Archive for the ‘Week 11’ Category

Week 11 – Back to Breakheart

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Hills are your friends. Love the hills, they’ll love you back.

You had your first trip to Breakheart last week, this week we take our last trip through. Typically 5 routes bring you through the string of hills through the winter but the snow spared you of that intense hill training this year. As you’re running through them tomorrow don’t complain, don’t whine, don’t swear at me. Instead embrace the hills. They are just one of the many friends helping you get ready for your big race coming up. Love the hills tomorrow, love them while you’re going up them and they’ll love you back as the push you effortlessly back down. Love the hills tomorrow and they’ll love you back on race day when that hill the race directors have put in front of you seem small and short, nothing compared to Breakheart.

This week’s run is similar to one we took a few weeks ago in a snow storm. We’ll head up West Foster Street and turn at Melrose Common and find yourself on Swains Pond Ave. Last time this area was decorated in white fluffy snow, this time you’ll see no snow, bright sunshine, and cool crisp air. Swains Pond will loop around to Lebanon St where you’ll go right and then left at the first set of lights onto Forest St. You’ll run past Oak Grove to water stop 1 at the Citizen’s Bank on Main St in Malden.

From there you’ll run Winter St past the Oak Grove MBTA stop, through a big intersection straight onto the twists and turns of Glenwood St popping out at the rotary at Highland Ave and the Fellsway where the newspaper boy sits. Turn right there and follow the Fellsway East onto the LynnFells Parkway to the knoll across from the Melrose Middle School where water stop 2 will be waiting for you.

Leaving water stop 2 you follow the LynnFells straight out to Breakheart’s Saugus entrance where water stop 3 is. A loop of Breakheart counter clockwise (to the right first through the flatter section of Breakheart leaving the hills for last) and you’ll pop back out at the same water stop again. There you’ll head back along the LynnFells to the knoll where the next water stop will still be waiting for you. Leaving there you’ll follow the LynnFells to Grimsby’s, turn onto West Wyoming, turn left on Main St and BOOM, you’re back at Brueggers.

Before I get to the roll call we need to take care of some business for next week, our road trip to Hopkinton. he way that run works is we all meet at Brueggers at 7AM. We carpool to Hopkinton, take a group picture in front of the doughboy statue near the start, then start the run to Boston at 8AM. Water stop crews move the cars, support the water stops, leapfrogging all morning long. Some runners don’t run the whole course, somewhere in Wellesley we pick  them up and a new set of short route runners head out on the course. We all end up at BC with all the cars and runners, lounge in the sunshine near the steps of the church at BC, take a big group picture and head back to Melrose. Typically most of us end up at the Dockside and celebrate the start of the Boston Marathon taper for most of the afternoon. Now I need to know who has a car they can contribute to the mix, who can support water stops, and who plans on running what next week. I’ll take that info and through the week we’ll plan out the day with posts and replies on this blog.

So…. who’s in tomorrow and for how much, and who’s in for next week and how? ROLL CALL!!!

Week 11 – Swains + Breakheart

Friday, September 17th, 2010

This is definitely one of my favorite routes. It includes 4 towns and 6 border crossing’s. Please don’t forget your passport!
The full route runs through Melrose, Malden, Melrose, Saugus, Wakefield, Saugus and back to Melrose.

Also, this is the longest week for people training for a half marathon! 11.1 miles!
(And lucky you doesn’t have to run Breakheart this week!)

I can easily handle water stop 1 by Citizens Bank/Oak Grove and stop 3 by Breakheart.

If someone could stash their car at WS 2 between the high school and Ell pond, that would be perfect!
I can pick you up before the run, or if you’re looking for a great .75 mile warm-up, you could just park there and run over to Brueggers…

See you Sunday!!

P.S. – If your available on Sunday the 26th, it’s a loooong route, and I will not be around for water stops! Sorry! We will need 3-4 people to help.
Thanks!!

-Barry

Week 11 – Ramping back up

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

After a weather debacle last week, this week we’ll try to get back on track. The marathon trainers will be heading out for almost 18 miles. From Brueggers, up to Melrose Common, around Swains Pond, across Malden to the Fellsway East, through Melrose to Saugus, a loop around Breakheart, and back to Melrose.

For those wanting less you’ll have a few options to cut off for anything from 4+, 7, 8, or 11. Also any one interesting in supporting those running longer can park at a water stop and start there to cut off some of the distance.

As for the stops there will be one at the Citizen’s Bank on Main St in Malden, at the knoll by Melrose Middle School, and at the Saugus entrance to Breakheart. BarryP plans on helping out, and I think I’ll be jumping in (although my trunk smells extremely musty after getting soaked last week so I’m not sure it’s up for being used for a water stop) but I think I need one, maybe two volunteers to help Barry out. Barry, let me know if you’re in, and anyone else running parts of the run that could help out.

