Over 50 Running

We completed the Richmond trail run yesterday. It ended up being around 28 kilometers (17 miles). I ended up walking the last 7 miles and took 5 hours to finish. My wife Julie finished in around 4:20.  I got a bad blister on my left foot before the first aid station at 7 miles (my Agravic SL's couldn't save me from that - reportedly I should have used "body glide"). Then my right thigh injury started acting up. I could barely make it down the final descent. It’s a beautiful course and fantastic to have it at Cochran’s ski area. I took my kids skiing there lots of times when they were little (over 10 years ago). Love that place. We parked at Cochran's, took a shuttle to Huntington, and then ran back through the woods over a couple ridge lines. I was not in good enough shape for the course. I think I’ll be in better shape this time next year to give it another go. We have three races scheduled: (1) the Moosalamoo trail run on August 1st (14 miles); (2) a Jay, VT tra...

It sounds like we’re doing a 26-kilometer trail run in Richmond on Saturday. On the map, it says 25k, but in the signup and on the  website , it says 26k. My wife heard about this run through one of her online trail running friends.  Lots of States have a Richmond. Vermont’s Richmond is a good one: a small town that’s hip like a city (e.g., good coffee shop, good brewery). It’s just outside the greater Burlington area and into the mountains. Along with Stowe, Richmond is one of my favorite Vermont towns. My thigh injury from the Stowe run is 90% healed. I’ve been able to do some short training runs. I feel like I’ll be in good shape for Richmond. Today is Wednesday and I’m pretty much injury free. I had calf pain for weeks that is finally gone. No plantar fasciitis. No back pain. I only have one pair of trail running shoes (Agravic SL), so I don’t have to decide on which shoes to wear. Today, tomorrow, and Friday will be rest days.

The Stowe 25k trail run came shortly after the Vermont Covered Bridges half marathon. My legs absorbed a lot of downhill shock. My right quad near the knee has hurt walking down stairs since Stowe. I have been able to do some runs, but running consecutive days is still too much. I think I should be healed by the Moosalamoo trail run in 3 weeks. The conditions at the Stowe run were extreme. I’m glad I made it through as well as I did. Hopefully I won’t just get injured again. I need some luck to get out of the rut of back to back injuries. I’m worried my right calf will go again - it feels like the weak spot followed closely by the left calf. I have taken the Metaspeed Skys on a couple treadmill runs now and I really like them. They’re nice and simple, light and cushioned. I have also done a recent 5-mile outdoor run in Superblast 3. That was a good experience and those shoes are winning me over as well. The thicker section of the lower foam in the arch works as a midfoot shock absorber...

Yesterday was the Catamount Ultra trail run at the Von Trapp lodge in Stowe, Vermont. It was pouring down rain before the event, enough to give us second thoughts about running. The rain let up right before the 8:30 am start, and we were off. There is an option to do the loop twice to make it a 50 k. The 25 k was all I could handle. The water and mud made it tough. It was an adventure. For the most part, I enjoyed it. The mud was too much, but it adds to the sense of accomplishment when it’s over, and the feeling of "Type 2 fun." It’s fun looking back as soon as you see the finish line. Here's a link to a YouTube video that shows what it was like. He didn't seem to get the Type 2 fun at the end. His comments during the run were similar to my thoughts, along the lines of, "yikes, this is too muddy." https://youtu.be/BduEdaSKAWo?is=z5DHRqKnWs-5gpkC We finished in around 3 hours and 35 minutes. The shoes were good, Adidas Agravic SL. I had a pint of Von Trapp V...

Welcome to the first post of my running blog. My name is Jeff. I'm 52 years old and live in South Burlington, Vermont. I've just completed the Spring 2026 half marathon season. I attempted five half marathons and finished three: 1. The Vermont Half Unplugged in Burlington, Vermont on April 11th (1:55:15, personal record [PR]) 2. The Charlotte, North Carolina Race Fest Half Marathon on April 18th (Did not finish, only made it three miles) 3. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Half Marathon on May 3rd (Did not finish, only made it three miles) 4. The Vermont City 2-Person Marathon Relay on May 24th (I did my half in around 2:21) 5. The Vermont Covered Bridges Half Marathon on June 6th (2:02:46) I got my PR in the first race of the season (1:55:15 in Burlington, VT). My previous PR had been from the Delaware Coastal Running Festival on April 13, 2025, 2:01:40 (age 51). I strained my right calf three days after the Vermont Half Unplugged, on April 14, 2026, and could not finish the Charl...