12:04

And so it has begun!

I've just completed Week 2 of a marathon training plan, which will lead up to the main event in October! Take a guess where, if you're interested. (Don't worry.  I know you're not.)

This year, I'm following Hal Higdon's "Novice 2" training plan, a step up from the Novice 1 plan I followed last year. The plan is well laid out: runs on three days out of the week and a long run on the weekend.  In my own interpretation of the plan, I'll do something like this:

Tuesdays: shorter interval run, on asphalt

Wednesdays: longer interval run, on my local rail trail (asphalt), taking in the nice hill at least once. I'll talk about that hill some time. 

Thursdays: shorter interval run, on a local dirt track to lessen the impact on my legs and allow me to run faster than my desired marathon pace. (In other words, working up to sprint training, which I'll talk about later.)

Sundays (usually): the long run of the week, in which I hope to find interesting trails to report!

Fridays: no running, but I'll practice flexibility exercises.

Saturdays: a backup day for the long run if Sunday does not work.  Otherwise, according to Hal Higdon, I need to do at least an hour of cross-training!

Mondays: absolutely nothing. :-)

For my Week 1 long run, I explored a new rail trail, the Nashua River Rail Trail, beginning on the Ayer side and going 4 miles up and back.  This is a great trail, straight and level.  The whole length of the trail is 12.5 miles and it seems to me to be a terrific trail for cyclists.  Indeed, the ratio of cyclists to pedestrians on the trail on an early Sunday was pretty high, and the traffic volume was low enough that cyclists can really pick up some speed!

Lots of shady stretches on this trail.

Granite rail markers provide a glimpse into a bygone era.

Yield to horses!  I didn't see any on my run.

Swamp-inspired sculpture.  You'll pass by a lot of swamp and pond areas.

Tunnel mural.

In Week 2 I doubled back to my well-used trail from last year, the Milford stretch of the Upper Charles Rail Trail.  This trail is curvier and has some busier road crossings than the Nashua River trail. One of my least favorite parts is the crossing of the entrance/exit ramps to I-495 at US 85. You also get to run under a low portion of I-495 in what is effectively a pigeon roost :-)  Besides these points, however, I love the scenery of the trail, which is very suitable for a leisurely stroll. Indeed, you'll see fishing and picnicking near the Dilla St. parking lot, and the trail is dotted with stone memorial benches on which to take a rest, like this:

I would have taken many more pictures in Milford; however, karma had a way of telling me I should focus on my run and not on handling my phone with sweaty hands. Lesson of the day: phones do not like being dropped onto rail trails. Ouch!

So, that sums up my first two weeks of fun!  Actually, not that much fun in the beginning of a training program.  I'm still working up to a comfortable pace.

Summer is upon us, and that means that everyone and their cousin try to sell lobster rolls!  Can you identify the sources of these?  Nom nom nom...