Who’s in?

Week 11 – Fish Oil

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

Our first Spring run has come and gone and 24 of us enjoyed all or part of it. The run started late as my ailing car decided to stop for a break along the grueling 1/4 mile ride to Brueggers. Much like a struggling runner is revived and renewed with a quick drink and a Snickers, this little stall has reinvigorated my limping car, which is a good thing since it was signed up to contribute 3 of the 5 water stops this morning, each stop serving as an opportunity for me to toss out automotive questions to our local mechanic-like experts.

The start of the run followed East Foster St up towards Melrose Common where the route took a right turn to Swains Pond. It’s been reported that the roadkill of the year was spotted there, something you would never guess you would see… somewhere near Swains Pond a dead fish was in the road. I didn’t see it since I was rushing along Main St to water stop 1 at the Citizen’s Bank in Malden. Teresa joined me there and we waited in the windy frigid air for the runners to come. One by one they strided in, Judi and Joe comfortable but quick lead the pack, Brian, Ed, and Audie right behind them. Carol and Mary followed, then Tall Dave, Christina, Ginny, Jose, Lauren, Catherine, Evan, Sue, Joanne, Suzanne, Lois, Pam, Peter, and Matt (I think that’s everyone). Teresa joined them for this leg, out past Oak Grove, along Greenwood to the Fellsway East. Working the hills they went, riding the roller coaster to the next water stop at the knoll by Melrose Middle School. I moved my car, fingers crossed that I would make it, stopping once to grab a hat and gloves from home on my way by. The order of the pack stayed consistent as runners came in, took their cups off the clothesline inside my trunk, downed some Gatorade, clipped their cup back up and raced off towards Saugus.

I joined in here and mixed into the pack chugging down the LynnFells. At Main St in Saugus many of the runners hooked back along Howard to trace the 11 mile “short” route. As spring approaches even the short routes are getting long. I went with the long route runners to Breakheart where, as we approached Judi and Joe came storming out… three miles ahead of us and smiling and high fiving like they weren’t even trying. Liz met up with here, starting her run at mile 10. At Breakheart a sure sign of Spring was evident, park rangers were busily demonstrating the process of maple sugaring, but a few steps in showed we’re still not completely clear of winter where snow and ice still lined the trail on the flat side of the reservation. Our loop around would begin and end with a water stop at Peter’s car, a pleasant bookend to what always proves to be the toughest section of the run… although some have been quoted as noticing that Breakheart isn’t as tough as it was weeks ago.

Leaving Breakheart, we retraced our steps along the LynnFells, back to my car at the knoll where my run would end for the day. I finished this stretch with Suzanne who had a solid, strong run today. One quick drink and she was off without hesitation to tackle the last hill of the day on the LynnFells towards Grimsby’s where the route turned down West Wyoming and back to Main to finish up just short of 18 miles. Peter followed, Matt cut the run slightly short, and Liz, Lois and I piled into my sick little car and drove back to Brueggers without incident.

At Brueggers were smiling faces, the 20 mile run two weeks ago having made 17.8 today a walk in the park. It is amazing to watch, season to season, how that first 18 mile run seems so difficult and the second one seems so much easier… in fact so much so that Brian wasn’t the only one that tacked on a little extra today, a few put in the extra 1/4 mile so they could say they ran 18. Great job everyone.

For those that are wondering, I drove my car for a half hour this afternoon with no oil light, no hesitations. Remember along your marathon journey that sometimes when your internal oil light comes on that sometimes pulling over and regrouping for a second can do wonders… although I suggest keeping your fingers crossed the rest of the run.

Week 11 – First Spring Run

Friday, March 20th, 2009

Today Spring officially sprung, chronologically more so than meteorological. This Sunday we’ll take our first Spring long run and we’ll mark it with a different start to the run. Instead of heading North or South on Main St as we have all winter long, we’re going to head up to Melrose Common, swing around Swains Pond, wander over to the Fellsway East, continue down the Lynn Fells Pkwy back to Breakheart for a few late hills in the run, then head all the way back the way you came until you hit W Wyoming Ave where you turn home to Brueggers. Almost 18 miles for those running long while those running short can cut back several different ways to tailor their runs to be 4.5, 7, 8, or 11 miles.

My car is acting up again (oil light is coming on)  so I’ll need some extra help for the water stops. Take a look at the map and let me know if you think you can help. Thanks!

It’s time again for the ROLL CALL! Who’s in?