I’m slowly coming to terms with reality in terms of weather conditions in New Hampshire for February.  Two weeks ago now Mia and I were in Key West in the upper 70’s and sunshine.  Last weekend we topped out around 45 on Saturday and almost 40 on Sunday.  This weekend was a little more “normal” for February temps.

I got out on Saturday for a 2 hour ride on the Fargo.  It was barely 30 degrees when I left and it was quite windy.  By the time I got back it was 32 and still windy.  It was nice to get out and ride though.  I did the “Mia Loop” which is a standard Monday recovery ride during the warm months.  This time of the year though it’s more just a chance to get out and spin.  The Salsa Fargo is not nearly as fast as my road bike either.  I think I finally have the position on that sucker totally dialed in though.
Needless to say, I did not see any other riders out and I did not stop for any pictures.
GPS Data

Sunday was the annual 4th down and 4 Miler at NHTI.  It always takes place on Super Bowl Sunday.  It is a flat and relatively fast 4 mile course.  It raises money for the NHTI XC team (and it’s tax deductible).  I have no problems about giving money to these guys.  The coaches run a pretty outstanding program for a community college system.  I believe they hold at least 5 events throughout the year to raise money for the team.
I woke up and the temp outside was only 15 degrees.  I really hate the cold, and I was not looking forward to running in temps that cold.  Luckily it warmed up pretty fast.  Plus there was only a light wind this morning.
Erik Paddleford and I started out in like the last row of about 100 or so runners.  After running through the “Root Canal” Tunnel we quickly started passing people.  My first mile was right around 6:50 and I felt decent.  The 2nd mile was okay, but not great, then I got into a good groove for the last 2 miles.  Ended up with a 7:16 pace and a 29:08 for a time.  Not too bad given the time of year.  It felt short when compared to the 13.1 miles from two weeks ago (if only it had been Key West temps today…..).
This was my 3rd race of the year so far.  Right now it looks like I am going to be averaging roughly 2-3 races a month at least through the Summer.
Kudos to the NHTI kids and coaches for putting on today’s race.
GPS Data

Thanks for reading.

-Pete