August Recap

"August is going to be a pretty quiet month i think..."

August started out where July left off as i continued to push towards a PR at Pisgah. Grant and I decided to hit up a stretch of trail on the SRK Greenway. The same section that Sherpa and I were going to run a month ago before we had car issues. The trail was pretty rugged. After getting lost several times in the first few miles, then again climbing Ragged. It was a pretty tough trail to follow and I'm glad i had Barkley under my belt or i feel like we could have easily ran 10 miles out of the way. Overall it was a perfect day for a run and we were both happy to knock out the 19 miles and have planned on doing another section soon.

(From the Ski Lift on top of Ragged Mtn)

So if you read my post a few weeks back you would recall me being mildly disappointed to not have an opportunity to run a 5k pr this year. Well i had forgotten that my company puts together a corporate team for the Cigna 5k held in downtown Manchester every August.
Not being one to turn up a free race, i of course join the team. Feeling fat and sloth like i had no intention of coming close to a PR so just for a laugh i decide to run in my fivefingers. Well apparently that's just what the doctor ordered. I sprinted across the finish line in a post-HS PR of 21:28, beating my previous time by over 30 seconds.

(Suz and I pre-race)

The second weekend marked the first annual Summer BBQ Party. A concept that had been in the works for about 3 years now to fill the summertime party gap and having a total excuse to cook retarded amounts of food and drink retarded amounts of booze. With other parties and obligations that come with anything scheduled in the summertime i expected a small turn out. I'm glad i cooked as much as i did because i think we had 20-30 people show up and it turned out to be a damn good time. Tons of laughs, burnt lots of wood, smoked up 20+lbs of pork and almost filled a 50gal trash big with empties.

The third weekend was going to be awesome. After missing out on the concert earlier in the year in New Hampshire I saw that Great Big Sea was playing at an outside concert in South Pomfret VT. Not only have i wanted to see this band for over a year now, it's playing in a spot in Vermont that's near and dear to me being part of the Vermont 50/100 Courses.

(GBS at Suicide Six)

The show was most excellent and we've already decided that we are going to see them again the next chance we get. After the concert we had to jet home and catch a few hours of shut eye before heading down to Nashua NH where we were to run the Moose on the Loose 10 Miler. Leah, Suz, and Gina were to relay the event. While Grant and I were aiming for a Sub 1:24 (to give me a PR at that distance). The weather was cool and overcast and it couldn't have worked out better. The ladies finished unscathed in a respectable 1:34:30 and Grant whipped me to a 1:20:54 10 Mile PR.

Weekend 4 was supposed to be a relaxed weekend by Lake Merrymeeting at a house that Mop and Kristen had got in a raffle earlier in the year. Unfortunately, my home inspections could only be scheduled on Saturday so we had to dash back from the loon filled spot at day break. Before we left we were able to have a wonderful fire and enjoy some camping under the stars with some great people.

Back in Hillsboro and stuffed to the gills on turkey we made preparations for Sunday's Fat Ass 50k that Loni again was hosting. Between her efforts to cram as many miles in before the VT50, and Grant and I's goal to PR at Pisgah we were ready to go come 6am. Leah was the wild card, she had mentioned that she wanted to run some, but her ongoing ankle battle had taken it's toll on her training regimen. Luckily today she got a boost of confidence running over 12 miles with us. The miles past quickly and we finished in approximately 7:35.


Last month i said it was going to be slow, this month, the complete opposite. Some Travel to Vermont, a wedding, a brew festival, ideally a PR at Pisgah, and if the stars align there will be a Team Robert relay team at VT50!


By The Numbers:
Miles Run: 108.5
# of Runs: 22
Average Miles: 4.9

Month Starting Weight: 169 Lbs
Month Ending Weight: 169 Lbs
Weight Change: 0 lbs

Race Results:
Cigna 5k - 21:28
Moose on the Loose 10 Miler - 43:02
Fox Fat Ass 50k - 7:35

Upcoming August Events:
Pisgah 50k
Vermont 50 Miler