Week 2. Bump in the road.

MON. : -0- in Burlington

TUES. : -0- in Burlington

WED. : 2 mi. Super Icy.  1 hr on the bike trainer doing intervals.

THU. :  

FRI. : 2 mi. icy.

SAT. : 

SUN. : 18 mi. in Keene with the Sunday Group.  Slow, nice run.   

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: - 22 mi.  

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 57 mi.

2014 Begins...

MON. : - 

TUES. : - 

WED. : - 10 mi. w/ 43 min tough New Year's 10K

THU. : - 

FRI. : - 9 mi. Bray Loop (hills)

SAT. : - 

SUN. : - 16 mi.  Big Bray Loop (hills). Ran 2nd half HARD.

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: - 35 mi.  

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 35 mi.

New Year, New Me… Again

Well, running-wise, it was a kinda tough year for me, but all in all, no real complaints.  I struggled with a few nagging injuries, but nothing major.  I struggled with motivation, but was able to begin to turn it around.  Work and life often squeezed out my time for running. No shit, what else is new? Still, I managed 1600+ miles.   So, with just a little bit of tweaking,  I think I can have a good 2014.

What am I looking forward to and working for this year?  All my previous goals are still in tact: sub 19 5k, sub 40 10k, sub 1:30 1/2 marathon, and 3:10 full.  2000+ mile for the year. Pisgah 50k in 5 hours. I think they are all still attainable, maybe not all this year, but certainly in my 50s.  And how am I supposed to accomplish these goals, you ask?

     1.  Run more. (no shit)
     2.  Focus on recovery to stay injury free.
     3.  Write about it.  (more than 4 times per year)
     4.  Wednesday Workouts, at least 3 times per month.
     5.  Plan goal races at least 2 months in advance.
     6.  Allow for failure and success, but keep an eye on the future.
     7.  Keep moving forward.
     8.  Stay focused and keep things simple.
     9.  Keep all plans to 5 steps or less.

Damn. Well, good to get that first little failure out of the way.
Onward!

7/1 thru 7/7

MON. : - 7 mi. Hills

TUES. : - 7 mi. Hills
WED. : - 3 mi. Trails
THU. : - 8 mi. w/ 26:25 4 on the 4th
FRI. : -
SAT. : - 3 mi, easy
SUN. : - 16 mi. Hills, super hot.
TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: - 44 mi.  

Pretty good week in the heat. 4 on the 4th was my slowest in a few years, but based on how much I've been running lately, and the heat, I was pleased. That race needs to start at 7:30.

The biggest highlight for me in the last couple of months was the Walter Childs Memorial Marathon. My slowest marathon in the last six or so (3:26).  But with no real training, and only deciding to run it on the Thursday before the race, I was able to re-qualify for Boston. Plus, with only about 75 runners, it is the ONLY time I will EVER be ably to say "Top Ten" in a marathon. And I won my age group. Not too bad for a three day training cycle.

My summer goals are simple: Run and do a weekly recap. 
All my previous goals are still intact.  Sub 19:00 5k, sub 1:30 half marathon, and a sub 2:00 Pisgah 23k, sub 3:10 marathon. 
If I can maintain my summer goal, one or more of the others may fall too.

Yearly Update

A few highlights/lowlights from the year after Boston.

Hot summer.
Good running in the summer.
Half Marathon PR (1:30:49).
Missed goal by :50.
Turned 50.
Ran Pisgah 50k. Slow time. Awesome race.
Fall.  Nice.
5k PR (19:18)
Missed goal by :19.
New Job. High school is way more of a pain in the ass the second time around.
Can't find the time or motivation to run more than once a week.
Winter.  Cold.  Sucks.
Shitty 'running' in the winter.
Lots of medical shit.
Glaucoma. Yea! Not the other shit they thought it might be.
Running improves.
Riding the bike trainer most mornings before school.
Trying to eat better.  Low on the food chain.  Less sugar.
Beer is good.
Sierra Nevada is great, and is water from my homeland.
Some fantastic snow days running. Maybe teaching isn't that bad.
Signed up for the Zermatt Marathon. 1900m elevation gain, finishing at the base of the Matterhorn.
Spring is not here yet.
Gonna be at the track on Wednesday.

Boston Report

It was HOT.
It SUCKED.
Right on Hereford. Left on Boylston.
I didn't DIE.

Photo Update

I happened to show a friend at work the photo of the double amputee running Boston, and she said I should try to find out who he is, and send him the picture.  Well, I did a little investigating, searching the Mobility Impaired list for Boston, and it turns out, he's Richard Whitehead.  He ran that year at 3:02, and has since set the World Record at 2:45, and 1:14 for the half.
That is one tough dude.

No Matter How Bad It Hurts....

