The Crow Awaits Us All

"Josh, how about a quick pre-marathon 'interview'? I say interview, but I think I only need to ask you one question: Are you ready?"

"Feel free to go nuts with it, take whatever angle you like. Talk about training, race strategy, how you plan on crushing the will of your opponents just after the gun goes off, etc. Sound good?"

The question was asked: Are you ready? 

To be perfectly honest, I'm more unsure than I've been in a very long time. To really elude to my true thoughts could admit weakness and of being vulnerable, and I just won't do that. I'll never bet against me, I'll never count myself out, no matter what. I have to be realistic. I haven't done any individual specific training for this marathon other than some solid long runs on the weekends. No workouts that would give me the feedback that would give me any clarity now. 

Throughout this process of getting to Sundays marathon in Burlington I have been asking myself a lot of questions and doing a lot of self reflection on my daily runs. In my vision quest for answers in the universe of nature, I've captured the attention of my beginnings from the Quarry of the Gods. Through my question asking I was presented, not with answers, but questions to my questions. 

In the booming ominous voice only my ears and body could handle I was asked: Where have all the good men gone and where are all the Gods? Where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?

This was a stealthy shock of electricity to my soul and I knew. I knew I needed to become a white knight upon a fiery steed. I need to forego my nights where I toss and I turn and I dreamt of what I was to need. 

The Old Gods smiled a sinister smile upon me and one spoke clearly: I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero, till the end of the night. 

Then the giggles of the fair beautiful goddesses chimed in a sultry whisper: He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight. 

I understood these beauties, they needed me to fulfill a destiny and they wanted me to hold out to the morning light, they wanted me to be sure and be larger than life. So far, all of the requests and questions were within my abilities. 

The Massacre of Sleepy Hollow is still fueling my confidence and the taste of souls still drips from my jowls. Relaxing has been the hardest part as I'm super anxious to hit the streets and see where my fitness lies. Do I go out to run 2:25, or play it safe (if it's considered safe and not too fast) of 5:40's? Who the cuss knows?!!! 

So I counseled my own again. Through a vivid dream I was reached and told that somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasy somewhere just beyond my reach, there's someone reaching back for me, and the gods would be pulling me through the race if I needed them too. 

I would need to consider the elements. I would be racing on the thunder and rising with the heat I would be a Superman and sweep the goddesses off their feet. 

It was beginning to get clearer and clearer of my goal and what I would need to do. Up where the mountains meet the heavens above out where the lightning splits the sea I could swear that there's someone somewhere watching me through the wind and the chill and the rain and the storm and the flood I can feel the approach like a fire in my blood. 

I've convinced myself that, "I got this," and just need to get to the starting line. I feel like I have more people cheering and rooting me on this time around, which adds a bit of pressure. Well, in actuality, I'm the only one that adds any pressure. With a little help from my friends (Gods) everything will work itself out. I can only do what my fitness and physical capabilities will allow. The good thing is, I'm cussing awesome at subjecting myself to races and I will be able to tough, grit and grind. To all those thinking positive thoughts, thanks, to all those thinking negative thoughts: that adds friction and friction makes fire; so, also thanks bc I'm going to light a fire late in the race and will need that fuel! I'll need a miracle, but I'd rather be a hero. There needs to be a hero, and who better then the Last Hero Only Hope?!!!

Band of Misfits

Goodness gracious... As if the training couldn't have crumpled anymore, it seems to have. The training has been piecemeal and the realization that 26 miles (I'm not worried about the cussing .2) is a week away is starting to play with my brainwaves. I thought I'd be going into the marathon feeling godly, instead I'm feeling a shade under superhuman. 

To mock a friend, I'm not scared of the distance, ha, yet a bit unsure of the pace. In the beginning of March I rolled through the marathon of the 50k in 2:34, with hopes to get to this point looking at running 2:25-2:27, but in realization, WHO THE CUSS KNOWS!!! I have no idea what to expect which is both nerve racking and relaxing. It seems I need to rely on the good old "wing it, fly by the seat of my pants" like I do for the majority of races. As I wrote this, I'm feeling ok about it (I cussing have to be). 

I'm over road racing and most road races. I don't like training on the road. Here and there it's fun but living on the road cusses. The trails are where I want to be and really love the freedom nature brings. I don't translate to the roads the way I do to the mountains and trails. Races where I can change gears constantly and mix up the pace and efforts are where I feel the best and see the best results. Training with my girls out in the woods is the best!!! 

