importance of training constantly and working to perfect the basics. We started with two punching exercises - first throwing a punch at our partner's face and stopping it about 1/4" away, and then punching our partner's stomach and stopping it at their uniform. Both great lessons in distancing and control. After that we took turns crouching on the floor while our partner threw rapid-fire kicks over our backs - an effective exercise in making sure to lift the knee high before and after kicking!

From there we moved on to the self-defense techniques. His particular goal for this part was to help us see how many techniques could come out of one attack. We started out with a "set up" technique: extending a spear hand toward our partner's abdomen, which they would then grab. From there we tried a variety of responses - breaking free and executing an elbow strike, breaking free and striking with a backfist, bring the hand up and over for a wristlock-takedown, stepping across and executing a takedown, and rotating the trapped hand for another wrist lock. Master Demura encouraged us to study our options rather than limiting ourselves to a single response. We wrapped up the first seminar with a particularly challenging exercise - straddling our partner's extended legs, on command we had to jump and switch feet (and later switch direction as well!) without hitting our partner or landing on their legs. (Knowing the condition my legs were in after the long run from the previous day, I would NOT have wanted to be my partner!) Ann and I paired up and worked together for much of the seminar, which was a lot of fun (particularly since we haven't seen each other 2 1/2 weeks!)


Master Demura demonstrates a technique

The second seminar was a real treat, as Master Demura taught us two versions of the kata "Aoyagi" from Shito-ryu karate. Aoyagi, which means Green Willow, was created by the founder of Shito-ryu, Kenwa Mabuni, in 1915. Mabuni studied primarily under two instructors - Anko Itosu (Shuri-te) and Kanryo Higashionna (Naha-te) - in Okinawa the early 1900's. He later combined the training in these two styles into his own form of karate, Shito-ryu (named as a combination of the Chinese characters for names of his two primary teachers.) Mabuni was physically a fairly small man, and in the course of his training he developed a very effective system of body dynamics which could assist a smaller person in defending against a larger agressor. Aoyagi was created as a series of women's self defense techniques and typifies these body dynamics. (See shitokai.com or numerous other Internet and print sources for more information about Kenwa Mabuni and Shito-ryu karate.)

We started out by learning the women's version of Aoyagi, and then moved on to the men's version. (The main differences are in the opening and closing movements, and in the first three techniques.) Some of the movement is quite different from what I'm used to, and both Master Demura and his assistant Sensei Charles Hobbib explained the differences between their method of executing a high block and ours (the physics behind theirs actually makes a little more sense, particularly if you're blocking something like a baseball bat. On the other hand, I wouldn't attempt to block a baseball bat with my arm unless I had absolutely no other choice! As always I find it fascinating to study the different approaches different styles and arts take to solving the same problems.) At various points during the sesssion Master Demura demonstrated possible applications to the movements, as well as explaining what might have been otherwise inexplicable points (such as the fact that when you touch a part of your body during the kata, that indicates you're striking with that part.) By the end of the hour I think I had the overall movements down, though it will take a LOT of practice to refine them.


Master Demura explaining details

This was another great night spent learning from Master Demura. He is an absolutely incredible teacher with an unbelievable depth of knowledge - there are times when I wish I could sit with him for a few hours and just listen to all the stories he has to tell! His enthusiasm for the arts is infectious, and I can only hope that I have a tiny fraction of his energy when I get to be his age. We have been truly fortunate to have him share knowledge and information with us - I can only hope he remains able to do so for many years to come!

JMH

A Long Run on a Sunny Day
3 1/2 hour run in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Sunday, April 9, 2006

Some good things from today's run:

Saw 5 deer at different times - they ran off a little ways and then stood there watching me stagger along. (I think they may have been quietly laughing at me. Or else wondering what the heck I was torturing myself like that!)

Sunlight drifting down through pine branches, with needles swishing underfoot. VERY peaceful and VERY pretty.

Running up hills during the first two hours without keeling over!

Ran most of the major trails in not one but two sections of the Pine Bush - that's almost my crazy Pine Bush run I dreamed up last fall!

Two hours seems to be getting more comfortable... there may be hope yet!

