Monday: 0 - sick
Tuesday: 0 - sick
Wednesday: 5 slow slog on the trails trying to shake out the remainder of this infection.
Thursday: 3.5 am / off to a killer week thanks to some bad luck with E-coli. Finally felt mostly normal on my morning run. I'm trying to look at the time missed as a good restful break for my legs, although overall I'm feeling anything but rested. / 4 miles pm got rained out by the craziest thunder and lightening storm. Made it home safe and sound. 7.5 total... ugh.
Friday: 10.8 with JJ on Salem, Haverhill and Methuen roads. Jim had a race the next day but we moved along at a good clip nonetheless, something like 6:20 average, last mile close to 6 flat. Felt good today, especially considering 80 degrees and humid - what's up September 30?? / hiked a few miles around 9pm to stretch out a sore calf...
Saturday: off. Hiked again today, 6 miles total.
Sunday: off.
Total: 19!!
Overall this was about the worst week in marathon training I could have hoped for. I started out the week getting over a ridiculous stomach bug and finished it off with a really tender calf. Normally I wouldn't be so cautious but since my calf is sore in the same spot that triggered long-term injury during my last training cycle I'm making it a point to rest... Also, I just don't feel quite right with headaches, muscle soreness, sleeping a lot and waking tired... I wonder if I'm fighting an underlying virus which isn't allowing me to recover fully. Putting this week behind me NOW. There is still time to salvage an OK marathon on the 30th.
The daily meanderings of a New England runner
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Training 9/19 - 9/25
Monday: 59 minutes am on trails, about 8 miles, really easy recovery run. / 45 min bike ride pm pretty hard around town just for fun. 15 mi
Tuesday: 10.5 miles from the apt at 6:50 average, really slow to start (15 min through 2 miles) and then the pace gradually dropped to about 6:20. Feeling good once I was warmed up.
Wednesday: 9.5 from the apt at 6:20 average. Feeling a heck of a lot more snappy than yesterday. Held back a bit - Thursday and Friday should be quality days. I'm noticing a pattern that it takes me 2 full days to recover from a hard long run effort.
Thursday: 9 miles with Brandon mid-afternoon mostly easy, with 15 minutes of fast ~120m diagonals between 14.8 and 15.3 mph. Rest was about 75m easy to the next corner and we were off again. We were surprised to see we averaged 6:10 pace for the total effort. // 3 miles easy pm with MVS, 12 total.
Friday: 3.5 up, 1.25 at 5:15 pace, walk-jog and drills for unknown time, 1.5 at 5:10-15 pace, 2.5 cooldown. Basically this planned 8 mile tempo turned to absolute crap. I'll spare the details but in summary I was not ready to roll today. Tomorrow is off. Sunday TBD. 7.75 total
Saturday: 5 easy with Ben. Still feeling off, not sure what's up exactly. I know one thing for certain: this is FALL, and I am ready to be rid of this humidity!!
Sunday: off. I sort of knew this was coming. Lauren and I both have a crappy stomach bug. Exhausted on top of it all.
Total: 54 miles plus one bike ride and a couple of core workouts.
Tuesday: 10.5 miles from the apt at 6:50 average, really slow to start (15 min through 2 miles) and then the pace gradually dropped to about 6:20. Feeling good once I was warmed up.
Wednesday: 9.5 from the apt at 6:20 average. Feeling a heck of a lot more snappy than yesterday. Held back a bit - Thursday and Friday should be quality days. I'm noticing a pattern that it takes me 2 full days to recover from a hard long run effort.
Thursday: 9 miles with Brandon mid-afternoon mostly easy, with 15 minutes of fast ~120m diagonals between 14.8 and 15.3 mph. Rest was about 75m easy to the next corner and we were off again. We were surprised to see we averaged 6:10 pace for the total effort. // 3 miles easy pm with MVS, 12 total.
Friday: 3.5 up, 1.25 at 5:15 pace, walk-jog and drills for unknown time, 1.5 at 5:10-15 pace, 2.5 cooldown. Basically this planned 8 mile tempo turned to absolute crap. I'll spare the details but in summary I was not ready to roll today. Tomorrow is off. Sunday TBD. 7.75 total
Saturday: 5 easy with Ben. Still feeling off, not sure what's up exactly. I know one thing for certain: this is FALL, and I am ready to be rid of this humidity!!
Sunday: off. I sort of knew this was coming. Lauren and I both have a crappy stomach bug. Exhausted on top of it all.
