Apparently, I don't know how to tie my shoes. They came undone three times!

Judson's kicking my you know what! I need a new set of toes. I kept having dreams last night of stepping on people's toes and making them bleed. I ran 12 miles of the marathon course yesterday, stopping at the garage on Sargent's Drive. It was a tough run from mile 9 on. Lot's of hills, and my legs were taking a beating from the pavement. My surge/hill workout never happened. I ran myself into the ground trying to find signpost 10. When I finally figured out where I was going, 1 1/2 of running (mainly uphill) had gone by and I was hungry, thirsty and frustrated. Judson's directions were great, the person holding the map (I won't mention names) just wasn't great. I'm still hanging in there and enjoying the challenge. 44 miles for the week! Not too shabby.

on a misty morning. Saw Frank and Chris G as they were finishing up. I hate to say this, but this is my first time up 7 bridges this year! Oh well, happy running!

Just heard from Brian...

1 Adam Goode 27:19
4 Glendon Rand 29:04
5 Jim Newitt 29:08
7 Andy Goupee 29:24
9 Chris Jones 29:29
10 Austin Townsend 29:32
12 Brian Hubbell 30:07
13 Mike Bickford 31:06
14 Ryan King 31:16
15 Peter Keeney 31:16
18 Chris* Almy 32:18
20 Ty-Daniel Davis 33:02 (PR!)
22 Lara Rand 33:07
25 Jeff Bruce 33:23
33 Kathleen Bell 34:37
39 Tom Kirby 35:52
91 Robin Emery 47:55

Congratulations everyone...great running!

Judson's time in the New Haven 20K was 1:07:??. Wow, good job, Judson!

Remnants of Ernesto. I think I smelled the Caribbean on my run or else someone was smoking something exotic. 8.2 mi.

7 min miles! I'll keep dreaming of doing that.
Way to go Judson. I hope that's a time you're absolutely thrilled with.

I arrived in time to get a t-shirt, which is really the only reason I enter races. 2 mile w/u with Brian and RK, changed shirts. Lined up under the bridge, with Peter K, and told myself to run MY race. Fast 1st mile, slower 2nd, silly slow 3rd, faster 4th, fastest of all final mile. (5:43) A negative split! 2 mile c/d for 9 total miles. Big stack of blueberry pancakes in Brewer on the way home topped the morning off.

• September 4. Labor Day 5-miler, Bangor.

[Thanks, Steph!]

I've been noticing that by carrying the finish line around to the various races that the Sub5 Track Club sponsors, I am more often than not, the first one to arrive and usually the last to leave. Today being no exception, I dropped off the finish line, then took a quick drive around the block, with loud music on getting me prepared for the race.

Many thanks to the Bangor Parks & Recretation Department for having an excellent course set up - All Mile markers were set up, water stops ready - while I drove around, I could see that the my day was headed in the right direction. Thanks again to perhaps the world's greatest Parks & Rec Department! Also many thanks to the large turnout of Sub5 volunteers that made the event ever so successful!

Time to focus once in the Armory - wore winter hat, sun glasses - ran a 2 mile warm up. I started out with a group of Sub5ers and ended up turning off onto Buck Street. I like to run the last mile one last time - as I was turning I saw Mike B and Brian headed the same way - nice to have a chance to chat. I didn't necessarily think we'd all be finishing all in-a-row later on in the morning.

Go...

That's all that was said. Being spry I think I came out in the lead for the first hundred - or two hundred yards of the race. I remember last year running with Adam Goode down Main Street - thinking to myself. What am I doing here?

First mile 5:28. Everything going well - then all of a sudden, from out of nowhere, came a very very large pack containing 8 runners - Buck Rand, Austin, Chris Jones, Jim Newett, Brian, Adam Zatowski among others - Within a few seconds they would all pass - I took a moment to make a not so pleasant comment to myself. Focused on the ground - stomped a few strides with my feet, and tried to pick it back up to maintain contact.

Slowly the pack ran away from me - Second Mile 6:16. Now alone, I was preparing for Holland Street Hill - just what I had left, was up to the Hill and as I ran up - I saw that pack start to break up - maybe I have a chance to catch up? Third Mile 7:04. (That's one tough hill).

Finally I made the turn onto West Broadway. From here it's clear sailing. Peter Keeney ran up next to me, we slapped each other 5, I said, ready for the rest? As we turned - I focused on the runners ahead - I timed you Brian - 45 seconds... maybe if I picked it up, I could make contact. Fourth Mile 6:31. Not fast enough. Peter and I would swap position until the aforementioned Mike B would pass us both. Good race Bickford - you ran smooth and you picked it up well and just where I told you too!

Final mile is a sprint - or at least I think it should be - whatever I had left, digging in deep, focused on the goal - I ran hard. As we turned one last time from Buck to Main Street - One last look behind and knew it would be the three of us - exactly what order - was up to what each one of us had left. Final mile 5:58.

14th place overall - PR for 5 Miles - Not bad after a 75+ week.

with Frank, in the mist, on crabby legs, which felt progressively better as we moved along.

2mi. w/u with Mike and RK and a bit with Peter K.
1) 5:29
2+3) 12:34
4) 6:14
5) 5:50
30:07

5 mi. repeat of the course for c/d

Perfect weather -- the lightest drizzle just ended as the race began. Went with the light vaporflies and they seemed to work well and caused no damage. My legs felt absolutely fine both during the race and after. And the field provided a great pack for me to run with just at the upper end of my abilities.

So, naturally, I'm stuck with a bit of a feeling of disappointment. In the days before I felt so ready that I was confident that I was going to run 20 seconds or so better than last weekend at NEH that it never crossed my mind that I might end up -- as I did -- with an identical time.

