Completed the Mattatuck Trail today, with the final 7.7-miles. 

I parked on Hardscrabble Road, and ran south to the southern terminus at Valley Road, in Warren.  This is a very nice section / trail.

Starting point on Hardscrabble Road 

High Point along today's route

Brook leading into the Shepaug Reservoir

Brook leading into the Shepaug Reservoir

Back where I started

5.3-mile run along the Tunxis from Ski Sundown area, with K2.

Also, on this day in 2009, Wuzzam and I completed a McClean Reservation Marathon in roughly five hours.   This was my 41st marathon completed.  I recall it being a fairly easy day for us.

A morning full of weeding the flower garden for DL, then a run into work for a suspected late night working on a grant opportunity due by midnight.  5.5-humid miles late morning.

3-mile run along Main Street.

Also, on this day in 1995 I completed my 6th marathon, Vermont City.  I had trained for a year specifically to run sub 3:10 at a marathon, so that I would qualify and gain entry into the 100th running of the Boston Marathon.

I recall feeling awful for the first couple miles, and beat from around  10 - 13 miles.  At some point, my training kicked in, despite the heat, and I finished in 3:08.  Qualified for Boston!

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #23 for 2020...  Barry Gifford's conclusion of Sailor and Lula's tale,
"The Imagination of the Heart ", written in 2009.

Cover Image

Alternative Image

Alternative Image

Alternative Image

Alternative Image

Music 2020...

Effort #22,  "Michael Row the Boat Ashore"...  recorded on August 30th, 2019 at the Dark Heart Mansion.  Part of the End of Chemo Sessions, Dark Heat Duo.

Another late afternoon run, this time in McLean.  4.5-miles in 53:23.

Another afternoon run, this time in Tunxis.  Took the logging road off Pine Mountain Road access, which I have been meaning to do for a long while.  It was worth exploring, and gives me a bit more knowledge of the forest trails network.  Ended with 7.3-miles.

Good tempo-run in Mclean during the late afternoon.  Managed a 5.5-mile effort.

Also, on this day in 2006, I completed a Tunxis Marathon in 5:41:50.  I had Johnny Bandit along for company, as well as Tippi.  It would be my 32nd marathon completed, and Tippi's 8th.

John Bandit rambling through the meadow

We rambled from Route 20 to Route 219 in East Hartland, Connecticut, and back for the first 19.5 miles.  We finished up with the Route 20 to Pell Road near the Massachusetts border for the final 6.5-miles. 

Small Waterfall on the northern section of Tunxis Trail

Old Notes:  Another great day;  started out 45 degrees at the 9:15 A.M. start time.  It reached a high of maybe 60 degrees during the day, with majority in the mid 50’s.  Sunny and blue sky entire time, occasional strong breeze every once and a while.  Started the run at 9:15 A.M.

Tippi taking a look down from the climb a mile from Pell Road

John and I both felt that it was the easiest marathon either of us had ever done.  We finished strong, running all but the very start of Trillium Hill from mile 24.5 onward.  I believe we could have easily gotten thru another hour on this day.  Plenty of water for Tippi, no problems with her other than the porcupine around mile 18.  We escaped from that ok. 

 The Pell Road TurnAround

  

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #22 for 2020...  "Recoil", from Big Jim Thompson, published 1953.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime Edition Cover Art

Alt Cover Art

Alt Cover Art

Alt Cover Art

Alt Cover Art

Another late in the afternoon run at Bear Hole.  I, and my legs, felt pretty good considering the completed Granville - Kingdom Marathon one week ago today.

I wasn't quite as fast as the first "speed" attempt here on May 7th (6.4 mph average).  This time I manged the 5.5-miles in 53:23, an average of 6.2 mph.

Additionally, on this day in 2005, I completed my 26th marathon (and Tippi's 2nd) at the Mount Greyklock Marathon '05 version {AKA Molitori 50th Birthday Bash & Annual Celibacy Run}.  

Total time of 6:47:02.  Five out of twelve starters completed the full 26.2-miles.  

Full story and results available in pdf.

Just before dark, a easy 3-miles on Main Street.

3-miles on the Metacomet Trail, from Phelps Road south.

Music 2020...

Effort #21,  "Spirits Awaken"...  Part of the End of Chemo Sessions, by the Dark Heart Duo on August 30th, 2019.

Another visit to Tunxis, completed 3-miles.

A visit to Tunxis State Forest to run along some of the forest roads, and connector paths.  A nice easy 3.8-miles mid-day.

Drove north to drop off some supplies at my folks for the later afternoon and early evening.  Wonderful to see them in person, first time in several months.  And yes, we did wear mask, practiced distancing, etc.

3-mile run on the Metacomet, heading north from Phelps.  Just wanted to keep the legs loose.

Granville - Kingdom Marathon - May 14th, 2020
Granville State Forest & Tunxis State Forest

With very little thought I decided to tackle the Granville State Forest to Satan's Kingdom Marathon today.  DL was willing to shuttle my car to the finish at Satan's Kingdom, and then drive me to the start at Granville State Forest along the Hubbard River.

I felt really good for the first twenty-miles, and pretty good from that point to the finish.  I power-hiked the ups from the Route 219 crossing at 19-miles, and jogged all the flats and  downhill.

Beautiful day, temperatures ranged from the fifties to start (about 9:10 a.m.) and just about seventy toward the end at 3:00 p.m.

The run measured out on the gps at 25.78-miles, and I completed the effort in 5:54 moving time, and 6:04 total time (a few stops to refuel water drops and photos).  This was my 59th completed marathon all-time.

The total climb according to Google Earth was 4702', with a net descent of 5389'.  The majority of the elevation loss was in the first 2 and last 2 miles.

Elevation Profile

Hubbard River

Black Bear Crossing - Valley Brook

Tunxis State Forest

Roberts Brook

Indian Council Caves Summit

Lake McDonough

Lake McDonough

Sign in Log at the 1st Ratlum Peak

Old Camp Pond, a favorite of Sam & Tippi

Roadside Memorial to a friend and neighbor, lost to an underage, intoxicated, speeding driver.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #21 for 2020...  "All Shot Up", Harlem Cycle #5 from Chester Himes.  Published in 1960, it continues the saga of Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones.

Cover

Alt Cover 

Alt Cover 

Music 2020...

Effort #20,  "Better Left Unsaid"...  Dark Heart Duo during the End of Chemo Sessions, August 30th, 2019.

Phelps Road to run the Metacomet late afternoon - 3.5-miles heading north.

Another later in the day trip to Mattatuck Trail to head south.  

The first section, from Flat Rock Road to Hardscrabble Road is roughly 3.7-miles, and about a mile of it is very slow going due to traversing through a boulder field on the side of a slope, just after crossing the West Branch of the Shepaug River.

Later on, just before Hardscrabble Road, it gets a bit slow moving again hopping rocks around the Sanders Hill Brook crossing.

Things were a bit easier after crossing Hardscrabble, and after a bit of climbing I made a turn-a-round point once I began my descent, heading back to finish with 9.6-miles.

This is a very nice section of trail, not the easiest footing in parts, but it mostly rambles on the west side of the Upper Shepaug Reservoir for its majority.

I hope to get back to finish the last 3 or so miles I left off at some point soon.

Signage on Flat Rock Road

It was cold for May 9th

West Branch Shepaug River

Sanders Hill Brook

Signage on Hardscrabble Road

View of the Upper Shepaug Reservoir

Along the West Branch of the Shepaug

Along the West Branch of the Shepaug