Total: 54 miles plus one bike ride and a couple of core workouts.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Nahant 30k Road Race
Over the past few weeks I've watched the clock tic closer to Cape Cod but I wasn't making any progress in terms of improving my endurance. Yeah, I've been getting faster, but I was basically untested at distances beyond 15 miles at any pace. So, despite less than good decision-making leading up to Sunday, I was determined to get a long hard run in. I have been preoccupied with moving, organizing the new place, job searching and really hadn't prepared for a long run how I normally would. Still, on Saturday evening I was hunting for a good marathon prep course and found a gem in the Nahant 30k Road Race. I think this is one of the races Jim Pawlicki recommended to me a few weeks ago too.
When I was running at UNH, I would head out for a hard 16 miler affectionately known as Bay Road. When running with the team we would pretty often keep the pace around 6:30 pace, only dropping it down close to 6:00 in the last few miles. But sometimes I would run the loop by myself and just hit it at 6:00 from the beginning, and I've always been really confident with my ability to run hard for a good distance. That's just the thing about memories of your past self, though. You recall the glorious long runs, workouts and races when you couldn't have been slowed down by anything. But you don't recall the regimented sleep schedule, hydrating constantly, eating well, and the overall total focus that consumes successful running. Well, I had a tough wake-up call on Sunday, to say the least.
I woke early since Lauren was getting up for work and spent a few minutes with her before she took off. Driving towards the coast I was fantasizing of 55 degrees, zero humidity and a light coastal breeze. After I registered and warmed up 10 minutes, I realized the weather could become a bigger factor. I forgot my water bottle at home, but had remembered two GUs and luckily brought them to the starting line. My watch strap got chewed by my stepbrother's dog and I didn't want to deal with carrying GU and my watch, so I left the watch at the car, thinking that running by feel would make the most sense anyway.
My plan had been to run roughly 6:20-6:30s for the first 12 miles and then get aggressive and see how fast I could close out the 18.7 mile run. At the same time, I was really hoping to find at least one person running my pace early on. I began chatting with Paul Ryan who's plan was to run 6:30s for 6, 6:00s for 6, and 5:40's for the final 6. Perfect! I thought as we chatted through the first 6 miles. It was only at mile 7 he revealed to me that we had run just under 42 for the first 7. I was struggling with taking down water and was feeling weaker than I have in several days. It was humid and the coastal breeze I'd dreamed about was nowhere in sight once we were over the bridge. I'll give the course organizers credit, too, because it was as hilly as advertised.
I let Paul go at 7.5 and decided it was time to salvage my race plan and back off for the next 5 miles or so. By 10 miles I had lost sight of Paul and was running completely alone. I didn't have a great sense of my pace, but I knew that the steep rollers were playing a number on my quads and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was more fatigued than I should be. By roughly 12 miles, I was running scared. My quads were really wrecked, but my hamstrings started to cramp on the downhills. I shortened my stride for a half mile to the next aid station. There I threw off my jersey, walked for about 30 seconds to the station, and chatted with a volunteer for a few minutes. He gave me a bottle of Gatorade and I downed it. Then I drank down 4 or 5 dixie cups of water. Having felt totally defeated, I decided I must be dehydrated and that stopping at all the water stops would be a solution to get me to the finish line.
I couldn't believe no one caught me when I stopped. Of course I didn't have my watch, but someone seriously should have caught me. I was pissed that I didn't have my watch too because now I wouldn't know my moving average, although I could generalize later. The rest of the race played out with me stopping at every water stop, running relaxed, and getting to about mile 16 before the cramps returned, this time with a fury. By 17 I was really wishing the race was over and I stopped one last time to stretch at 18 miles. Finishing, well, you can tell by the photo how I was feeling. At least I had the smarts to throw my singlet back on. It actually felt chilly compared to my body temperature.
After the race I wasn't really disappointed. It was really only a wake-up call that to run long and hard you have to prepare not just by running the miles and getting fit, but by living running as a lifestyle. That's something my high school coach always hammered home and it's good to be reminded now. It was also good to realize how important the long run efforts are. Overall, I really enjoyed this event. The course was challenging and the competition up front was really solid. The food post-race seemed like the best food ever, but that could be the 20 miles run talking.
Top 10:
Place Name No. S Ag Div Div City St S Time Pace
===== =================== ==== = == ===== === ========== == = ======= =====
1 DAN VASSALLO 262 M 26 M2029 1 PEABODY MA 1:42:23 5:30
2 CHRIS BRUNNQUELL 280 M 22 M2029 2 MEDFORD MA 1:45:41 5:41
3 JOSH ANDREWS 73 M 22 M2029 3 CHELMSFORD MA 1:49:34 5:53
4 PAUL RYAN 217 M 31 M3039 1 BOSTON MA 1:50:44 5:57
5 RYAN MURDOCH 269 M 23 M2029 4 ROSLINDALE MA 1:52:44 6:03
6 BEN SCHERSTEN 164 M 32 M3039 2 SOMERVILLE MA 1:54:16 6:08
7 SCOTT MCGRATH 266 M 24 M2029 5 ANDOVER MA 2:00:25 6:28
8 EMILY KROSHUS 168 F 28 F2029 1 BOSTON MA 2:03:10 6:37
9 LAURA BRUSTOLON 104 F 23 F2029 2 MYSTIC CT 2:03:42 6:39
10 KATIE MISURACA 277 F 30 F3039 1 GLOUCESTER MA 2:07:06 6:50 Training 9/12 - 9/18
Monday: 6 miles am (45 min) real easy from the apartment. 4 miles pm easy again (28 min) but feeling much better from Sunday's effort compared to this morning. light core work at night. 10 total.