Being able to stop running (staggering? hobbling?) at the end!

Oh, and 3 1/2 hours HURTS too!

Next Saturday's 16 mile Northern Nipmuck Trail Race is going to be a MAJOR challenge... but at least it should give me an idea of just how painful the Nipmuck Trail Marathon might be at the end of May!

JMH

More Critters!
15.5 mile bike ride along the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway
Monday, April 3, 2006

Tonight's ride featured a HUGE snapping turtle in the grass on the side of the bike path, and a heron in one of the pools off the river. Pretty cool...

There were also a bunch of hills out in Niskayuna that I rode up and down, and a stiff headwind on the way back (which explained why the ride out was so easy - tailwinds are a wonderful thing!) So all in all, a good workout. I need to get my bike legs back if I'm going to do the Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon in May...

JMH

6th Annual Saratoga Martial Arts Festival
Saturday and Sunday, April 1 & 2, 2006

Saratoga Martial Arts Festival info

I had four goals going to SMAF this year -

• learn a couple of new techniques - this one can be tough, because so much is covered at the seminars that by the end of the weekend I'm typically in overload and can't remember much of anything. So rather than trying to remember everything new I did, I wanted to have just a few things that I could add to my repertoire.


• learn some new principles/ideas (or variations on principles/ideas I already know) - I think this is actually easier in some ways than remembering techniques, and also more important, because if I have the principles, I can potentially build or adapt my own techniques using them.


• get to seminars being taught by instructors I wanted to see in the past and didn't - one of the toughest things about events like SMAF is that there's always more to do than there's time to do it. Last year there were several times where two seminars I wanted to attend were going on at the same time. So as difficult as it was to miss seminars being taught by instructors that I know I really enjoyed in the past - I forced myself to do it.


• HAVE FUN DOING MARTIAL ARTS ALL WEEKEND! Woo hoo!

Things were structured a little bit differently this year. On both Saturday and Sunday morning, there were seminars being taught by teams of instructors addressing a common topic, and then in the afternoon each gave a longer seminar individually. Sunday also featured a 2 hour long session on some sort of weapons work. On the plus side, this allowed us to both get a taste for a number of arts and get more in-depth work with one particular instructor. On the minus side, it seemed like there was less to choose from, I guess because the same people were teaching in the morning and then later in the afternoon. But it did fit in well with the overall theme this year, which was looking for the similarities and differences in how various arts approach the same issues.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

Energy Drills of 4 Styles - This was the first of the team-taught sessions, with each instructor covering about 20 minutes of material. Our group had Instructor George Ilyadis first. Instructor Ilyadis is a Jeet Kune Do stylist, and he covered some JKD concepts of striking and how they relate to sensing energy. He did an excellent job presenting it - it's quite different conceptually from what we do at AMAI. Next up was Dr. Jerome Barber, a kenpo-arnis stylist. I was very impressed by Dr. Barber's demonstration last year, and even more impressed by his discussion of why it's important to have martial arts events like SMAF. He taught us a Filipino energy-sensitivity drill much like Chinese push-hands - I really enjoyed his presentation, and decided I would definitely attend his seminar in the afternoon. Our third instructor was Sifu Jiang Jian-ye, who has a wealth of knowledge about a wide variety of Chinese martial arts. He did variations on push-hands with us; unfortunately, given the time constraints he had very little time to actually explain what we were doing. The final instructor was Sifu Sharif Bey, a Hung Ga stylist and another instructor whose energy and willingness to share knowledge really impressed me last year. Sifu Bey taught us a Hung Ga energy drill which was a lot of fun, and he also gave us an incredible amount of information about Hung Ga training methods.


Sifu Jiang Jian-ye


Sifu Sharif Bey

While I was in the first seminar, Guro Doug Marcaida gave a seminar on Pekiti Tirsia Kali, a Filipino martial art. From what I saw of Guro Marcaida later in the day, I definitely want to take one of his seminars when the opportunity arises! (Yet another example of the difficulty in making choices at SMAF!)


