Ireland Trip Part 2

Day 3 started with my final run on the Killiney Hill Park trails. After checking out from Fitzpatrick Castle, Asia and I headed west along the M4/N4 highway which runs east to west from Dublin to Sligo. While looking for something to eat we stopped into Tormey’s Bar. Unfortunately they weren’t serving food yet but all was not lost since Hugh, the owner, poured us a couple perfect pints of Guinness. We spent roughly an hour chatting with Hugh about New Jersey, Ireland, sports, and of all things “The Sopranos” series. After finding food a bit further down the road, we visited the Boyle Abbey. This 12^th century Cistercian Monastery is a very impressive mixture of Roman and Gothic architecture. The church itself was built in the shape of a cross and its tower still stands at over 60 feet tall. It is also the burial site of 13 kings of Morlurg and 12 members of the royal family of Boyle. Other than the care taker, we had the entire place to ourselves to explore and costing us only 4 Euros each it was definitely a bargain.

Our next stop was to explore the nearby Lough Key Forest Park (formerly Lough Ce). We had a choice of paying to park in the recreation area lot or parking beside the road for free. Do I really need to tell you our decision? Boats were not available to get out to Castle Island so we had to settle for taking pictures of the castle from the dock. It’s said to have been the home of the McDermotts, the Kings of Moylurg, as early as 1184. We visited the remains of the family’s private chapel, giant red cedars, and the Ice House (a fairly large underground storage room). We also had a great chat with an elderly couple that were very eager to share some local and national history and folklore with us.

 

As great as these things were, our favorite find happened totally by accident when I had driven down a wrong road and had to turn around. We found a trail off the side of the road and I could just make out the unnatural shape of a wall through the moss-covered trees. We parked the car and investigated. Much to Asia’s and my surprise we found the very large, unmarked ruins of what we believe to be a wealthy landowner’s compound and farm. This place had everything we could hope to find. Tall walls, beautiful archways, large barn and court yard, and the best of all…a tunnel! We explored this site until dark and finally headed to our next castle hotel, Kilronan Castle.

 

Kilronan Castle, located near Ballyfarnon in the County Roscommon, was built in 1820 and was home to Colonel King Tenison. It sits on over 40 acres of fields, woods, and a lake (Lough Meelagh). The castle oozes with opulent splendor with high vaulted ceilings, coats of armour, hand-carved furniture, fancy dining and reading rooms, and curtains and linens fit for a king. My favorite part though was the dungeon bar where we enjoyed cold pints and live music. We also met some great people including Dave who was celebrating his 40^th birthday.

For more photos of these sites and more, visit me on Facebook at Gary Davidson Runs.

Ireland Trip Part 1

Thanks to my daughter, Asia, I am currently in the land of my ancestors, Ireland! She purchased this trip as a present for my 50th birthday. We are staying 6 nights in 4 castles spread out around this beautiful country. Rather than be part of a tour and be told where and when we have to be somewhere we decided to rent a vehicle. This is allowing us the freedom to choose which places to visit and what routes to take. I admit I was a bit anxious about driving on the opposite side of the road; but, after about 15 minutes I was driving like a pro. Our first two nights were spent at Fitzpatrick Castle in Dalkey, roughly 10 miles south of Dublin. While the castle was very nice it was its location that appealed to me the most. It sits conveniently next to Killiney Hill Park. There is a little something for everyone. There’s a large playground for kids which has the expected equipment but also includes a small zip line. There are fields, hills, woods, a quarry for rock climbing, a large obelisk, a pyramid, trails of all type, and spectacular views of the town and Irish Sea. There are numerous castles to visit, a beautiful shoreline, and the many pubs and restaurants one would expect. We were sad to leave this wonderful area but were eager to head west.

The spectacular morning view of Killiney and White Rock Beach.

I'm going to miss this view.

Almost to the top.

This was one of my favorite trails.

The pub at Fitzpatrick Castle is in the former dungeon, pretty cool.

Inniscorrig Castle was built in 1847 and has its own private working harbor.

Of course we had to tour the brewery.

Built around 1840, this castle was formerly known as Victoria Castle and Ayesha Castle but is now home to the Irish singer Enya. Enya calls it Manderley Castle but all the locals we met just refer to it as Enya's Castle. 