Tuesday: 9 pm easy mostly on awesome trails from the new apartment. I can't believe the network I found this afternoon... unbelievable stuff right in my back yard. 3 pm with Brandon and Whirlaway guys after coaching. 12 total.
Wednesday: 11 pm on the roads of Andover. I picked a hilly looking 10.7m loop on gmaps and went after it today. 64:10 for the 10.7 and then jogged 5 minutes down the road to loosen up and call it 11. I wouldn't say I felt great today but my breathing was controlled and I worked on keeping my stride efficient, one of the lessons learned from the 30k last Sunday.
Thursday: Met up with some CMS folks and ran the Thursday night fun run, this time equipped with my brand new Garmin 305. I had never run with a HRM or GPS before and it was pretty cool to have splits automatically taken throughout the run. I found it interesting that there was almost no difference in my HR with a mile at 6:00 and a mile at 5:40, 177 bpm compared to 179. I warmed up 4 miles, ran the 3 mile course in 17:50 and cooled down 2.5 for a total of 8.5 on the evening. Today was basically an intentional rest day and I should be ready to roll for a 5m tempo tomorrow.
Friday: 10 miles total with 5 mile tempo in 28:45 with Ken in Amesbury. Felt great today. It's about time 5:40's felt comfortable again! I wore the Garmin and my HR stayed steady at 177 throughout. Is 177 high? I should probably do a max test or something, but I'd guess I can get into the 190's mid-sprint.
Saturday: 8 am 60 minutes on trails in Andover. Felt great out there, holding back all the way and getting excited for tomorrow's long run. I may double 6 tonight.
Sunday: 20 miles steady with last 4-4.5 at 5:50 pace to see how the legs would respond. Ran with a group from the Bedford Depot. Great run, felt strong and relaxed.
Total: 79.5
Tuesday: 9 pm easy mostly on awesome trails from the new apartment. I can't believe the network I found this afternoon... unbelievable stuff right in my back yard. 3 pm with Brandon and Whirlaway guys after coaching. 12 total.
Wednesday: 11 pm on the roads of Andover. I picked a hilly looking 10.7m loop on gmaps and went after it today. 64:10 for the 10.7 and then jogged 5 minutes down the road to loosen up and call it 11. I wouldn't say I felt great today but my breathing was controlled and I worked on keeping my stride efficient, one of the lessons learned from the 30k last Sunday.
Thursday: Met up with some CMS folks and ran the Thursday night fun run, this time equipped with my brand new Garmin 305. I had never run with a HRM or GPS before and it was pretty cool to have splits automatically taken throughout the run. I found it interesting that there was almost no difference in my HR with a mile at 6:00 and a mile at 5:40, 177 bpm compared to 179. I warmed up 4 miles, ran the 3 mile course in 17:50 and cooled down 2.5 for a total of 8.5 on the evening. Today was basically an intentional rest day and I should be ready to roll for a 5m tempo tomorrow.
Friday: 10 miles total with 5 mile tempo in 28:45 with Ken in Amesbury. Felt great today. It's about time 5:40's felt comfortable again! I wore the Garmin and my HR stayed steady at 177 throughout. Is 177 high? I should probably do a max test or something, but I'd guess I can get into the 190's mid-sprint.
Saturday: 8 am 60 minutes on trails in Andover. Felt great out there, holding back all the way and getting excited for tomorrow's long run. I may double 6 tonight.
Sunday: 20 miles steady with last 4-4.5 at 5:50 pace to see how the legs would respond. Ran with a group from the Bedford Depot. Great run, felt strong and relaxed.
Total: 79.5
Friday, September 9, 2011
Week 9/5 - 9/11
Monday: OFF. My hip and back are still tight. It actually feels worse today than yesterday. I know I must have just tweaked something with the move, but maybe the lack of running is helping everything to get tight. I'm not sure.
Tuesday: 7 miles easy. Just trying to get back into the routine with tight back and hips that feel totally out of alignment. Time for a visit to the chiro...
Wednesday: 10 miles with Tim Pipp in Keene. It was cool to meet up with a fellow CMSer and talk Keene running. The Keene area has such a solid grouping of runners and it's exciting to hear about the directions each guy (and girl) is taking with their racing goals. Pipp is in great shape. It will be exciting to see how he fares in his first marathon at Cape Cod.