Guro Doug Marcaida

Kata to Combat - this was another of the team-taught seminars, with an emphasis on translating movements and movement concepts from kata into effective self-defense techniques. Our first instructor was Sifu William Luciano, who teaches Pai-Chia Chu'an (Pai Family Boxing), a Chinese style. Sifu Luciano taught us the beginning movements of a Chinese form and explained some of the self-defense principles behind the movements. After that Kyoshi Joe Mansfield, who trains in Okinawa-Te Ryute Renmei. His focus was primarily on using simple, natural movements to defend yourself, and he also explained how similar movements can be found in most style's katas. This theme was continued by Sensei Tony DiSarro, an instructor in Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo. Sensei DiSarro showed us how simple, everyday movements like shaking hands or brushing your hair can be combined with proper body positioning to be used as practical self-defense. The final session was taught by Sifu Mark Cardona, of Wan Yi Chuan Kung Fu. Sifu Cardona taught us several moves from a Chinese tiger kata, and also explained the application of these movements. At the very end he treated us to a demonstration of several other animal styles, giving us a chance to see how different approaches are used to achieve similar goals. Having done this seminar, I came away wanting to take another seminar with each of the instructors (Sifu Cardona is the only one I've worked with before.) They all had a lot to offer and were excellent at explaining the concepts behind their arts. Saturday afternoon I would get the opportunity to work with one of them; hopefully next year I can take seminars with some of the others. (I'm seeing a common theme here... more! more! more!)


Sifu Bill Luciano


Kyoshi Joe Mansfield


Sifu Mark Cardona

Knife Defense with Dr. Jerome Barber - Admittedly, this session was a tough decision, since Sifu Sharif Bey was doing a seminar on Hung Ga Chin Na (joint locking) techniques. But I knew I wanted to try a session with Dr. Barber, and I was not disappointed. We started out with a sensitivity drill designed to help us deflect attacks with little or no applied force. We then extended this to deflecting knife attacks. As we were doing so, Dr. Barber spoke at length about some of the concepts involved in defending against a knife, such as deflecting attacks in ways that won't bring the blade across your own body or leave you open to a weapon in the attacker's other hand. After learning to deflect the attacks, we then worked on following up with locks, strikes, and stripping the knife. He also spent a while talking about legal implications of knife defense and using biomechanical cuts (cuts designed to disable rather than kill an assailant.) At several points, he assisted my partner and I with techniques by demonstrating on me, and his control was excellent - despite multiple kicks to the knee, take-downs, and joint locks, I never once felt that there was any danger of his injuring me. (I believe I even got filmed being beaten up!) Overall, an EXCELLENT seminar taught by a master teacher. (And one which has me even more enthusiastic about possibly attending Dr. Barber's Buffalo Martial Arts Summit in July!)


Dr. Jerome Barber

Timing and Anatomical Power in Kosho Ryu Kempo with Sensei Tony DiSarro - I had wanted to get to Sensei DiSarro's seminars for the past two years, but there was always something I wanted to do even more in the same timeslot. The short session with him in the morning was intriguing enough that I decided to take his afternoon session (a tough choice - I also wanted to do the seminar with Sifu William Luciano - maybe next year!) Sensei DiSarro built on the basic concepts from the morning session - (1) using natural motions and body positioning to defend yourself with as little force as possible, and (2) making physical contact with your assailant in a relaxed, non-threatening way to avoid triggering an adrenaline response in them (ie. take them out before they know what's hit them!) Sensei DiSarro taught in a fairly relaxed way but managed to convey quite a bit of information in the time we had with him. His uke, Sensei Ted Tanaka, was also very helpful in both sessions - he has an eye for detail and an way of explaining things that just makes sense to me. (He also just plain has fun doing martial arts, which makes it fun to work with him!)


