Announcing the Durtyfeets Trail Series with MRA Multisport. Subtitled: "I might also be a little Tri-curious."

I am pleased to announce that I have teamed up with a great organization in my area to bring help bring a trail race series to the Blackstone Valley.

MRA Multisport is a grassroots company that specializes in providing personal and small-group coaching, a club of like-minded athletes, and a variety of year-round local endurance events to challenge the novice and seasoned athlete alike.  By providing these 3 opportunities to outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and abilities while partnering with local businesses and organizations, the goal of creating or maintaining a healthy lifestyle and promoting physical fitness can be achieved.

MRA Multisport is owned and operated by Megan and Alex Rogozenski.  Megan is Head Coach for MRA Multisport and Alex is the Race Director and Operations head.  They have put on a couple of really well organized races already this year.  All of their races feature training sessions in the weeks leading up to the event.

In 2012, I joined their MRA Multisport Club which is a USAT Sanctioned Triathlon Club and member of the RaceReach Club Network.  Based in the heart of the Blackstone Valley in New England, the Club is the area’s premire training, racing, and social club for athletes of all abilities and ages.

The underground motto of the club that has been occasionally stated is "Win or Lose, we still booze." You gotta like that.

I have to confess that I didn't join the MRA Club to do a triathlon though I am tri-curious.  I joined so I could try to infect more of our community with a pathological love of our local trails.  I'm happy to say that it worked and the infection is spreading.  That only proves correlation and not causality but I like to think I had something to do with it.

Really stoked to see my foot logo up there.

Note:  The below stuff was lifted more or less directly from the MRA Website (unlike the above stuff, cough cough, wink) and looks a whole lot more polished and usable there.

Newest Trail Running Series in Central MA!!!  3 dates confirmed, with a special “championship” one still planned for a late October/early November weekend.

To keep costs down and not force a t-shirt or other race schwag on anyone, we’ll be offering durtyfeets Trail Series line of apparel for individual sale shortly.  This branded apparel will be sold at around cost and won’t be the cheap items that we all have stock piled in our garage as rags.

2013 durtyfeets Trail Series (click on date below to register)

Thursday evening 6:30pm June 6, 2013 –  7k through a variety of terrain at Wallum Lake in Douglas, MA

Thursday evening 6:30pm July 11, 2013 - 5k of challenging hills at Goat Hill in Uxbridge, MA

Saturday morning 9:00am August 10, 2013 - 10k of sweet trails around Hodges Village Dam in Oxford, MA

Late October/Early November weekend trail race to be announced soon!

Aid Stations:  All races will have at least one on-course water stop and will have traditional post-race food and drink.

Fees: All races are $15 on-line only ($12 for under 15 years old).  Day of registration is $20 ($15 for under 15).

Awards: Top overall male/female of each race will get some sweet 2013 Trail Series Champions clothing at the end of the season. Race day awards presented to top male/female in following divisons: Junior, Open, Master, Senior.

Here's my number. So track me maybe.

On 15 April 2013, I will be presented with a tremendous gift.  I will be running with a gazillion other people from Hopkinton to Boston in the 117th  running of the Boston Marathon.
If you'd like to keep tabs on me, you can do so by tracking me via my bib number.  My number is 23646 and I am starting at the back of the pack in wave 3 corral 6.  I'm shooting for a sub 4 hr finish time.

BRAD'S BIB NUMBER:  23646

You can text RUNNER to 345678 to get alerts at 10K, 1/2 marathon, 30K, and Finish.

http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/att-athlete-alert.aspx
See you at the finish line!

Taper Madness

The long runs are in the bank and the fitness level is what it is. The only thing to do now is sit and wait for Marathon weekend and pray for decent weather on raceday.

Author displaying a hint of madness while working the mile 7 water stop at the Boston Tune Up 15K.

It's taper time! Taper is a necessary evil but it is evil nonetheless.


Benefits to taper:

• I get to spend more time with the family.
• I get to stay in your nice warm bed on Saturday morning instead of lacing up in the dark.
• I get to rest up and let minor aches and pains heal.
• I get to spend more time writing blog posts.
• I get to play the "taper card" and skip a run when the weather is just a little too cold and windy.

And there are a few disadvantages of taper.

• I get grumpy, edgy, and fidgety. Endorphin withdrawal.
• The marathon dreams become vivid and sometimes terrifying.
• My aches and pains actually seem to increase for a little while.
• I tend to get minor cold/flu symptoms when I take it easy for a few days. I'm not sure if this is real or not but it feels real.

What happens to you when you taper?

Posted with Blogsy

Marathon Dreams

As I come up on t-minus 12 days to my first ever road marathon (That would be Boston), I am increasingly anxious. Most of my training (I am really uncomfortable with that word for some reason) has been pretty positive. A few of my longer runs were not so great but I had one or two that were incredibly encouraging. My everyday lunch runs have become increasingly faster to the point that I am continually shocked at my pace when I feel like I'm only pushing at moderate effort.

I'm confident enough in my fitness level that I will try for a sub 4hr finish time but, for some reason, I am terrified of this 4 hr number.

I am not afraid of failure as much as I am afraid that I will push to achieve it and miss out on the experience that is the Boston Marathon. I don't want my finish line photo to be a grimace of pain. I want to be smiling and jumping up and down and surfing on the energy of the crowd. I want to have a great time first and foremost and party the entire way. I want to remember Boston, not as a test of my fitness, but as a wonderful and happy experience.

The long runs are in the bank and the fitness level is what it is. The only thing to do now is sit and wait for Marathon weekend and pray for decent weather on raceday.



- Cheers!