Thursday: 10 with 5k effort pretty hard (15:56). I finally made it out to one of the MVS pub runs at Jaime's Restaurant in N. Andover. One nice person took me for a spin on the course beforehand so I wouldn't get lost moving at a faster clip. Splits were 5:17, 5:08, 4:48, xx. The last mile has an awesome gradual downhill for about half a mile and I really opened it up there. It was cool to go sub 16 in a training run since I haven't seen that kind of time in (ashamed to say it) over a year. I'm pretty confident I can be in the 15:30s or maybe quicker on a flat course, and especially excited because in theory I'm marathon training, although I really need to boost my miles in the following 5 weeks.
Friday: 15 steady pm from the new place in Andover (1:43) I was excited to find it only takes about 3.5 miles to get into some good trails in Harold Parker State Park. I ran several loops exploring the trails but fortune was against me as I came out of a trail as it was getting dark on the opposite side of the park. I had to run roads around the thing until I got back to my exit route and headed home.
Saturday: 9 easy at Winnikenni in Haverhill. (1:02). Felt fine just needed a rest day and might look to go fairly long tomorrow.
Sunday: 20 total miles at the Nahant 30k Road Race. I had a really tough day out there. Report to follow.
Total: 71 on 6 days with a harder 5k and a hard long run at Nahant.
Tuesday: 7 miles easy. Just trying to get back into the routine with tight back and hips that feel totally out of alignment. Time for a visit to the chiro...
Wednesday: 10 miles with Tim Pipp in Keene. It was cool to meet up with a fellow CMSer and talk Keene running. The Keene area has such a solid grouping of runners and it's exciting to hear about the directions each guy (and girl) is taking with their racing goals. Pipp is in great shape. It will be exciting to see how he fares in his first marathon at Cape Cod.
Thursday: 10 with 5k effort pretty hard (15:56). I finally made it out to one of the MVS pub runs at Jaime's Restaurant in N. Andover. One nice person took me for a spin on the course beforehand so I wouldn't get lost moving at a faster clip. Splits were 5:17, 5:08, 4:48, xx. The last mile has an awesome gradual downhill for about half a mile and I really opened it up there. It was cool to go sub 16 in a training run since I haven't seen that kind of time in (ashamed to say it) over a year. I'm pretty confident I can be in the 15:30s or maybe quicker on a flat course, and especially excited because in theory I'm marathon training, although I really need to boost my miles in the following 5 weeks.
Friday: 15 steady pm from the new place in Andover (1:43) I was excited to find it only takes about 3.5 miles to get into some good trails in Harold Parker State Park. I ran several loops exploring the trails but fortune was against me as I came out of a trail as it was getting dark on the opposite side of the park. I had to run roads around the thing until I got back to my exit route and headed home.
Saturday: 9 easy at Winnikenni in Haverhill. (1:02). Felt fine just needed a rest day and might look to go fairly long tomorrow.
Sunday: 20 total miles at the Nahant 30k Road Race. I had a really tough day out there. Report to follow.
Total: 71 on 6 days with a harder 5k and a hard long run at Nahant.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Week 8/29 - 9/4
Monday: 14 pm with last 3.7 at 5:40 pace on trails in Maudslay solo. I had a ton of energy after a nice recovery day during the tropical storm. I just felt smooth and altogether way too comfortable running mid 6's so I decided to run the 3m loop at tempo effort. Of course, I missed a turn and ended up taking a huge detour, adding about 4 minutes to the effort. In a sense it was good to challenge myself mentally by going off course and making up my mind to complete the loop anyway.
Tuesday: 10 am in Maudslay with Ken. We took it nice and easy and just chatted about Worlds. 71 minutes.
Wednesday: 9 steady in Maudslay late. It got dark by about 35 minutes in and I had to slow it down but I was moving pretty quick today. Originally wanted to take the day off of running and go for a bike ride, but couldn't work it out with moving plans and preparing for this weekend. I hit the road around 50 minutes and picked it up again, almost stepped on a skunk, picked it up even more at that point and finished right at 60 minutes. Good run, legs feeling better than yesterday.
Thursday: 11 miles... last run in Amesbury was a good one. Ken and I warmed up 3.5 and rolled right into 6x1000m with 1min rest. We averaged 5:20-5:25 pace for the k's and kept the rest at about 6:30 pace. Average for the 11 miles came out to 5:50 pace. Great day.
Friday: 11 steady with Brandon from Exeter with 6x150m strides barefoot. Felt great today - awesome weather.
Saturday: 6 easy with Brandon after a big moving day to the new apartment in Andover. We found trails immediately outside the apartment - I was psyched!