I'd made up my mind to let myself go this time and not be scared of being up with the people who usually finish ahead of me. Within a few hundered meters of the start, in fact, the only people well out ahead of me were Adam, Dan Deering, the two Spudlanders, and RK. Immediately in front of me were Jim Newett and Chris Jones. And, knowing that Austin, Glendon, and Andy Goupee were no doubt on my shoulder, I decided that fit my plan. The 5:30 first mile then exactly matched my last workout pace and didn't feel uncomfortable. It was, as I said, an excellent pack at that point.

The second mile, Glendon, Austin, and Andy all pulled up into the group and Jim momentarily dropped back and then regained. I ddin't catch the second mile split, but I don't think that, as a group, we slowed too much.

At the goat path scramble, I probably made my first mistake, which was consciously to ease off to the back of the pack for the single-file stretch. The deadend street above is where everyone started to stretch out. Still I should have stuck there with Austin probably. But my plan was to keep the effort moderate to the 3-mile mark and then speed up.

Without the 2-mile split and knowing the third mile is slow, the three mile split didn't mean much to me. When I turned down West Broadway, I thought I was running well and just figured that the group extending out in front of me was just running better. So I just tried to relax and keep it smooth and quick and focused. It's all in the fourth mile, I told myself.

What killed the effort for me was my fourth mile split. I honestly thought I was running about 5:50 pace and when I saw 6:14 on my watch it really disturbed me.

At that point, I knew that there was no one for a ways behind me and the nearest guy in front was just moving out of my range. So I could feel my focus slipping away from discouragement and complacency. I know I'm perfectly capable of running 5:40 or better on that last mile. Running 5:50 instead, while not shamefully slow, cost me the sub-30:00 that I had pretty much taken for granted at the starting line.

Ah well, a good workout -- and another lesson learned.

In conclusion, I want to say that in this three-week five-mile race series, it's been both edifying and humbling to trail Austin. Today, he looked great in his brand new Eden singlet. Glad he's on my team.

...Also, thanks to all the Sub5 volunteers -- who dependably do such a good job putting on events that it's too easy to take them all for granted.

Great racing everyone.

Wanted to meet up with the group yesterday and actually got up and grabbed a cup of tea at 7 a.m., but life--again--got in the way. Maybe next week. Ran 6 moderate later in the day instead. But I could get out this morning, so I headed to Hull's Cove to try for 10+ for the first time in almost a month. I ran 11 with Sunday folks on August 6, then nothing more than 7.5 since. I started out very slow, ran steady 8s around Eagle Lake (47:18 bridge to bridge) and finished well for 11.5, 17.5 total yesterday and today.

something else or what!

• September 4. New Haven 20K, New Haven, CT

39 CAKE JUDSON Blowing Rock NC 28 M2029 28/167 1:07:53 1:07:53 5:28 0:33:32 28

out of 2011 runners, that's impressive!

Anybody want to join/help me (ok Chris G.I'm hinting to you right now)for my surge/hill workout tommorrow. I'll be at Jordan pond house by 8:40 am. I'll make you banana bread if you come:) It's really yummy, just ask Judson. Total 10 mile workout.

MUWAHAHAHA

2 x 7oo
16 x 5o on :45
2oo easy
4 x 5oo on 7 - 6:31, 6:29, 6:26, 6:28
2oo easy
8 x 1oo on 1:3o
2oo easy
2 x 3oo on 4:30 (hee hee. that's a lazy interval)
2oo easy
8 x 5o on :5o (hee hee. I was getting tired)
1oo easy

... most of the other swim team fishies were in the pool today, so I met a lot of my new teammates! College swimmer guys, purrrr!

Back home for a nice flat easy run. Could have gone further but no time. Still can't believe how great we feel after yesterday's long run. Harried now but can't wait to read all about your great race. I am confident that congratulations and ooks and aahs are in order.

4.5x2=9 Mr. E'Meter

...to round up the day's miles to 15 to make up for the light day yesterday.

Easy pace but never felt really smooth. Nice and quiet around the Lake this afternoon. Even got rained on a little.

Thanks for the info on the Labor Day races Bruce and Editor. Those are some amazing people.

Eagle Lake, Bubble, Jordan Pond loop X 2. My second 20+ run in prep for MDI marathon and am at least feeling confident that I can finish ... also my last run before school starts. Now it will be harder to find the time to get in 50+ miles per week...

The former 10 cubers are going to be running EL on Tuesday and Thursday starting 8:15ish. I am not sure how fast people are now (it looks like Ginger is a speed demon), but I run the lake runs at 10 minute mile pace(and getting slower). All are welcome.

I start teaching tomorrow! Sigh...summer is officially over.

with Chris G from Eagle to Bubble and return. Saw lots of Edenistas and their canine companions out and about.

Good racing in Bangor everyone. Keep after it JC!

Great work everyone in Bangor and Judson in New Haven. I had a string of four or so 20k's there in the late eighties early ninety's. It is a fast finishing course.( finish always snuck up on me as you ran back into town.) I was happy to settle in at labor Day with Mike and Ryan as I did not warm up well today. It was good to see everyone and was impressed with Ty's run. I think it is always better to have fun first -especially with younger runners. Good job Mike & Ryan.

Happy Trails.
Peter K.

5 miles easy in the morning, followed by an afternoon VO2 workout totaling 12 miles for 17 on the day. The meat of the workout was 6x1200m in 4:00 on the 7:30. Following all was a light lifting session. All repeats were slightly fast. I didn't feel very fatigued at any point but on the other hand the whole time I felt like I was sprinting to keep pace. I guess that's good news for my fitness and not as good news for my speed.

Nice job racing this weekend everyone.

for me after yesterday's 20. Stretches, a good soaken, some abs and arms, too.

Keep running!

Running/Walking = 175
Swimming = 7100 yards