The last two weeks that followed Sleepy Hollow have been packed with 6 total track meets (4 with my team and I helped clerk 2 at for the HS) and I've lost some quality running days and will have a three week taper. Ha. My eyes are set past this race and I'll need to vision quest to walk with the gods I'm often associated with. 

I'll run smart and have a decent result, but not the results I'd like of mixing it up closer to the front. The race itself is a ton of fun (until the neighborhoods, but no one remembers that when they are asked to run again and again). 

Time to hit the quarry of the gods and seek my maker for some encouragement throughout the race. 

Vaya Con Basajuan Dios

And now I lay thee down to sleep... 

How the cuss is everyone (all 11 readers)? It's been wildly busy in the wilds of VT and I'm not sure where to even start?! Do I explain that my training is, well, just going? Do I explain that I'm training on anxious levels that are through the roof and training to one-up any and all competition? There's really nothing to explain other than I have been training within the confines of organized chaos, and I'm responding well to it. Or so I think with the limited scope and sequence. 

After the 50k I had my eyes set on racking up miles and introducing quality workouts. This was a cuss of an idea but never really happened. Instead I have been dropping some awesome runs, some great longs runs and supplementing workouts when I feel like it. The main goal was the first race on the mtn series, Sleepy Hollow followed by the Vermont City Marathon, then anything and everything. I really wanted to win this race, badly, and not only win but demoralize and really start the season like a kingpin boss. But the training left me insure of how the race would go. 

The training leading up to this has been great, excluding the week of, and I was highly optimistic, excluding the week of, and felt very confident, excluding the week of...

So, I ventured to the northwest corner if VT to Kasie Enman's house for the 10k trail/Mtn hybrid. It was going to be a gathering of a lot of friends (so I call them) and a lot of other great (and not so great) people, ha. The first people I saw upon my arrival were Jim Johnson and Kevin Tilton, they were also the two people I was most hoping to see, bc, like I said, I think we are friends. Voltron was in full effect as Greg came with me to spectate the show I had planned. We all decided to warm up together and it was great to shoot the breeze and catch up a bit. We all felt like cussing cuss. Kevin Tilton had a great thought as to why. He thinks that our bodies subconsciously sabotage our week when we know we have a race, in order for our bodies to HAVE to rest. This is genius and made a cuss load of sense. I immediatly felt better. 

The race field seemed to be jacked as well. This is where most of my anxiousness was coming from. There were a ton of great runners in the field. I wanted to win in the worst way, and really had to leave it all out there, as it would be a vital ingredient to my confidence stew I'm brewing that will lead me into VCM. Everything was going to have to go right in order to win, let alone be competitive with the stellar field. I also love killing and winning, so the balance of anxiousness to race and anxiousness of who was there was fairly even. 

Before the race I chatted with Greg and asked what he felt the race strategy should be. He felt that I should run hard where my strengths were. Well, seeing that it was a mud fest, on trails, with hills? It would be a tough task to do what I envisioned doing. 

The course is essentially 3 loops with each loop a mile up then a mile down. The conditions were ideal for me. Wet, tough, somewhat cold and a course where you need to change gears a lot. My race plan was to go out in the front and press the pace to feel who was going to respond and attack, attack and attack. I was going to attack the hills, attack the down hills and attack in between and force the pace or effort to be very uncomfortable and I was hoping that that would be enough to make it so I was competitive and had the finish I was looking for. 

About 5 min before the start I really felt that I was zoned in and could have killed someone I was so cussing fired up to race. It was a bit scary as I was in full on killer mode and so much that I felt awkward. Thankfully the race started and I was able to inflict my emotions. The first thing I did was get to the front and start the slow grinding press. It was evident the first 100m that no one was going to challenge me for the lead. Any chance I could the first mile I surged. 

I envisioned that I was 3 different runners, one for each of the elements (up, flats, down) and I told myself that I had to be the best at each discipline. I attacked the first climb and when reaching the top, I didn't recover yet I pressed as hard as I could, crested the hill and surged down the other side. This was incredibly painful as I had lactic acid screaming though me. But, I had to get away and break away from the field so much that there would be no way in Hades fiery hell that they could imagine catching me. I wanted to end the race right then and there. And I did. I climbed like a fire breathing dragon, sprinted down the hills and rolled hard on the flats. 

