Well that week…

Sucked.
 Big time. Left hamstring was tight as could be. No running for a while.

MON. :  0

TUES. :  0. Massage. Helped a little. 

WED. : 0
THU. : 0

FRI. :  4 miles, easy. Still a bit tight, but it felt ok to stretch it out.  

SAT. : 8 miles. Fast Friends Race, had to do it. Still a little tight, but ok. Ran about 2 miles solo as a warm up. Took it pretty easy in the race. Finished in 32:44, exactly boj's time from last year. 
 And speaking of boj, here is his official "29:56"

And here is my 32:44

I know, I know. It looks like I stopped my watch a little early. It's been a sucky week. 

SUN. : 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: -   12 mi.

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 467 mi.

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 43 mi.   Gonna drop. 

DAYS RUNNING IN 2014: 45 out of 81 days. 

Week 11. March 10th thru March 16th

MON. :  1/2 hour on the bike, then Strength workout.

TUES. :  10 miles. Legs/ who body felt dead from Sunday and yesterday's strength workout. I gotta get some speed going. Good stretch after today's run. Hope it helps. 

WED. : 7 miles, easy. Felt pretty good. 
THU. : 

FRI. :  10 miles. Left hamstring super tight. 

SAT. : Goose egg.  Hamstring still tight

SUN. : 16 miles. Sucked. Hamstring was tight in the beginning, but ok. Ran with Patrick, and planned to do it at marathon pace or faster. Kept it mainly at 7:30 till mile 13, then I had to walk a bit. My hamstring tightened up fierce, and I had to walk/ jog the next 3 miles. 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: -   43 mi.

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 455 mi.

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 43 mi.   

DAYS RUNNING IN 2014: 43 out of 75 days. 

Week 10 March 3rd thru March 9th

MON. :  7 miles, Bray Road Loop.  Good solid run as recovery/

TUES. :  8 miles, Bray Road Loop.  Tempoish run.  Solid run up the hill.  New Strava record. Plus 1/2 hour strength workout. Good day. 

WED. :  0 miles. Late day at work. 
THU. :  I did not feel well in the morning. Big headache, nauseous, went home after two hours or so, and slept. I felt better but still not great. Rallied by about 3:00. Put in 10 good miles. Then a massage afterwards. Turned into a good day. 

FRI. :  0 miles. Planned to run. Didn't happen. Planned to bike instead. Wine happened. 

SAT. : 8 miles. Bray Road Loop with a dog run. Good run. I did a rambling fartlek. Each time a new song came on, I sped up/ slowed down. 

SUN. : Spring is officially here. SHORTS for a long run!  20 miles, Long Bray Road Loop with Ashfield out & back. Beautiful day. Got a late start because of DST, and I didn't run all that well, but I put in the miles and that is a big part of what a long run is all about. I gotta work on a little speed and longer tempo stuff in the next few weeks. 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: -  53 mi.

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 412 mi.

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 43 mi.   

DAYS RUNNING IN 2014: 39out of 68 days. 

WEEK 8 2/17 thru 2/23

MON. :  1/2 hour on the bike as easy warm up, then 45 minute strength workout from RunnersWorld. Good workout. I'm going to try to do a modified version twice a week. 

TUES. :  Snow. I'm a wimp. 1 hour on the bike. Gotta get the goose egg off  the miles per week. 

WED. :  Three days in a row, no run. First time all year, other than traveling. Quality workout on the bike though. 1:15, with 6x3:00 minute intervals to simulate 800s. My legs were burning, but not my whole body and lungs like the way running on the track works you. Tomorrow the roads should be clear. Get the f outta my way. I'm going running. 
THU. :  7 mile Bray Road run. Good to get out. I didn't feel as fresh as I thought I would after such a layoff.  Still good to get out. Shooting for 40 for the week. It could happen. 

FRI. :  Treacherous 5 miles. Winter can stop now. 

SAT. : 8 miles.  Bray loop plus a mile with the dogs. Absolutely a gorgeous afternoon. 40 might happen. 300 for the year. Feeling cautiously optimistic about Boston right now. 3:15-3:20 is what I'm shooting for. Can't say too much or I'll jinx it. 

SUN. :  22 miles. Solid effort. I ran a hard & solid pace from mile 15 to 20+, even with the hills. Last mile was an easy run/walk with the dogs. 30 miles in the last 20 hours or so. I am very pleased how things are going. 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: -  42 no longer a  pathetic week miles  

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 322 mi.

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 40 mi.   

DAYS RUNNING IN 2014: 34 out of 54 days. 

WEEK 7 2/10 thru 2/16

MON. :  4 miles, easy.

TUES. :  Another hour on the bike plus a tough ab workout.  I'm gonna have start counting my cross training days.

WED. : 7 miles, Tempo pace.  First time in a while, probably since last summer, that Ive been able to do my regular loop in under an hour. I made it in 56:22.  Good run.  

THU. :  7 miles, same as yesterday, but in the snow.  15 more minutes due to conditions.  Fun run, then 45 minute upper body and ab workout (shoveling).

FRI. : A choice between an early evening date or a late afternoon run. Love won. Good for the heart. 

SAT. : Long day at work. Planned afternoon run. Slacker. 

SUN. :  15 miles, solid effort. I planned to run easy with a fast finish. I felt pretty good by mile 4 or so, & I started to pick up the pace a bit. I ran hard till the end. Pace didn't really matter because of the hills and snow cover, but I kept the effort up the entire way. Amazing that with just a little training, 15 miles feels like a short Sunday Long Run. 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: -  33 mi.  

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 280 mi.

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 40 mi.   

DAYS RUNNING IN 2014: 29 out of 47 days. 