Sunday: OFF - my left hip/right lower back was super stiff from moving yesterday. I literally layed down all day and it is still sore as of Tuesday morning.
Total: 61 miles.
Overall: I need to get my hip/back in working order before I can resume full training again. I was pretty happy overall with the week, and I knew the move was going to take its toll. Brandon was apparently unphased after helping out with all the big furniture as he ran the Wapack 18 miler on Sunday and won in 2:26 and change, going away from a strong field early. This coming week is about 6 days of 10-13 miles with more strides and a couple core workouts.
Tuesday: 10 am in Maudslay with Ken. We took it nice and easy and just chatted about Worlds. 71 minutes.
Wednesday: 9 steady in Maudslay late. It got dark by about 35 minutes in and I had to slow it down but I was moving pretty quick today. Originally wanted to take the day off of running and go for a bike ride, but couldn't work it out with moving plans and preparing for this weekend. I hit the road around 50 minutes and picked it up again, almost stepped on a skunk, picked it up even more at that point and finished right at 60 minutes. Good run, legs feeling better than yesterday.
Thursday: 11 miles... last run in Amesbury was a good one. Ken and I warmed up 3.5 and rolled right into 6x1000m with 1min rest. We averaged 5:20-5:25 pace for the k's and kept the rest at about 6:30 pace. Average for the 11 miles came out to 5:50 pace. Great day.
Friday: 11 steady with Brandon from Exeter with 6x150m strides barefoot. Felt great today - awesome weather.
Saturday: 6 easy with Brandon after a big moving day to the new apartment in Andover. We found trails immediately outside the apartment - I was psyched!
Sunday: OFF - my left hip/right lower back was super stiff from moving yesterday. I literally layed down all day and it is still sore as of Tuesday morning.
Total: 61 miles.
Overall: I need to get my hip/back in working order before I can resume full training again. I was pretty happy overall with the week, and I knew the move was going to take its toll. Brandon was apparently unphased after helping out with all the big furniture as he ran the Wapack 18 miler on Sunday and won in 2:26 and change, going away from a strong field early. This coming week is about 6 days of 10-13 miles with more strides and a couple core workouts.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Week 8/22 - 8/28
Monday: 7.3 am easy running (47:35). Felt great this morning. I could sense the cooler weather on horizon.7.7 pm in 46:45, kind of a progression run, warming up the first few, pushing some hills, and rolling the last 3 home around 5:40 pace. Great start to the week, 15 total
Tuesday: 10m am with Ken in 65:10 on a pretty flat loop into South Hampton. One good hill climbs about 100 ft but then you get it all back on the downhill. It was good to catch up with Ken. He has been my running buddy in Amesbury. Now that we're headed to Andover I'll probably have to find some more local guys to run with most of the time. Drills pm.
Wednesday: 5.5 am EASY, we're talking 7:15's or so. 6 pm easy again, this time on trails in Andover, checking out the new area. 11.5 total.
Thursday: 10.5 am with Ken steady in Maudslay. I showed him the electric fence I ran into during a harder run a couple weeks ago. Still can't believe there was no sign saying something like "DANGER: ELECTRIC FENCE". I had been in the zone, watching the ground for footing and suddenly, *ZZZZEERRROOOMMMM* and I'm doubled over on an electric fence. Good times. Anyway, it was a good run today, pretty quick for trails and I felt a hell of a lot better than yesterday.
Friday: 10 miles am with 3m tempo in 17:25 on the Maudslay course. It was humid this morning and my stomach felt terrible on the warm-up. Something about waking up at 5:30 didn't settle well. Anyway, once we were rolling on the course I fell into a good rhythm and mostly held back from going too hard. Fairly soon I'd expect to hold this type of pace or faster for 10k-12k tempos. What a fun way to run! / PM 6 miles easy with Ken in Amesbury. We kept it pretty darn slow, and both felt a little loopy, probably from a combination of high 80's and low blood sugar. Still a solid double and I am HUNGRY for dinner. Making apple chicken sausages, broccoli rab and egg noodles. Oh, and and probably a couple good IPA's. 16 total.
Saturday: 14 miles. Humid. Way too humid. I was drenched by 2 miles and feeling drained by 8. I was lucky to think of bringing a water bottle along today to practice nutrition mid-run. The Hammer Heed I used settled well, but I think I drank it too quickly. I ended up stopping to fill up at a farm stand. My gear was definitely not "dri-fit"ing today. (1:37)
Sunday: 5 miles super easy in the storm. There were a few strong wind gusts but I think the strongest ones had passed by the time I got out there around 2:30 pm. I ran trails near the apartment to stay away from electric wires and those sorts of hazzards. There was as surprising number of people walking around, checking out the downed branches and such. The coolest thing I stumbled upon was a great blue heron taking shelter in a cove next to Gardner lake. I hit the boardwalk and scared it out into open water... felt a little bad because a wind gust nearly shot it down right into the lake!