Sensei Tony DiSarro

Zenbu Ryu Jujutsu with Sensei Gary Lewis - The last sessions of the day were taught by instructors who had never presented at SMAF before, and I decided to try some jujutsu (another tough choice, since the other seminars were on aikido and Emin Boztepe's style of Wing Chun - I really enjoyed the aikido seminars I've done previously, and I'm particularly interested in the Boztepe system!) Sensei Lewis teaches at Kinderhook Tae Kwon Do, and the first thing that stands out about him is that he is a BIG fellow. The second thing that became very apparent was that we were fortunate that we weren't his uke's - those guys were taking a real beating! Most of the techniques we did worked off of a shoulder grab/lapel grab/single-hand push to the chest, and the variety of techniques that he built off of the initial move was incredible (if only I could remember more of them!) By the end of the 90 minutes, my hand and wrist were throbbing from the constant grab and torque that started out each sequence. Unfortunately, all the up and down aggravated my right knee, so I had to take it easy for the last half an hour or so. Some very cool techniques, and I was impressed with the fact that when Sensei Lewis assisted us with techniques his control was excellent - I initially was worried I would get slammed and cranked like his uke, but that was not the case. All in all, a great (if somewhat strenuous and slightly painful) way to end the first day!


Sensei Gary Lewis

SUNDAY, APRIL 2

Defense Against Bear Hugs - this was the only team-taught session on Sunday, with a focus on how different styles deal with bear hugs, both from the front and from behind. Our group started with Shihan Barbara Dawes. Shihan Dawes' primary style is Shin Ki No Karate, which combines her training in Okinawan Ryu-Te, defensive tactics, and arnis. Her primary apporach for our session was in practical application of basic kata movements in self defense. Her moves didn't always focus on bear hugs, but they were interesting and effective all the same! Next up was Master Dominick Violante, an instructor who I worked with both last year and the year before - and who has impressed me greatly both with the quality and depth of his knowledge and with his teaching ability and open-mindedness. Master Violante focused on aiki techniques for escaping from bear hugs - the sorts of techniques that look like they have no reason to work but then prove to be very effective, when executed correctly. Most involved subtle shifts in body weight to disrupt the attacker's balance and grip. Don't know that I'd want to try any of the movements against someone out to clean my clock without a lot more practice - but this session reinforced my belief in the effectiveness of aikijujutsu and aikido. The final session of the morning was taught by Sensei Michael Campos, founder and head of Zen Do Kai International. The techniques were very practical and combined striking with a variety of jujutsu-style movements; I was also impressed by Sensei Campos' teaching methods. Perhaps I had an advantage of sorts in that we had an odd number of students, so I ended up paired up with Sensei Campos' assistant! In the end, as much as I wanted to do another session with Master Violante, this portion of the morning helped me decide to take Sensei Campos' seminar in the afternoon.


Shihan Barbara Dawes


Master Dominick Violante

Bokken kumitachi with Sensei Ted Tanaka - Next up was a 2 hour session that I'd been looking forward to all weekend, first because the focus would be on sword and bokken kumitachi (something I've been trying to incorporate into my own sword classes) and secondly because the class would be taught by Sensei Ted Tanaka, who is not only an excellent teacher but also a lot of fun! This session was long but a lot of fun, as we moved back and forth attacking and defending with our bokkens. One of the most interesting aspects was getting a chance to do two short sword kumitachi - I'm familiar with several long sword exercises from various books and videos but had never seen any short sword exercises before today! (Now if only I could remember the movements!)


Sensei Ted Tanaka

Self-Defense Against Club Attacks with Sensei Michael Campos - the last seminar of the weekend, and another tough choice, because all three of the morning instructors had interesting things to present. In the end I decided on Sensei Campos' session, both because I had wanted to do one with him in the previous years and because I'm very interested in self-defense against club attacks. This was a great way to wrap up the weekend... the techniques Sensei Campos taught were not that complicated (so I might remember a few of them) and he also explained the principles behind how they work. We covered single-handed strikes to the head and body, back-handed swings, and two-handed swings (like a baseball bat.) All in all, informative and a lot of fun!


Sensei Michael Campos

So, another year at SMAF has concluded, and the question is - did I accomplish my goals? I think so... I came away with a few techniques which I'm going to try to incorporate into my knowledge base, and a few concepts and principles as well. I also took classes with three instructors I'd been interested in from previous years, as well as short sessions with a couple of old favorites. (Of course, this may just mean that the decision-making for next year's seminars will be even more difficult, since I would gladly do another class with any of them!) And I definitely had some fun in the process, and hopefully gave the instructors and students there a good impression of instructors and students from AMAI.

Only a year to go until SMAF 2007!

JMH