Well, this is it, the week before Boston.  Lots of time to think, not too much running.  I feel like I am in a good place for my running.  Although this has been one of the most lackadaisical training sessions which I have ever attempted, I have kept my weekly mileage decent, my speed workouts have been about as good as I have ever done, I had a PR last weekend in the Cheshire Med 5K after being up all night at work, and I had a solid 30K a couple weeks ago.  Most of my running has been by myself in Buckland/Shelburne, or with Frank (the dog), with the exception of Wednesdays with the Keenyan Crew.  I've been running, or at least tagging along with, those guys for over two years now, and if that won't make you a better runner, nothing will. The Buckland running has been fantastic for hill training. My typical 6-10 milers, any way I go, are at least 45% uphill, 45% down.  I know the uphills have been good for my strength and endurance, but I think the down hill portion is what will make a big difference at Boston.  While this certainly hasn't been my most focused training, and last summer/fall I was doing a few more miles, I think the cumulative miles, no running injuries (except falling on my shoulder, which finally feels about 95% healed) and all the hills should help to carry me through.  In my last 3 races, Stu's 30k, Fast Friends 4 1/2 mi, and the Cheshire Med 5k, I've been able to hold my pace till the end, even though they all have a fair amount of hills.

I sent this photo to the Tufts Marathon Challenge Team.  Whenever I think I need a little kick in the ass, this usually does it for me.  No matter how bad things might hurt during the marathon, there's no way it could hurt as bad as that guy's stumps.  I don't know KG, but I  got the photo from his blog.  To me, it says just about everything you need to know about running.  Sure, there are great runners, and they have certainly worked hard to achieve the level of success they have. And they deserve every accolade they receive. But others have overcome adversity which most will never know.  I mean, you look at the runner on the left, and he has definitely worked as hard as anyone else to get to where he is, in the lead at The Boston Marathon.  But the guy on the right? Is there anyone who could say any less about his determination and hard work? Check out his friggin arms.  He's diesel to say the least.  And how about the guy in the middle?  He doesn't look like a slouch either.  Not too many people would give up a day to run 26.2 miles as a guide/aid. No matter what the pace, it ain't a walk in the park.  It would be pretty cool to sit down and have a beer with all three of them.  Till then, I'll try to carry a little piece of their spirit through the streets of Boston. Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston.

April 2nd thru April 8th

MON. : -20 mi, w/ lots of hills. 2 w/ Frank

TUES. : -

WED. : -9 mi w/ workout. I had thought about doing 3 x mile, at something a little faster than my 7:15 marathon pace. At the start of the first rep, I was tucked in a little behind Greg, Josh and George doing 2 miles, and Fyffe hanging with me. Ended up doing the first mile in a fairly comfortable 6:10, with Fyffe coming in just behind me at about 6:14. I tried to slow the next one down, but on the last repeat, it started to hail/rain, and I just wanted to get it over with.
6:10/6:26/6:17

THU. : - 5 easy.

FRI. : -  

SAT. : -9 mi w/ 19:31 5k PR.

SUN. : -

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: 43

TOTAL MILES FOR 2012: 602

Frank's Miles For The Week: -2

Frank's Total Miles For 2012: 172

March 26th thru April 1st

MON. : -15 mi, w/ lots of hills. 6 w/ Frank

TUES. : -

WED. : -10 mi w/ workout. Again, I wanted to do 8x800, and today it was cool, so I thought I had a good chance. Plan was to keep it to about 3:00. Started out too fast as usual, but after that, 2:54 was feeling ok so I just tried to go with it. I was able to hit it most of the time. On the sixth rep I got a pain in my side that felt a little more than just a cramp, and with just 2 1/2 weeks to Boston, I decided to not do any damage. I still felt good about the workout.
2:50/2:53/2:54/2:54
2:54/2:55/--/--

THU. : -6 mi, w/ Frank

FRI. : -9 mi, w/ Frank.  Frank's toughest run yet.  

SAT. : -12 w/ Fast Friends 4 1/2 miler @ 29:33. 1st in the 40's. 14th overall.  I was about 9 seconds slower than last year, but the course was a little longer, so I'd say it's a wash.  This is a course where you just have to hang on and do the best you can in the end.  I did ok, I kept boj and Larry Sayers in sight through about 4 miles, and ended up just a minute behind them.  Cool to get the age group win, with Larry being the only one older to finish ahead of me. Glad George didn't show up, or I would've had to settle for the silver. Hope he's feeling ok, but gold is good.
Splits: 6:17/6:49/6:28/6:39/3:16 

SUN. : -RIP (Run In Peace) Caballo Blanco

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: 52

TOTAL MILES FOR 2012: 559

Frank's Miles For The Week: -21 (making up for last week)

Frank's Total Miles For 2012: 170