North Amherst, Puffer's Pond

Time: 92:23
Distance: 14 mi.
Map

I was bored. I went running for a while.

Music: Wolf Parade, Apologies to the Queen Mary and At Mount Zoomer

Walt Whitman

Time: 44:00
Distance: 6.5 mi.

Easy afternoon run from Puffer's Pond out on the trails towards Atkins Reservoir. Somewhere along here there is a sign indicating that you're on Walt Whitman trail or loop. Who knows? It's Amherst. I felt physically good, and it was a very nice crisp fall afternoon.

Jordan's back on the horse (but running with girls) and Coste is back on the roads... and on we go.

Puffer's Pond, Flat Hills

Time: 9 mi.
Distance: 67:16

Since I'll be in Amherst for a little while, I've decided to help out at the Amherst Regional High School cross country practices when I can. Despite the cold feeling a bit worse, I figured I could meet the guys for an easy run and see what the scene is. We ran very easy down to Puffer's Pond and then through the trails to Flat Hills and back. The good part of this run is that I couldn't hammer at all, the bad part was that I couldn't really cut it short. My cold is definitely getting worse.

Flat Hills Loop, Mill River

Time: 81:55
Distance: 12 mi.

Easy afternoon run from Puffer's Pond. I did a loop around Flat Hills and past Atkins Reservoir. That only got me about an hour, so I ran on the trails to Mill River and mucked around there for a little bit and came back up. I was pretty tired by the end of the run, and my legs are really dead from these shoes.

Pratt Corner Speed Play

Time: 81:00
Distance: 12.5 mi.
Map (approximate)

Target: 8 x 3:00 sub-5:00 effort, 1:00 rest
Workout: hit it pretty well, but rest after 4 was much longer as I had to hit the woods

I started at Puffer's and got in 25 minutes of warmup on Market Hill and Cushman to Pratt Corner. The first half of the farlek was almost completely uphill and I was working pretty hard. Due to an ill-timed snack this afternoon I started getting a side stitch and had to stop to hit the woods after four intervals before I turned back down the hill. Running down wasn't quite as aerobically taxing, even though I was running hard, but I think my legs got a pretty good workout.

I had some mild workout stomach afterwards. I should really stop putting runs off to the afternoon when I have nothing to do all day.

Eastman Trails

Time: 41:04
Distance: 6 mi.

After a long drive back from DC I stopped straight-off at Puffer's Pond to do a double trail run. I was hoping to find what I remembered to be a decent network of trails up there, but I kept hitting dead ends. I know that it must go through, because somewhere it connects all the way to Mt. Toby. It didn't help that a few sections were overgrown with tall grass that was shredding my legs, and that it was absolutely pouring. I jumped in Puffer's after the run.

Puffer's Pond-Mt. Orient Loop

Time: 88:00
Distance: 13 mi.


The view towards Amherst from the outlook on Mt. Orient

I'm still fighting through the jetlag a bit, so I've avoided running in the morning when it has been taking me a little while to wake up. Whenever I'm not highly motivated I tend to need to find some trails to get myself going. The ABC trail that leads to the Robert Frost Trail in this section is very nice, especially as it gets towards Atkins Reservoir and heads into Amethyst Brook. I was trying to do a loop, rather than going out and back like I did the last time I was out there. I knew that I was getting in over the 60-70 minutes I was shooting for, but I knew the trail connected somewhere around the west side of Mt. Orient. I so I kept heading out. Once I found it I headed back over the top of the mountain and then back most of the way that I had come. It is hard to judge pace out there... on the steep technical stuff it is hard to go too fast, on the downhills it is easy to fly.

I didn't get out there until a little after 7pm, so I was racing the sunlight a little bit on my way back in. Unlike what would've happened in Alaska, the sun won and I had to cut onto the road for the last little bit where I could see where I was going. Total on the soft surface was at least 12 miles.

North Amherst Robert Frost Trail

Time: 9 mi.
Distance: 63:00


The Robert Frost Trail in Amherst

I stopped at Puffer's Pond when I got back in Amherst from NYC to get in a run. It was good to get the drive out of my legs and I was happy to get in an evening run after putting it off this morning. The trails up there are beautiful, and it was good to be on soft surfaces. The trails wind and are a bit technical and up-and-down, so pace there is usually pretty slow.

UMass, Hadley Farms, Puffer's

Time: 92:30
Distance: 13.5 mi.
Map


Frozen waterfall near Puffer's Pond

Ran with Matt Lacey from his house in North Amherst through UMass into Hadley and then back with a loop out by Puffer's pond. The roads have finally (mostly) cleared, so we were able to run a bit more easily, though I was pretty tired getting out of bed this morning. It was nice to catch up with him and have a running partner who was up for a good long-ish run. He ran the blazing hot Chicago marathon and did not fare well, fading badly in the second half and walking some in a delirious state... apparently after the race he was so out of it that he was berating the medical staff trying to help him saying things like, "God dammit! I'm going to die here and you're just going to forget about me and drink beer with your friends!" Yikes. More incentive to avoid the marathon.

My body is generally stiff, but no specific complaints. The weather has also gotten a bit nicer, up to the mid-30s which makes a big difference in feeling good.