This past weekend, I began my serious training for the Maine Coast Marathon where I’m hoping to qualify for the elusive Boston Marathon. This will be my third attempt. My first was in Montreal, where I ran a 3:04:48 putting me right under the cutoff time. My second wasn’t as close, running a 3:13:03 after hitting the wall around mile 21. But I’m back! Stronger than ever, with a good base going into my training.
If you can say anything about New England running, it has all the ingredients to make one tough as nails. After being “spoiled” with 30 degree weather throughout December, January hit me like a solid block of ice. Hovering in the single digits (Fahrenheit) for most of the month, and finishing off with 30+ inches of snow, the New Hampshire seacoast is making us devoted runners work for our training.
There’s a mixture of finding roads that are clear enough to manage some speed work, and trying to find good long routes that won’t leave one too exposed to negative windchills. One can still find positives. The sun is staying out later each day. The landscape is beautiful and unique, and constantly shifting as the wind pulls the snow across fields
This Sunday I ran 13 miles for my long run. I decided to make it interesting by running to the nearby town of Portsmouth, with the idea to take the bus back. I ran across a bridge into Maine, and ran through some quaint Maine towns, and back into New Hampshire over the Portsmouth draw bridge.
It was definitely a great way to see new territory. The old routes can become monotonous, and destination routes are a perfect way to mix it up. Sadly for me, the normal bus system does not run on Sundays from Portsmouth, so the return trip was a two and a half our endeavor. Lesson learned. Planning is everything.
I’m excited for my training, and I’ll keep posting updates, as well as recipes I try along the way.
Week Totals: 38.4 Miles Running, 2 days of Xcountry skiing, 1 off day (blizzard)
New England Veganist 