Goat Castle is now the home of Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre and the entrance to the ruins of 10th century St. Begnet's Church and graveyard.

Taking a short break during one exploration of Killiney Hill Park.

 

We staked claim to this pyramid for Clan Davidson. We hid a small item (it says Davidson on it) somewhere in the pyramid. If you visit the park and find it let us know.

 

My final hill workout before heading west.

12th century Bulloch Castle overlooks the village harbor.

 

 15th century Archbold Castle stands across the road from Goat Castle.

St. Begnet's Church ruins found on Dalkey Island dates back to the 9th or 10th century. I was happy this came out clear as I placed my camera against the eye piece of a local telescope in Bulloch Harbour.

 

December 2015 (part 1): The Post-op Trail to Recovery

30Nov – 6Dec (Week 6 post-op):

Tuesday, 1Dec15: I had a great run in the rain on the Monmouth Battlefield State Park trails. I ran the Yellow, Green, White, Red, and Green trails all end-to-end. I didn’t see anyone else on the trails but I did see 5 deer. This was my first run without the knee brace and, at 5.6 miles, it was my longest outing since my operation and everything felt great.

Wednesday, 2Dec15: After yesterday’s test of my knee without the brace I chose to rest my legs and spend an hour doing yoga. I followed along with my favorite yoga DVD (Yin Yoga) by Travis Eliot which gets deep into the connective tissues by holding each stretch 3-7 minutes. This is part of the Ultimate Yogi series of DVDs. I always feel so good after doing this workout.

Thursday, 3Dec15: With my body’s great response to yesterday’s Yin Yoga session I chose to do the same tonight.

Friday, 4Dec15: I had planned to run this afternoon but my dog Sparta was sick so I stayed in with him and continued to work internally. I started with the Ultimate Yogi Mountain Pose series followed by some Pranayama (breathing) techniques and finally 20 minutes of meditation. While I still wish I had ran I do feel really good.

Saturday, 5Dec15: Sparta and I ran the Whites Bog inner 4.1 mile loop after work. This was my second run without the knee brace. Everything felt great, I think the yoga the last couple days helped. The water in the bog must be getting cold because Sparta only jumped in twice. .

Sunday, 6Dec15: Keeping with my focus this week on muscular health, I finished today off with the Ultimate Yogi Mountain Pose series and 36 Sun Salutations. This was a good week and my body truly feels good after all the yoga.

 

 

 

7-13Dec (Week 7 post-op):

Monday, 7Dec15: Took the day off, no training.

Tuesday, 8Dec15: I ran the 4.1 mile Whites Bog inner loop with my dog Sparta after dark. After returning home, I added P90X Stretch (1hr) and AB Ripper X (15min) followed by the Ultimate Yogi Mountain Pose series, Pranayama breathing and finally some meditation. Tonight was a great night.

Wednesday, 9Dec15: Today I walked 4+ miles after work on the Lawrenceville dirt track. Then later in the evening I did 36 Sun Salutations and ended with my Ultimate Yogi Gentle Yoga DVD (1hr).

Thursday, 10Dec15: I was going to run but I was really tired so I took a nap after work and decided to just workout inside. I worked up a great sweat with my Tapout-XT Muay Thai DVD and then cooled down with the Ultimate Yogi Mountain Pose series.

Friday, 11Dec15: Today I just worked on a lot of stretching, no structured workout. I finally got to the last of the blue berries I picked this year so I added them to my peanut butter and onion sandwich for some extra flavor. I used Vermont Peanut Butter Co. chunky because it's all natural and it's made in Vermont like me so you know it's good!

Saturday, 12Dec15: This morning I ran with Ted and Diane Hardies on Black Run Preserve trails. This was my first time there. They have some great trails there consisting of single and double track as well as dirt roads and they are very well marked. After Ted and Diane left I ran on the trails and sand fields around the superfund site just south of Black Run Preserve. The trails were nice but it was the sandy fields that made me work. It was like running on the soft sand down the shore; a lot of effort for not much speed. It was a great morning. Then I got a long-needed massage in the afternoon and finished the day with an hour of Yin yoga just before bed.