By 1.25 miles I had a nice lead and it was only getting larger. It felt great, I felt great and I was determined to keep the pain high and ride it out. The second climb was insanely soupy and tough and I was brought back into view of the field at times, this was short lived as when cresting the second hill I sprinted the downhill to really get out of sight and stay out of site. At 4 miles my lead was 90 sec. The last 2 miles is a ton of fun as the climb isn't that bad, it's on single track and then there is a long gradual down hill that feels like you're on a conveyer belt. It felt so great to feel like I was running wicked fast, so great. 

I had an anti-Murphy's Law day, anything and everything that could have gone right, did! Sleepy Hollow went very well and I'm extremely fortunate to have run well enough to win. It was great seeing a slew of mtn friends and this race did what it needed to do: validate my confidence (uh oh)!!! 

I've included the Level Renner interview. Some people might not like my honesty or obvious confidence level, but cuss'm. You don't like it, come on out and race... I have the utmost respect for my competition and if you don't want to know: don't ask...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVLwZZfv0qE

Survival Musts

Let's start this with a great big ol' "holy cuss!" This past weekend I embarked in a vision questing miracle trip to the USATF 50k road championships in Long Island. I've been here twice before and left with a 2nd place the first adventure here and a disappointing 5th the other.  So I know what comes with the race, having been successful once and very disappointed the other attempt. 

I had done the long runs and the distances needed for the race but def didn't have the "in between" efforts I should have. Only the divine could have survived the way I did. Holy cuss... 

I was rolling to the event Voltron style with Greg and Fyffe. It was to be a dude adventure where the pressure of disappointment was not going to be tolerated: I had to step up and not let my people down. 

The car ride down was eventful as we spoke of politics, life, unmentionables, and general topics that drifted through my ever racing mind. I was in charge of reserving a hotel/motel/holiday inn and did one better: Rodeway Inn. 

Now, on the line of the internet it had a 3.5 star rating out of 5. It wasn't a 3.5 star hotel, that was just it's rating. Upon arrival at the check in desk, the clerk let's me know that the room I reserved would not be available. I then proceed to do my best Seinfeld and explain that she knew how to take my reservation, but didn't know how to hold the reservation. The whole point of me calling 10 days prior was to assure I would have the room available that I needed... Instead of a non-smoking room with double beds, we now had a smoking room with double beds. What the cuss!!! 

Greg and Fyffe weren't to bothered by it but I wanted to keep at the poor women until she either conceded and gave us a free room or provided.... Never mind. 

We wanted to run so we hit the room to change before heading to the course. Now, smoking rooms are bad, but our to be room was a mixture of a Tijuana brothel where you paid in cigarette cancer smoke. It was bad. The room was probably the site of many an amateur movie where bad things with lots of diseases were filmed. Great pre-race environment. The only benefit was that our hotel stay got us 20% off at TGIFridays. I did a lot of head shaking and knew a huge effort tomorrow was I order. Cuss. 

The course run was good, I felt fine on the 3 miler Greg and I did and I was getting less nerved up and more anxious and excited. 

When we got back to the hotel we found our room cleaned and it appeared to be normal, except for the lingering smoke smell. Whatever. It was dinner time so we walked to the TGIFridays. No sidewalks were ploughed so Fyffe and Greg walked in the unploughed sidewalk snow banks while I opted for the road. I wasn't scared of a car hitting me, I'm going to live to be 98 and I feel super human. 

Fyffe and Greg on a 3ft sidewalk snow bank. 

After a mini game of Frogger to cross the highway we made it to dinner. It wasn't bad. The bar tender was able to shed a little more light on our hotel of choice, (I'm paraphrasing) "yea, strippers and hookers work there, a lady with a duffel bag of cash was there..." Awesome. I'll enjoy digging the crabs out of my pumpkin patch when I get home...

I was hoping for a good night sleep and wake up as rested as possible before my quest towards 100% of everything I have.  But a good nights sleep was out of the question, it ended up being a epic Wild West story night. Haha. I didn't need any sleep anyways... 

Mid story time in the brothel cancer smoke shed. 

