Because of the 10-mile race on Sunday, I did my first 18-miler on a weekday. I finished 76.59% of Easthampton and moved into third place (less than 5% more to get to second place, so that’s within reach in week 13!) I lost the record of half of River Street and all of Old Stagecoach in a Runkeeper crash; I could mark them manually complete but I also like to see those purple lines replacing the white! The route including going basically straight up to the Mt Tom state park on Reservation Road, as the elevation map helpfully shows. It was a foggy day and many of the photos didn’t come out very well. Not shown: a van shouting “Eat Greatly at the Whately” (ad for the Whately Inn but parked in Easthampton); a mannequin torso in a yard (thankfully evoked Greek sculpture more than sheer creepiness).
Thursday photos – Easthampton
House overlooking the Oxbow 
Sad/cute planter 
That’s a steep hill! 
Historical info sign showing its own age 
View from Christopher Clark Rd
Black Birch 10 Miler, Sunday September 12, 2021
It was so incredibly exciting to run an in-person race again – my first since December 2019, I think. Impact Racing puts on some of my favorite local events, but this was one I hadn’t done before. The course is out-and-back, from Black Birch Vineyard in Hatfield up into Whately along some scenic hilly dirt roads. I plan to wear my KDA shirt for races from now on, so this was its first outing. It’s so thin that RaceDots, my impulse buy from the NYC Marathon expo in 2018, actually worked properly for the first time, and will actually protect it.
Super-duper exciting: my recipient Chris, her husband Barry, and their new dog (sweet 7-year-old dalmatian Rhoda) came and cheered me on at the start and the finish! I wish I had gotten a photo of us when we hung out after, but we were busy swatting away the zillions of mosquitos.
I was certainly slow (2:06:23, 22/25 F50-59, 137/153 total), partly because it was on the hot side, but it was so much fun. The organizers encouraged bringing your own hydration, which was good practice for the marathon anyway, and I started out with a date every couple of miles but soon felt like that wasn’t working for me. Some great playful banter with a 60-ish dad running with his daughter; we’d already had a teasing exchange when I passed them, and they caught up when I stopped to take a photo of a “Toad Valley” sign. I explained my rule was to stop for photos and saying hi to dogs – “You’re right on that last one!” We passed each other back and forth several times, the fake-competition escalating. I finished first and said “So close!” as they approached the finish line, so he’s got his eyes on me for the next time. A yummy glass of white wine (the Epic maybe?) and a delicious vegan burrito with guacamole at the finish completed the experience. Hurray for races! I had two more 5Ks before the marathon, but the Hospice Meadows Run for 9/25 went virtual and I decided to apply my entry fee to next year’s in-person. So I only have the Fort Hill 5K to look forward to before the marathon itself. Very soon, since I finished writing this 10/3!
View from Black Birch Vineyard lawn 
Cool mailbox in Whately 
Chardonnay vines at Black Birch Vineyard 
Official race photo
| Date (temp/humidity) | Distance | Avg pace/fastest split | Time | HR (avg/highest) | Notes |
| Tue 9/7 (59°F/55%) | 5.55 | 12:33/12:00 | 1:09:40 | 154/197 (really?) | |
| Thu 9/9 (67°F/99%) | ~18 | 14:28/13:41 | ~4:23:00 | 148/166 | Runkeeper crash |
| Fri 9/10 (73°F/56%) | 5.13 | 15:31/13:30 | 1:19:36 | 140/162 | J walk I run |
| Sun 9/12 (69°F/79%) | 10.32 | 12:38/11:50 | 2:06:23 | 169/188 | Black Birch 10 miler |
| Totals | 39 miles | | 9 hours | | Weight avg 113.1, resting heart 57 |
Whew! It was so hot and sticky that day (the Black Birch 10 miler)! I was so impressed that you kept running when many others had slowed to a walk at the finish! Great to see you again and good luck at the Hartford Marathon!