Sunday, 13Dec: Today I hiked the Batona Trail leg 1 (8.1 miles) from Ong’s Hat to Pakim Pond with my kids Asia and Kriss and our dogs Sparta and Honda. While I have ran this many times it was the first time I had ever slowed down to hike it. It was a nice change of pace and a great time for the family to bond. This was Kriss’s first time on the trail and Asia’s third time on this section. The trail was mostly dry and the unseasonably warm weather felt great at nearly 70 degrees. I don’t imagine it will be anywhere near that warm when we hike the next sections.  

 

 

 

November 2015: The Post-op Trail to Recovery

1-7 November (Just 2 weeks after knee surgery):

Monday, 2Nov15: Walked 2+ miles on the Lawrenceville dirt track. Nice easy walk, knee felt good.

Tuesday, 3Nov15: Walked 4 miles on FT Dix trails.

Wednesday, 4Nov15: Walked 2+ miles on the Lawrenceville dirt track.

Thursday, 5Nov15: Walked 2+ miles on the Lawrenceville dirt track.

Friday, 6Nov15: Walked the Whites Bog Inner Loop (4.1 miles) after dark with my dog Sparta. I also tested my knee with some very slow jogging. It felt good; no problems. We also saw a shooting star which was a pretty cool addition to a great night in the bogs!

Saturday, 7Nov15: Rested my knee, only did some long slow stretching.

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8-14 November (Week 3 post-op):

Sunday, 8Nov15: Slowly jogged the Whites Bog Inner Loop (4.1 miles) after dark with my dog Sparta. This was my first real test of my right knee and it felt good.
Monday, 9Nov15: Walked 2+ miles on the Lawrenceville dirt track.

Tuesday, 10Nov15: Walked 3+ miles on the Lawrenceville dirt track.

Thursday, 12Nov15: Walked 2+ miles on the Lawrenceville dirt track.

Friday, 13Nov15: Walked the Whites Bog Inner Loop (4.1 miles) after dark with my daughter Asia and our dogs Sparta and Honda.

15-21 November (Week 4 post-op):

Monday, 16Nov15: Slowly jogged the Whites Bog Inner Loop (4.1 miles) after dark with my dog Sparta. Once again, my knee felt good but I am still wearing my knee brace on these evenings just in case but I haven’t really needed it.

Wednesday, 18Nov: Walked 3+ miles on the Lawrenceville dirt track.

Friday, 20Nov: Ran the Whites Bog Inner Loop (4.1 miles) after dark with my dog Sparta. It felt really good to be able to run pain-free even if it was slow.

Saturday, 21Nov15: Ran the Whites Bog Inner Loop (4.1 miles) after dark with my dog Sparta again today. Two days in a row with no pain. I concentrated on running smoothly and landing with my feet under me, not in front of me to limit the force on my knees.

22-29 November (Week 5 post-op):

Monday, 23Nov15: Ran the Whites Bog Inner Loop (4.1 miles) again today with Sparta. I felt great but still wore the knee brace to make sure it is tracking correctly as it continues to heal. Ran a little faster today. The best part was being pain-free. With both knees fixed and my Achilles reattached, my immediate goal is to run pain-free. Once all works well, I can start actually training toward my real goal of running the Batona Trail 53 miles end-to-end next winter.

Friday, 27Nov15: Hiked a few miles with my kids Asia and Egypt on Mount Olga (site of the former Hogback Ski Area) and on the slick rocks to see the Petroglyphs in my hometown of Bellows Falls, Vermont. The petroglyphs are disputed as to their age, meaning, and creators.  Some say they depict Native American history, some say it’s the site of “evil spirits”, while others suggest alien visitation. No matter what the real story is I’ve always loved visiting them as a kid and I was glad to share them with my kids today. More photos are posted on my daughter's blog: http://www.asiagoesplaces.com/ 

Saturday, 28Nov15: Ran the Whites Bog Inner Loop (4.1 miles) slowly with Sparta. It was a nice afternoon run with temperatures near 60F and a constant cool mist falling on my face.

Sunday, 29Nov15: Spent the day relaxing with my family. I did 1 hour of yoga and I felt so good after! It’s been a while and it was much needed. This was a good month and easing back onto the trails felt so good. My dog Sparta looked pretty happy to hit the trails too.