I woke up the next day ready to eat and head to the site to get my head wrapped around 10 5k laps. The laps are esthetically pleasing and I really like the course (except one hairpin turn which BLOWS). Main goal: stay within myself. I had "mantra" going though my head. I figured it was going to be an even runned effort with the needle pinned on the fastest grind I could do, so the mantra was, "wallflowers don't get laid, I need to hit the dance floor and GRIND!" 

Race time: the weather was cold and damp but never got wet (that's what she...). I looked the part as I was rolling with the Wild Neoteny signature series hat and arms sleeves which aptly read, "Last Hero, Only Hope" and was the appropriate decision (I needed a miracle). The plan was to go hit at race pace, 6 min miles, and hold it as long as possible. Looking at the field it appeared to be about 5 guys to challenge up front. Two years ago there were 3 guys up front but I still managed to finish 5th, which meant I faded badly. Not this year.  To win, would have been a whole winter of different training and winning was a bit just out of the question and just finishing was priority number one, with holding as close to 6 min pace as long as possible, priority number 2. The realization that I could run 3:15 was a nerve racking truth and would have been demoralizing (but a possibility). 

Once the race started it was evident that there was only 4 dudes here, with me clearly the 4th guy. This settled in quickly and the only way I could move onto the podium was by staying within myself and having one of them come back. This also had nothing to do with my race so I just focused on me.

At 1.5 Joe Gray initiated for my to join him and Micheal Wardian. This would have looked super cool, race hob knobbing with them but I'm already super cussing cool so I elected to not ruin my race and stick to the game plan. 

I was running hot every mile to start and commited to it. The first mile has a long gradual downhill and hit 5:51, second mile has a small roll to it, 11:42, the third mile is flat with a hairpin turn in it the. You hit the start for 5k and head out for the lap. I was 18:10 for the first 5k. I reminded myself to relax, I was in no mans land and would be racing by myself for a while until we started lapping people. Same story to open up the second lap, 5:42, 11:39, 18:00 5k. I thought I was slowing down but I was settling in to 5:50. 

I had to really focus on chilling and not continuing to gradual pick up the pace. After two laps, the effort did start to become "real," meaning I could feel it and it was going to be tough. I was on the edge the whole race, and with 8 laps to go I realized two things: you may not hold this pace , immediately followed by, don't ever think that again an of course you'll do it, you have to. 

In the mix if the third 5k I started to get a bit more comfortable. Same story, 5:45 fist mile then held that effort to finish up 18:16, cool. Again and again I rattled of even 5k's which was high octane confidence fuel. The middle few 5k's were becoming a blur. Fyffe and Greg were on the opening mile and I was hydrating and fueling perfectly. 

Lap 4: 18:18

Lap 5: 18:21... And smooth. 

After crossing half way I preplanned a mental shift. I knew that half way was a whole different race and I had to really really focus. Around this time I was hoping that te guys up front were beating the cuss out if each other and one or two may fade back. Just the idea was made me relax a bit but every lap I could see no ground was being made up.

Lap 6: 18:09

I opened up the second half with one of my fastest laps which was more adrenaline than me making moves. I kept taking deep breaths and remind in myself to relax. It was on my seventh lap that I knew I had to pray for help. Now, to clarify, my praying and to whom I pray is its own entity and my own beliefs structure. I prayed to my ancestors from which my family derives, I prayed to nature, I prayed to my extended godly lineages, and asked for help. I asked for help with laps 7 and 8, where if I received help I could do the last two laps on my own. 

I heard the hammer and chisel from the quarry if the gods in which I was cut. A flock of crows flew to the tree that over hung the course and started cawing wildly and my family was silent, which meant it was about to get real! In seriousness, immediate after my pray request a group of crows to fly above me and did caw wildly, this was inspirational and exciting. I just kept telling myself that I was going to get help these two laps and the last two laps are your. 

Lap 7: 18:36

Lap 8: 18:30

Some time in the mix of things Greg and Fyffe let me know that Gray had stepped off the course. This is unfortunate, but does benefit me as I moved up to 3rd. Joe has been if fire lately absolutely crushing souls, traveling around the world, and afterwards he said it just caught up with him and he was tired and his legs were flat. If it could happen to him, it could happen to anyone, including me so had to continue to grind even splits as possible. Some dude I don't know was wailing everyone in first while Wardian was in second. With two laps to go, it didn't look like Wardian was putting any more time one me sice half way and to catch him would have been improbable. 