Total: 83 on the week. I felt good enough to do more on Sunday but figured it would be a smart recovery day on a great week of training to limit my run to 5. I am sleeping heavier, but that is pretty much the only sign that I'm training harder than in weeks passed. The fitness is coming along how I'd expect. 9 weeks from today I'll be running Cape Cod. 9 weeks might sound like a lot, but it really isn't. I have a long way to go in terms of building up my long runs, simulating race pace efforts and practicing nutrition. Not to mention, I need to find a pair of racing flats that work for me. If I am able to put together 9 more weeks with an 80m average, I'll feel pretty confident. Meanwhile, I will also know that much of the competition will have averaged no less than 100m, with some guys getting up to 120.
Tuesday: 10m am with Ken in 65:10 on a pretty flat loop into South Hampton. One good hill climbs about 100 ft but then you get it all back on the downhill. It was good to catch up with Ken. He has been my running buddy in Amesbury. Now that we're headed to Andover I'll probably have to find some more local guys to run with most of the time. Drills pm.
Wednesday: 5.5 am EASY, we're talking 7:15's or so. 6 pm easy again, this time on trails in Andover, checking out the new area. 11.5 total.
Thursday: 10.5 am with Ken steady in Maudslay. I showed him the electric fence I ran into during a harder run a couple weeks ago. Still can't believe there was no sign saying something like "DANGER: ELECTRIC FENCE". I had been in the zone, watching the ground for footing and suddenly, *ZZZZEERRROOOMMMM* and I'm doubled over on an electric fence. Good times. Anyway, it was a good run today, pretty quick for trails and I felt a hell of a lot better than yesterday.
Friday: 10 miles am with 3m tempo in 17:25 on the Maudslay course. It was humid this morning and my stomach felt terrible on the warm-up. Something about waking up at 5:30 didn't settle well. Anyway, once we were rolling on the course I fell into a good rhythm and mostly held back from going too hard. Fairly soon I'd expect to hold this type of pace or faster for 10k-12k tempos. What a fun way to run! / PM 6 miles easy with Ken in Amesbury. We kept it pretty darn slow, and both felt a little loopy, probably from a combination of high 80's and low blood sugar. Still a solid double and I am HUNGRY for dinner. Making apple chicken sausages, broccoli rab and egg noodles. Oh, and and probably a couple good IPA's. 16 total.
Saturday: 14 miles. Humid. Way too humid. I was drenched by 2 miles and feeling drained by 8. I was lucky to think of bringing a water bottle along today to practice nutrition mid-run. The Hammer Heed I used settled well, but I think I drank it too quickly. I ended up stopping to fill up at a farm stand. My gear was definitely not "dri-fit"ing today. (1:37)
Sunday: 5 miles super easy in the storm. There were a few strong wind gusts but I think the strongest ones had passed by the time I got out there around 2:30 pm. I ran trails near the apartment to stay away from electric wires and those sorts of hazzards. There was as surprising number of people walking around, checking out the downed branches and such. The coolest thing I stumbled upon was a great blue heron taking shelter in a cove next to Gardner lake. I hit the boardwalk and scared it out into open water... felt a little bad because a wind gust nearly shot it down right into the lake!
Total: 83 on the week. I felt good enough to do more on Sunday but figured it would be a smart recovery day on a great week of training to limit my run to 5. I am sleeping heavier, but that is pretty much the only sign that I'm training harder than in weeks passed. The fitness is coming along how I'd expect. 9 weeks from today I'll be running Cape Cod. 9 weeks might sound like a lot, but it really isn't. I have a long way to go in terms of building up my long runs, simulating race pace efforts and practicing nutrition. Not to mention, I need to find a pair of racing flats that work for me. If I am able to put together 9 more weeks with an 80m average, I'll feel pretty confident. Meanwhile, I will also know that much of the competition will have averaged no less than 100m, with some guys getting up to 120.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Week 8/15 - 8/21
Monday: 68:40 on trails and roads in Amesbury. I felt pretty strong but held back and didn't push the pace in light of yesterday's hammerfest. It was rainy and slightly humid and I did my best to embrace the conditions. 10.5
Tuesday: Light workout with MVS marathoners: 10 x (400on, 200off, 200on, 200 off) 400s were roughly 80s and 200s were roughly 37s. I ran a few of the last ones way too fast, 27-28s for the 200s and even popped a couple 61-62s 400s. Hopefully I won't pay for it with a tight something-or-other. 9.5 total.
Wednesday: 4 easy am. 30 min. 2 hour kayak to Little Neck in Ipswitch and back, plus 5 mile run on the beach. Beautiful day, and we even saw a model in the middle of her photo shoot, rolling around in the waves!! 9+ total.