50 Years Down, 100 to Go

That’s right, I said 100 years to go. I recently turned 50 but I don’t see that as middle-aged. I see it as only the first third of my life expectancy. I fully expect to live to be at least 150 years old. Now stop rolling your eyes and shaking your head, I have thought this over and I truly believe this to be a realistic goal for a number of reasons. First, three of my four grandparents lived well into their 90s. Second, my parents are both in their 80s and still going strong. As a matter of fact my father has done so with only one lung for the last 48 years. Third, I just bought a house on a mountain in Mandeville, Jamaica where I will retire to in a few years. There I will be able to grow my own vegetables and fruit all year round as well as take advantage of the clean air and miles of trails nearby. And finally, I’ve had both knees fixed and my left Achilles reattached within the past two years so I should be good for my second 50 years. Also, with rapid medical advances by the time I reach 100 I should be able to transplant my brain into a cyborg body and then who knows? My point is, after several major injuries, mostly from soccer, my body is fixed, I’m walking well now and I’m ready to start training again. My immediate goal is to run pain free for the first time in three years. I’m looking forward to getting back out on the Whites Bog trails with my dog Sparta. Another goal is to do some traveling this year and find some beautiful places to run. I also plan to run the Batona 50 mile (actually 53.4 miles) trail point-to-point next winter. These things will happen and more. I’m taking my wife’s advice to stay off the soccer pitch for the year so I can focus on my trail running. 2016 is going to be a great year.

2014 Back to the Couch

 

So this is going to be less about running than I would like it to be but here it goes. With hind sight being perfect, I guess Sunday January 19, 2014 turned out to be a glimpse into my future. While running the Batona Trail leg 5 out and back my left Achilles tightened up and I was forced to do a survival shuffle for miles 17-19. And now, in December I sit on my couch with a throbbing foot trying to take my mind off the pain of yesterday’s Achilles surgery. The year that started with a great 16 miles of trails on January 2nd has come to an abrupt end with my foot in a cast. This is the story of how I got here. I had some great runs in January including a bunch on the Cranberry, Mt Misery and Batona Trails. My favorite run was a night time solo run on the Cranberry Trail in 4 degree weather, 9 inches of fresh powder, and the woods all to myself. I also started using our newly purchased Total Gym and increased my yoga workouts.

February was nothing special really. I had a few good runs but my Achilles was tight most of the month so I backed off on the miles and increased the yoga. The best part of the month was visiting my friends in Albania for a week. Though I didn’t run at all that week I did get a lot of walking in. Another high point was having a five hour layover in Rome which gave opportunity for a very quick walking tour of some piazzas and the Coliseum. It was so beautiful, Rome is definitely on my future vacation list. My only race was the Ugly Mudder Trail Race in Reading, PA. Besides being really hilly this year’s race had the addition of over a foot of fresh snow and a layer of crust to top it off. This turned the trail into mostly single track with plenty of blood stains from the crust cutting people’s ankles open.

March was amazing and my favorite month this year. I spent the entire month in Albania working and hanging out with great friends. I worked out every day running, hiking, lifting and yoga sessions. I helped a group of very professional Albanian military instructors prepare their Officer Candidates to travel to New Jersey where they would attend U.S. Officer Candidate School. I ate a lot of meat and drank a lot of raki (AKA moonshine). The most amazing day was spent on Maja e Kruja where I participated in a pilgrimage into the Bektashi temple located in a cliff-side cave high above the ancient city of Kruja. This was followed by about 3 hours of feasting on fresh meats, breads and fruit. The day ended with a professional futbol (soccer) game between KF Tirana and KF Partizani at Qemal Stafa in downtown Tirana. It was an exciting game which included fires in the stands, explosives thrown onto the field, and ended in a tie with a last minute Partizani score. I met up with friends and finished the evening off with some more food and a lot more raki! Other favorite spots visited included an ancient Roman amphitheater in the seaside city of Durres and a guided tour of the National Art Museum thanks to my good friend Tea who works there.

 

 

  

April and May seemed to fly by so quickly. I had some great runs including Whites Bogs on Mondays, Cranberry Trail Wednesday nights, Tyler Arboretum and Triple Crown trail races and a hash run hosted by three-balls at his Pennsylvanian Barn of Amazement which includes an actual fighter plane hanging from the rafters.  Oh yeah and I finally scored a perfect 300 on my Army Physical Fitness Test! I also co-haired Jim Pate’s Birthday Hash and received my hash name, of which I can not publish here.