Lap 9 was one of the most fun laps. I kept telling myself positive things and knowing only one lap was left was uplifting. Every lap before and Greg and Fyffe were calmly providing updates and encouragement but upon the opening of the last two laps started getting pumped and wild and really fueling the effort. 

Lap 9: 18:51, but still feeling ok. I was gradually slowing down each 5k, but it was 2-3 seconds a lap and not at all discouraging. 

Lap 10 was great, all I had to do was finish. My legs were about 5 miles away from cramping, but the good news of 3 miles left was awesome. I pushed as hard as I could the opening mile of the last lap. I thought "what the cuss, take a risk and pout everything you got into it." Evidently that was a 6:02 mile. This made me smile, 2 miles left. On the downhill of the second mile I tried to surge and felt like it was one of my best miles in the whole race, where it was my slowest at 6:22. Worst case scenario now is I hobble in at 8-9 min mile pace but the legs didn't cramp and I attempted another surge the last mile. I hit the last mile at 5:55 and cruised in for a new PR (barely) and a third place finish.

It felt great to have a positive experience where everything went great. Greg and Fyffe immediately came over to congratulate where I instantly let then know that "it was too easy..." Hahaha.  I may have overextended and ran a bit above expectations. That was confirmed during the ride while we were leaving the Island when I asked Greg his thoughts. Greg shook his head and said to me, "dude, that was a miracle..." Hahaha. 

It really was awesome to roll Voltron style with my bros. They added an extra element where I didn't want to disappoint them for making the trip. Sharing time with my buddies is more fun than a gutterpig... 

37th Chamber

Wind in the sails and the ship feels righted in the direction it needs to be. With that said, still a ways away from the competitive level I forsaw in December, but the enjoyment of running of late has been great. This weekend was no different. The weather was amazing, the company was stellar and the routes were great.

I was fortunate to be able to hit the trails on Saturday and then the roads on Sunday. Saturday was a Voltron to Pisgah for 12 miles on the hard packed snowmobile trails with Greg and the girls. Sunday was going to be epic and wanted to get the girls their fitness in. It's also my favorite thing about running. 

The trail was 85% hard packed and was softening up the last 20 min which lead to quite a bit of small slipping. At the time I didn't really notice it. I really noticed it the next day when I woke up. 

Sunday was going to be the Marathon Road with the Simpson Brk add on to make it 24 miles. Eric MacKnight and Jeff Goupil made the trek out to team up with Greg and myself. I was excited to have a group and was looking forward to the run itself. 

We started off nicely, and eased into a nice relaxing pace. At around an hour we hit a 2.5 mile long hill that is very gradual until the last 1200 which is steep.

I didn't notice or hear it but I guess Greg and Goupil made a pact to chill while Eric and I kept the pace and effort a click up. I started to feel very good at this point in the run.

Once at the top we all regrouped and kept rolling down the backside before intersecting the Marathon Road. Once we hit the MR again we started to get honest with the rolling and by Grafton village Eric and I were in a rhythm and kept hustling. There was a stop at a store for a quick fueling, while Eric and I added on about 5 min. We then continues rolling the rest of the way. I could tell our effort was solid and had Eric take a mile split and hit 5:58 for our 20th mile and then 5:45 for the 21st mile and contined this pace tha last 2 miles. Once back at the start we added on another 4-5 min to get an extra mile and 25 for the day. 

I'm very happy with the effort and stoked to share an awesome day with my Owl Brethren. 

Caul of the Uild

January has been a real mother cusser in the way that my training has looked a lot like my runs, lots of ups and downs. Some goals have shifted a bit, but running is a sanctuary of freedom and peace of mind... I really love the winter running when the conditions allow and I'm having a ton of fun. That said, I'm not getting faster, more fit or as race prepared as I envisioned a few weeks ago. But I don't give a feathery cuss bc I'm having fun just running. Which also means I need to prepare myself for the result of the outcome of any race I enter.

The reason to all the great feelings on runs is all the inspiration around me. The start of the month started with a run with my Owl Breathren and it was awesome. We met up in Pisgah at Greg's house and had a nice run. Attendants were: George Adams (owl), Thomas Paquette (owl), Eric MacKnight (owl) and Greg Hammett (honorary owl), and since we kill things, getting together was a fun time. 