Thursday: Family visited so I ran with my cousin Davie who's trying out for varsity soccer his senior year. We ran my morning run 5.6 miles easy. I suppose it was a good recovery day. Upper body is sore from kayaking and fighting the current heading back up the Merrimack river.
Friday: 45 mile bike ride. I was aiming for 55, but as a I rolled south from Portsmouth/Stratham into Exeter, a monstrous and terrifying giant cumulus struck down. I wish I had a picture of a motorcyclist laughing hysterically at me as I hammered into downtown Exeter, aiming to take shelter at Exeter Cycles. (Thanks John!) video of hail storm which soon followed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg7rHAC0UNE
Saturday: I was looking to actually feel like a runner, so I wanted to pop a fast 10 miler on my favorite course from home. 3 up in 18:10 and I was right on track, except my mile markers were off and I had actually gone faster. Realizing this, I decided to make it a workout, running 60s on, 90s off for the next 4 miles. 7 miles including warmup completed in 39:35! down 3. Great impromptu workout on a high 80's and humid afternoon.
Sunday: Looking to go long, but got a call from some guys in Portsmouth looking to ride roughly 3 hours. I figured 3 hours of riding might count for a long endurance effort, so I joined in. We averaged roughly 18.5 mph with lots of slowdowns and stops for technical, and/or, stomach issues and cramping. I felt pretty strong out there. 46.2 miles, 2:31 moving average according to the GPS which comes out to slightly under 20 mph.
Total: 45 miles running, 91 miles riding, 2 hours kayaking, solid week overall.
Tuesday: Light workout with MVS marathoners: 10 x (400on, 200off, 200on, 200 off) 400s were roughly 80s and 200s were roughly 37s. I ran a few of the last ones way too fast, 27-28s for the 200s and even popped a couple 61-62s 400s. Hopefully I won't pay for it with a tight something-or-other. 9.5 total.
Wednesday: 4 easy am. 30 min. 2 hour kayak to Little Neck in Ipswitch and back, plus 5 mile run on the beach. Beautiful day, and we even saw a model in the middle of her photo shoot, rolling around in the waves!! 9+ total.
Thursday: Family visited so I ran with my cousin Davie who's trying out for varsity soccer his senior year. We ran my morning run 5.6 miles easy. I suppose it was a good recovery day. Upper body is sore from kayaking and fighting the current heading back up the Merrimack river.
Friday: 45 mile bike ride. I was aiming for 55, but as a I rolled south from Portsmouth/Stratham into Exeter, a monstrous and terrifying giant cumulus struck down. I wish I had a picture of a motorcyclist laughing hysterically at me as I hammered into downtown Exeter, aiming to take shelter at Exeter Cycles. (Thanks John!) video of hail storm which soon followed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg7rHAC0UNE
Saturday: I was looking to actually feel like a runner, so I wanted to pop a fast 10 miler on my favorite course from home. 3 up in 18:10 and I was right on track, except my mile markers were off and I had actually gone faster. Realizing this, I decided to make it a workout, running 60s on, 90s off for the next 4 miles. 7 miles including warmup completed in 39:35! down 3. Great impromptu workout on a high 80's and humid afternoon.
Sunday: Looking to go long, but got a call from some guys in Portsmouth looking to ride roughly 3 hours. I figured 3 hours of riding might count for a long endurance effort, so I joined in. We averaged roughly 18.5 mph with lots of slowdowns and stops for technical, and/or, stomach issues and cramping. I felt pretty strong out there. 46.2 miles, 2:31 moving average according to the GPS which comes out to slightly under 20 mph.
Total: 45 miles running, 91 miles riding, 2 hours kayaking, solid week overall.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Week 8/8 - 8/14
Monday: 55 minutes steady. 8 miles.
Tuesday: Off. Almost 6 hours on the beach zapped my energy and we got home around 10pm due to traffic... I was SO close to heading out there for a 10 miler but ate half a tub of Ben and Jerry's and called it a night instead. Good rest day.
Wednesday: 10.5 in 69 minutes, last 4 with Benny Jenks. Humid today!
Thursday: Double, 5.5 morning feeling sluggish and off, 3.5 with Butler evening feeling better. 9 total.
Friday: 10 in 68:30 with Ken in Maudslay, a little quick on the trails, but feeling good for a possible debut at the Brew Run on the cape tomorrow afternoon. Most likely going in at tempo effort, if anything.
Saturday: off. it's hard to train while on vacation with the in-laws. I want to hang out, ride the bike paths along the cape, hit the beach, and generally relax. The fact is, though, that I really want to be testing myself along the flats, dusting the dunes and pushing the hills. I'll probably be feeling well recovered for a good medium-long run tomorrow at least.
