Welcome home and my first race back

Welcome to my blog! I'm a 32 year old endurance athlete who is married with one kid. I just recently moved back to New England after a year spent in Boulder, Colorado and before I went west, I was into outdoor sports, but after my time out there, short as it was, I came back with a renewed vigor to try and be competitive in the sports of trail running, mountain biking and adventure racing.

Being a father with a full time job, I have to pick and choose which events I'm going to participate in so that I'm being a good Dad, and not shirking job responsibilites. It's a challenge that most racers in their 30's go up against and it usually results in early mornings and late nights out running and riding. Since moving back, I've been focusing almost solely on trail running. Running is the easiest activity to work into a busy schedule. Get up early and go, or go out later after everyone has gone to bed. So until we figure out our exact weekly schedule, and where I can fit in riding, I figured I'd focus mostly on trail running. So, I'm entering my first trail running race this Saturday. The Essex Greenbelt Trail run in Hamilton, MA. I'll post results later this weekend.

I'm not really sure what to expect. Based on how I was running in Boulder, I know I can hold my own and of all the sports I do, I'm probably best at running. But I've never focused on one sport before, and I'll be going up against people who have been running for a very long time. So this race is to be used as a measuring stick to see what I need to do to become competitive with the local trail folks. The weather isn't going to be a huge help...forecast is for high's in the 90's and very humid...I hate the heat.

Seriously, I hate the heat. I feel that when it's cold, it's easier to get warm. Just go run around the house a few times and you'll warm up. But when you're really hot...it's not always as easy to cool off. When running or biking, it's hard because the humidity doesn't let your sweat evaporate so you don't get the cooling effect that your body is going for, so you have to be really careful. With that in mind, Saturday's results should be interesting. I have to think that most folks will be going slower than usual. Oh well, so it goes...I'm just looking to see what the local trail scene is all about and how I can improve so that I'm competitive.

I'm hoping to update here frequently...so please come back and see what I've been up to.

-ct