This run was a changing factor to the start of the year for me as I took a step back and realized how awesome the people I have in my circle of running are. George with his delusionary ideologies that mirror/parallel some of the wild asinine things I say, and general being. Thomas is so easy going and laid back and always excited and interested in any and all running adventures. Eric is always great to meet up with and talk, well, really anything running related (with a cuss load if cuss talk mixed in). Eric has been an awesome inspiration to get out there in all elements, as his ability to be regimented and focused on one thing at a time is something I can struggle with. But hearing about his training and his BAM! Workouts, SHAZAM! Dinners, POW! And general focus is uplifting. Greg is an amazing balance to my reckless relentless chaos. There's too much to say about Greg , but in brief (and not even the best of...), Greg has an amazing ability to stay within himself and always puts things into perspective. Greg is the best guy in the world when it comes to training advice and having him as a training partner and seeing how constant he is at everything he does it, is awesome to always know he's got your back and will speak the truth (even though I most times don't enjoy the reality checks). 

Just knowing my brothers are out there doing it is enough to put myself out there in appreciation of what we share. 

As I drift through training, more just running, I've been able to really enjoy the outside and nature. The most notable thing was when I went with Greg to the track for some, whatever work?, and had positive feedback. Greg was prepping for short track cuss while I didn't give a cuss and went with mile repeats (3x). 

I wasn't going to look at my watch for the first one and just run comfortable, then try to copy that two more times. 

I rolled the first mile in 5:10, felt more like 5:40, and was very surprised. Cool. I wanted to run the same again, but half way through I peeked at the watch and saw 2:33, and felt easy, so I kept rolling with a slight acceleration and rolled a 5:03, nifty. The weather and snow picked up and it turned very cool. Track workouts cuss but this was fun. Last mile was light work and I felt awesome, especially while rolling a 4:56, like it weren't no thang! 

Since this first real "workout," I have been a load of miles together and have begun thinking about my calendar of what races I want to skull cuss. I haven't dined on souls in a good long while and need to get out there, at the very least to sport all my swag... 

Since this blog post has been written in many parts from many days the energy is all over the place and so is the info. Within a weeks time I managed a solid 80 miles with two bookend long runs, one from my house to Fyffe's via Athens then up over Putney Mtn. This run was an awesome 22 miler, which was enjoyable the whole time (even in the negative temps). 

For squirts and giggles I chose another mile repeat workout but upped the ante a bit and hustled 4 x mile. I was feeling supercharged before the workout started and rolled 6:20's for my warm up then hit the miles (90 sec rest), and was able to cruise under control for all of them: 4:53, 4:45, 4:57, 4:49. 

Added some fun running in between to lead me to Saturday. Saturday was epic and awesome. I've been dying to hit this specific loop (a marathon road hybrid) that clocked in at 23.69 miles on mapmyrun, so I called it 24. Greg had an epiphany and switched his mindset to miles and was in for the epic roll out. Run was bad ass and I felt cussing awesome the whole cussing cluster cuss time! Hell yea!!! We were able to roll sub 7 min pace and was too easy... The next day I woke up feeling Viagra ready for the next run and hustled a 14 mile trail venture with my girls. I ran this easy and relaxed, which meant it took me forever, but I was psyched to be out there in the universe having fun. 

The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.

Time to Pretend

The year is wrapping up and I ended my year where I started it, at Magic Mtn.  I'm fully healthy and looking to only increase what has been and look towards 2014 with 2013 being a great step in my pursuit of all things. 

This winter break has been great in the way it has made me truly realize that I would be a fantastic millionaire, as I don't want to work, I'd rather bang on a drum all day, run and just hang out and be... But the cruel reality is I have to work and it is probably good I do bc it gives me a deeper focused desire to get out there and work for what I want/need. 

Thursday - I wanted to try out a new run on the roads so I left the girls home and I zipped out to Grafton to explore a 12-15 mile run. The run was great and tough. I was either climbing or slipping the whole time. The weather wasn't ideal as it was an interesting mix of sleet and cut-your-cussing-eyeballs precipitation.

It was all roads and a mix of dirt and paved. Turned out to be just shy of 15, so I'm calling it 15, and was happy with the effort as I worked the climbs and the flats and recovered on the slippery downhills. 