During June my left Achilles grew tighter and tighter and the knot on my heel got larger with each run and I required more days off between each workout. I raced the Wissahickon Trail Classic in Philly and my all-time favorite race, the annual Bouncing Buns clothing-optional trail race at Sunny Rest Resort in Palmerton, PA! As the soccer season started in July, my struggle with my left Achilles grew worse. My running shrunk to just the time I was on the pitch and even that was a daily struggle. Even though I couldn't train much I ran the River-to-Sea 91 mile relay race across New Jersey August 2nd with a great group of friends from the Pineland Striders. We didn't score very high but we had a great day running anyways starting at the Delaware River and ending on the beach in Manasquan, NJ. Then it happened, on August 11^th during the soccer playoffs, just as I broke free past the last defender down the right line I heard a pop and fell to the ground. It felt like a rubber band had snapped. My game was done and so was my year. An MRI a couple days later confirmed my suspicion, I had torn my Achilles. On a good note, our team went on to beat the Jamaican team in the finals 3-1 to win the tournament.     

September, October and November was full of physical therapy and a lot of limping but no running. Finally, on December 12 I got a bone spur removed and my Achilles repaired so now I sit on my couch with my foot in a cast waiting and dreaming of getting back out on the trails. I know it won’t happen for a few more months but I'm looking forward to lacing up my Inov-8s and taking that first step. With my knee fixed in 2013 and now my Achilles in 2014 I know 2015 is going to be a great year!

January 2014

Last year I tore my meniscus late in January turning my life upside down for months. Not being able to run for months forced me to look within myself and refocus on the basics as I recovered. This year, January was a great month. It included some fun runs with my wife Denise, my dog Sparta and the Pineland Striders, and a few awesome solo runs on fresh powder.

Sunday, 05 January I ran the Mistress Dee extended Mt Misery White Trail along with a shorter loop for 16 miles. It was a lot of fun running on roughly 4 inches of powder left from the week’s storm. This solo run gave me lots of time to glide quietly through the woods listening to the sounds of nature. I didn’t wear a watch; I just concentrated on form and ran however I felt. Some miles were slow while others seem to fly by. 

Sunday 19 January, I ran the Batona Trail leg 5 out and back between Evans Bridge, located on Route 563, and Bass River.  Thanks to last year’s trail redirection it is now roughly 9.6 miles each way. Roughly 20 Pineland Striders joined in the run with 4 of us completing it as an out & back totaling 19+ miles. This portion of the Batona passes by historic Martha’s Furnace. I ran to Bass River with Jim Pate and Trail Dog Danny. After a quick shirt change and GU I headed back to the start. I felt great and cruised mile after mile until I got to Martha’s Furnace (roughly mile 16) and then I started to bonk. My left Achilles tightened up and I was forced to do a survival shuffle the last couple miles. Even though those last couple miles were tough, it was a fantastic morning to run and a great start to my day.

I continued my Wednesday night trail runs. On 22 January, I ran the Cranberry Trail solo. It was an awesome run with 4 degrees, 9 inches of fresh powder, and the woods all to myself. The Park Police pulled up to me as I got ready to run, rolled his window down shaking his head in disbelief and said "Tell me you're not going hiking in this weather?" So I replied with a smirk, "No way… I’m going running!" Some of my family and friends think I am crazy to run in this weather but as I learned growing up and running in Vermont, it’s all about proper layering. I wore 4 layers on top, 2 layers on bottom, double gloves, and a fleece-lined face mask. I actually had to open the outer two layers to vent some heat out. It was like a 14 mile effort to run the 7+ miles due to the snow but I loved it. It was the most fun run I’ve had in a long time. I hope there will be more like it before this winter is over. The only thing that got cold were my toes and that wasn’t until I had finished and was warming up my car to drive home.

If I was to do a Geico commercial, it would be something like this, “Smart wool socks =$20. Black Diamond headlamp = $40.  INOV-8 Bare Grip 200 running shoes = $90. The look on the Park Police officer’s face when you tell him you’re going running snow-covered  trails at night in 4 degrees and sub-zero wind chills= priceless!”.

I spent the last week as a recovery week with no running but rather concentrating on mind and body with at least 2 hours of yoga each day.