2018 Year in Review

I'm dragging my apathetic self in front of the computer to make one last post on the blog for 2018 - my annual Year in Review post.  I haven't missed one yet and I figure it would be good to round out the year with it.

Running these days has been a struggle.  I've had little interest in my usual routines and even when trails have been available I've chumped out more often than not.  That said I managed a good amount of training for much of the year - primarily focused on elevation - that helped me train for the mountains as best I could here in Rhode Island.  Since my last big race in September it's been tough to find the motivation however.

I've already drifted away from road races over the last few years but this year even local trail races haven't held much sway over me.  I didn't even run a single race in the South County 4th Season trail series.  Some of that was due to injury but still the motivation was lacking.  However I did find a new hobby in videotaping these races using my GoPro.  I picked up a gimbal that stabilized the footage and allowed me to get some great action shots of the runners.  I'm very pleased with how these videos came out and I hope to continue to film some races in 2019.  Here are my favorites from this past year:




So my interest in running is about the lowest it's been since I started back up in 2010.  However I went into the year with my attention focused on mountain adventures up in the Whites.  Last year's goals reflected that.  Let's see how I did:

• Complete the 4000 footers - 9 more to go and I have some big goals that will help with that - Completed! (see below)
• Pemi Loop - Another White Mountain goal of mine is a 1-day loop around the Pemigewasset Wilderness.  Will it happen in 2018? - I did a "half" Pemi loop over the summer.  I went over Owl's Head instead of the Bonds but the distance and elevation (30 miles / 9000 feet) were pretty similar to a traditional Pemi Loop so we'll say that this one was completed
• Kilkenny Ridge Race - Here's a ballsy one for next year.  Ryan Welts is setting up a badass 50 miler in the northern Whites in July.  It'll take a lot of training to make myself even capable of doing this one and hopefully it'll light a fire under me. - Completed!
• Presidential Traverse Part 2 - Here's a stretch goal.  I'd like to take another whack at the traverse and see what kind of time I can put up with a better route and less dilly-dallying. - Not completed.  Maybe next year.

A very successful year!  I made it up to the Whites for a total of nine trips which were a mix of solo outings, family trips and races.  I climbed 25 4000 footers total including the final 9 I needed to complete the NH48 4ks.  I finished the 48 on Mt. Cannon in October with my daughter Ezri.  It was a great way to finish.  Completing this list was a culmination of 23 years of hiking started way back in 1995 when I was fifteen.  I did almost 20 by the time I finished college but it was only a few years ago that I picked it back up.  I took my time completing them, often opting for other hikes rather than crossing more mountains off the list.  But as 2018 unfolded I began to check off the remaining summits through a combination of big hikes and races.  Now to continue working on the Winter 48! (I'm only at 11)

So while my running has been more of a chore than in year's past, it helped power me to some great adventures this year.  As always here is my top five races/adventures for 2018:

5. Sandwich Range Backpacking Trip - August 18-20, 2018

All summer long I had looking forward to Phish's summer festival in the Fingerlakes region of New York. I had just arrived when we got word that it was cancelled due to flooding at the local water treatment plant. At Amanda's suggestion I made lemonade out of the lemons and went up to the southern Whites for two nights of backpacking. Night 1 I camped near the top of Mt Passaconaway and was able to catch the sunrise in the morning. A long second day brought me over Mt Whiteface, the Tripyramids and through Waterville Valley before I camped on Jennings Peak for Night 2. Third day was a long slog back to the car that left me trashed but what a great solo trip and another much needed experience with my hammock and camping gear

4. Chocorua Mountain Race - June 16, 2018

I hadn't been up Mt Chocorua in probably 20 years and when Rockhopper Racing decided to put on a 13ish mile race up to the top of it I knew I wanted to take part. It lived up to its billing - a few miles of fairly hilly doubletrack, a couple miles of easy dirt roads and then the relentless uphill climb to the summit. Getting passed by so many on the ascent was humbling but I was able to grab back some places on the downhill. 29th overall and 4th in my age group. Not too bad for a flatlander. I highly recommend this challenging mountain race.

3. NH48k Completion on Mt Cannon - October 19, 2018

Once I grabbed a bunch of the 4ks I needed early in the year, a path to completing the list in 2018 began to emerge. It was great to finish it out with a family stay at the Lonesome Lake Hut. Amanda and Em stayed at the hut while Ezri and myself pressed on to the summit. In 2015, Ezri had been six and we turned back a few hundred feet short of the summit. This time we would not be denied and despite some pre-winter conditions we made it to the summit for my final 4000 footer and Ezri's 8th.

2. Skinny Pemi Loop - July 29, 2018

Designed as both a long training effort for Kilkenny and a means to grab three more 4000 footers, this was a long loop that took me up to Owl's Head and then down the Franconia Ridge. I slept in the Lincoln Wood's parking lot, started in the pre-dawn and went off track early with a bit of bushwacking.  Soon I found the trail and it was smooth sailing after that. It was a long day and the ridgeline was packed with folks but my legs held up fairly well and I finished in about 12 hours. My biggest day in the Whites up to that point - 30 miles, 9k elevation and 6 4ks.

1. Kilkenny Ridge Race 50 Miler - September 8, 2018

The culmination of some big hikes this year, this out and back race was a grinder that went over the entire Kilkenny Ridge in the northern Whites twice, including Mt Waumbek and Mt Cabot. I was nervous going into this race but I treated it like a long long hike. There was some running alongside great company for the first half but while going up Waumbeck the second time it became a tiring affair. The return trip was lonely and mostly hiking. I gave up a few places on the way back and used my headlamp for the last 45 minutes but overall I'm really happy with how this race went. This sounds crazy but I found it easier than the 50ks I've done, in part because so much of this event is hiking rather than running. 12th overall in 14 hours and 50 minutes. A big motivator for 2019!

There you have it. Not too shabby in 2018. It feels a little lackluster since Kilkenny was almost three months ago and I've been pretty inactive since then. But I can't deny that I accomplished all that I wanted to this year. Now to shake off these winter doldrums and find some motivation where I can. I'm not going to bother listing out any goals for 2019 - you can probably guess what they'd be (hint: more mountain adventures). Perhaps another Presidential Traverse, a few more winter hikes and some more trips with my wife and daughter. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful year in 2019!