Sunday: 15 miles in Maudslay in 1:33 quick solo. This was the best run in the past 6 months. I haven't felt more alive and more connected with the ground than this afternoon. I was so frustrated with the green heads that I just burned through 90 minutes like it was nothing. Still, the run doesn't compare with a Bay Road where all the boys strut their fitness in early September. At 12 pm, I'm not sore, just hungry for more distance and collecting myself for the month of promises, September. Bring it on!
Total: 52.5 in 5 days. This week's comments say it all. I'm really starting to taste the sweet sweet burn of real training and I can't let it go. It's time to train for marathon in October. Long runs once a week with at least one workout. Every other day is base mileage. Come mid-October, I'll be ready, or bust!
Tuesday: Off. Almost 6 hours on the beach zapped my energy and we got home around 10pm due to traffic... I was SO close to heading out there for a 10 miler but ate half a tub of Ben and Jerry's and called it a night instead. Good rest day.
Wednesday: 10.5 in 69 minutes, last 4 with Benny Jenks. Humid today!
Thursday: Double, 5.5 morning feeling sluggish and off, 3.5 with Butler evening feeling better. 9 total.
Friday: 10 in 68:30 with Ken in Maudslay, a little quick on the trails, but feeling good for a possible debut at the Brew Run on the cape tomorrow afternoon. Most likely going in at tempo effort, if anything.
Saturday: off. it's hard to train while on vacation with the in-laws. I want to hang out, ride the bike paths along the cape, hit the beach, and generally relax. The fact is, though, that I really want to be testing myself along the flats, dusting the dunes and pushing the hills. I'll probably be feeling well recovered for a good medium-long run tomorrow at least.
Sunday: 15 miles in Maudslay in 1:33 quick solo. This was the best run in the past 6 months. I haven't felt more alive and more connected with the ground than this afternoon. I was so frustrated with the green heads that I just burned through 90 minutes like it was nothing. Still, the run doesn't compare with a Bay Road where all the boys strut their fitness in early September. At 12 pm, I'm not sore, just hungry for more distance and collecting myself for the month of promises, September. Bring it on!
Total: 52.5 in 5 days. This week's comments say it all. I'm really starting to taste the sweet sweet burn of real training and I can't let it go. It's time to train for marathon in October. Long runs once a week with at least one workout. Every other day is base mileage. Come mid-October, I'll be ready, or bust!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Week 8/1 - 8/7
Monday: 10 miles steady, 66 minutes. Right Achilles was tight towards the beginning but loosened up in the end.
Tuesday: 10 miles, 67 minutes. Felt great today. Achilles was much better today.
Wednesday: 50 minutes in Portland from downtown after a long day on the bike with Lauren. Thought I'd be bombing down trails in Bar Harbor but plans changed. 7 miles.
Thursday: Thunder Chicken 5k: 16:16, 2nd place. 12.5 miles on the day. Sam Wood called me on our way home from Portland so I stopped in Portsmouth just in time to register and warm up. Ran in trainers.
Friday: 9.75 in 61:50 with the little bro. Pace was actually quicker (6:05-6:10) but we ran by night and had to go really slowly around the bike path in Keene.
Saturday: 8+ miles in 53:30 with Alex in the morning. Attending a wedding this afternoon!
Sunday: 10 miles in 63:30 on bike paths on the Cape.
Total: Roughly 67 miles on 7 days with a solid effort on Thursday. The remainder of the week was steady running with some quicker runs thrown in by feel. I'm pretty happy with the week and I was actually thrilled to run well at the Thunder Chicken with so little preparation. I'm taking the long road back to fitness, enjoying my runs and that's what's important for now.
Tuesday: 10 miles, 67 minutes. Felt great today. Achilles was much better today.
Wednesday: 50 minutes in Portland from downtown after a long day on the bike with Lauren. Thought I'd be bombing down trails in Bar Harbor but plans changed. 7 miles.
Thursday: Thunder Chicken 5k: 16:16, 2nd place. 12.5 miles on the day. Sam Wood called me on our way home from Portland so I stopped in Portsmouth just in time to register and warm up. Ran in trainers.
Friday: 9.75 in 61:50 with the little bro. Pace was actually quicker (6:05-6:10) but we ran by night and had to go really slowly around the bike path in Keene.
Saturday: 8+ miles in 53:30 with Alex in the morning. Attending a wedding this afternoon!
Sunday: 10 miles in 63:30 on bike paths on the Cape.
Total: Roughly 67 miles on 7 days with a solid effort on Thursday. The remainder of the week was steady running with some quicker runs thrown in by feel. I'm pretty happy with the week and I was actually thrilled to run well at the Thunder Chicken with so little preparation. I'm taking the long road back to fitness, enjoying my runs and that's what's important for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)