Total time was 1:45 and some change, so I was a little disappointed to only see 14.8 on the GPS, so 15 it is. 

In the afternoon I went hiking with the Fyffe's and my girls were nice enough to run away... This lasted a couple days, which were stressed filled and a lot of pisstivity. 

Saturday - I was all set to run in Pisgah with Greg when my cellular device let me know that ninjas an incoming call which was from VT. Upon answering, I learned that the person that had phoned me had my girls at their house, so, I was unable to run and went to pick up my girls in cussing Putney-Brookline-Dummerston border. For those of you who don't know, this is cussing real cussing far away from where I live. The call did make me feel better to know they were alive, safe and sound. While my girls were gone I totaled 397 miles of driving looking for them and it was all in a 12 mile radius. Just like Billy Madison said, "you got to get out there and find those cussing dogs!" 

I did however run! I met up with a buddy, Morgan Brown (who is even more cool and interesting than the Dous Equis guy), for a run at his place which used to also be the trails I lived and ran for a few months once bc we were neighbors. We ran some great trails and it was great to catch up and chat about the going ons that are our lives. 

Sunday - Voltroned with Greg and the CMont guys (Brent and Justin) joined us as well. Originally it was supposed to be a trail run which got thought to be a road run and the communication got cussed. It was decided to run trails, which was an awesome decision, and we started out behind my house. 

These trails aren't the easiest, and I happened to feel better than amazing the whole run. I think I was the only one that had this feeling. We ventured the trails to the Athens Lookout, further south to West West Sketch Village (new age Deliverance could be filmed here) then back to the sap lines to the switchbacks. All in all a great run with great dudes. 

A lot of conclusion were made that day, for instance, next Sunday will be a road run, I'm fit, no one wants to do a race called Reach the Bitch (Beach?), everyone is doing Pisgah 50k, I'm awesome and we like sports and we don't care who knows.  

The whole run was 2:13 and very satisfying (even though I'm usually never satisfied, just like my bro Chaz Micheals Micheals). 

Monday - woke up feeling great and had 10 miles on my mind as I was going to see if this could be a possible morning run. I had to park at the Cambridgeport General Store and got out there. Nice on in mostly dirt roads until the last 3, which is on the Marathon Road. It also intersects a mile mark so I decided to get some work in. I didn't wear a watch but was easily clipping 4:10's like it was easy. Ah, cuss! Typo, I was cruising 5:40's... But really, same thing?! The last mile I did give 95% effort of what I had left and felt good to finish strong, hard and fast (that's what she...). 

Tuesday - Hustled to Timber Ridge in Windham VT, which is the backside of Magic Mtn, and ended my year where I physically started it. It was immediate blissful happiness being on the mtn. The trail had had a snowmobile on it and the conditions were ok, bit great, but ok. After the climb, which was very tough, I found that the connector over to Magic wasn't open yet and the snow was deep and fluffy. The trail did however loop to the top of Magic, so I continued that way. To the top of Timberidge where I start is exactly 2.5 miles, and it took forever (didn't wear a watch bc I didn't give a cuss, but recognized it was slow and very tough). I then saw a small abandoned ski trail and decided to explore a bit. This trail was what I went there for, I was looking for something magical to set my mind at peace and have an absolutely enjoyable day. This trail was it. 

(Cuss yea, was about to escape my mouth). 

The trails was about 8 feet across, completely snow covered and slowly weaved itself down the mountain. It was untouched by anyone. A lot of game tracks, followed by my girls prints and my own. It was so much fun cruising down the mountain and the powder, and it was just cussing awesome!!! My girls looked awesome, the lighting, the snow, the trail, everything was awesome and to end 2013 this way was incendiary ("hey man, I want to be incendiary too!") 

I'm not into resolutions or the idea that a year switching over changes anything in me or I need to modify something in my life bc the year is changing. Everyday I'm looking towards setting and achieving goals but to "start" this next phase healthy is 12 inches of rock hard awesomeness that I'm going to club and cuss things up!!!

Year in Review: I've been cut from the quarry of the gods, chiseled in the halls of my own, my heart harvested from the irons of the Earth and forged in the fires of the beginnings of time. I got a big mouth, bigger goals and even larger balls, which all will be feared and validated in the months to come! 

Cuss yea! Tip your waitress!!!