Week 6 2/3 thru 2/9

MON. :  1 hour on the bike trainer, plus an ab workout

TUES. : 0 miles again. Another hour on the bike. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate doing 'little'  jobs on the plumbing in an old house? It's gonna kill my weekly average. I might have to go for a long snow run tomorrow. 

WED. : 12 slow, snowy, hilly Buckland miles. 

THU. :  9 mi Buckland loop. Packed, slick snow most of the way. Consistency counts. 

FRI. : 0

SAT. : 0. What was it I was saying about consistency?

SUN. :  22 mi. total. 20+ fast, hilly Buckland miles with Patrick & Sri, then a mile+ easy with the dogs. I don't think over 50% of your weekly mileage should be your long run. But at least I got in two days on the bike and I still brought my weekly mileage up. 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: -  43 mi.  

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 246 mi.

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 41 mi.   

DAYS RUNNING IN 2014: 25 out of 40 days. 

Week 5 1/27 thru 2/2

MON. :  6 mi easy at the gym

TUES. : 1 hour on the bike trainer, plus an ab workout.

WED. : 8 mi. Senior Night at the track, just George & I were there. I planned to do 200/400/600/800/1200/1600, but I could barely hold on for the 12, so I cut the mile up to 800/400/200/200 to turn the ladder into a pyramid. I kept the recovery a short, easy. 200s except a 400 after the 12. I ran the last 2s hard, but in control. Good workout. 
            46/1:33/2:18/3:09/4:47/3:12/1:35/38//39

THU. :  8 mi. My brain kept saying tempo, my body was arguing for a recovery run. My body won. 

FRI. : 7 mi on the dreadmill. I hate the dreadmill, but I was meeting Roma at the gym, so I figured, what the hell, might as well go for it. I did the tempo I was planning to do yesterday. Have I said I hate the dreadmill? At least it keeps you on pace. I did 5 miles in about 34 minutes, with the last 3 just under 20:00, and the last 2 minutes at an all out for me 5:48 pace. Pretty sure I could hit a mid/low 19 min 5k at my current fitness level. With 19:18 being my PR, I'm feeling pretty good about where I'm at right now. 

SAT. : 0.  Ankles were friggin sore from the treadmill. Listen to the body before it screams at you. Planning a good long run for tomorrow. 

SUN. :   18 hard, hilly miles, fast for me. With Patrick Pezzati and others. Tough 1 1/2 mile hill at mile 6. Good quality long run. 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: -  47mi.  

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 203 mi.
WEEKLY AVERAGE: 40 mi.   (Holy Shit)
DAYS RUNNING IN 2014: 22 out of 33 days. 

Week 4 1/20 thru 1/26

MON. : 6 mi recovery run. Slow & easy on the snow covered Buckland hills. Hip / back felt good. 

TUES. : 7.5 mi Buckland hills. Medium effort. I could still see most of my frozen footprints from last night. 

WED. : 7 mi Wednesday workout. I got there late and only had time for a 3 lap warmup, the others were already well into their workout. I needed something quick & easy, so I did 4X 200/200/400, all with a 200 rest. It went pretty well, the first round I was still kinda warming up. 
          48/47/1:31   44/42/1:28   43/43/1:28   42/42/1:25
Short workout, but it was better than I would have done on my own. Consistency counts. 

THU. :  1 hour on the bike. Planned to run, but I napped a bit after work and I couldn't psych myself up to head out in the dark. Good workout though. I did 6 X 1:30 repeats, and my thighs we're screaming by the time I was done. 

FRI. : 7 mi Bray loop.  Massage for recovery. Then beer.  No ibuprophen needed.

SAT. : 8.5 mi Bray loop and with the dogs. Lots of snow. 

SUN. :   17 mi. Lots of snow on the ground, friggin cold, solo(except 1 mile with the dogs), hills. Did I mention cold? Just a light breeze and my face felt like it was going to freeze. Luckily I was smart enough to wear three layers where it's most important. Solid effort for the day, 9:30 pace notwithstanding.  Over 50 for the week, 6 days running plus one day on the bike trainer,  and I feel good. 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: - 53 mi.  

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 156 mi.
WEEKLY AVERAGE: 39 mi.   
DAYS RUNNING IN 2014: 17 out of 26 days. 

Week 3 1/13 thru 1/19

MON. : 7 mi, Hilly, icy, recovery run

TUES. : Rain, rain, go away.  1 hr on the bike.

WED. : 8 mi. First Wednesday Workout with the Keenyans
            400/200/400/200/400/200/200/400
            1:24/42/1:28/42/1:31/41/43/1:22
Felt ok about the workout.  I was a little hungover from too much tequila the night before.  I was having a hard time with the 400s, but I was able to hold the 200s steady.  I took a little extra rest before the last rep, and was able to put in a solid effort for me.  Greg and Andy really hammered their workout.  Good to get back on track, literally and figuratively.

THU. :  

FRI. : 8 mi, Bray loop, hills.

SAT. : 8 mi. A few extra screws in my shoes and a lot of unexpected snow = a lot of fun and 8 1/2 miles for Meg. Wish you could've been here. But of course, you were. We're all running you home. #Megsmiles. 

SUN. :   15 mi.  Hip / back were sore for most of the run. Pace was not realistic because of the conditions. Slippery snow and hills. By mile 10 or so I started to feel a little better, and ran the last 4 miles HARD. Down Old Buckland Road, up/down Crittenden,  then up Bray. Good run. 

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: - 46 mi.  

TOTAL FOR THE YEAR: - 103 mi.

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

March 19th thru March 25th

MON. : -19 mi, w/ lots of hills. Last day of "Winter".

TUES. : -First day of Spring.  Had a Shunji massage.  Some light gardening.  Friggin bugs, first mosquito bite and tick kill.  WAY too early for that.  Gotta take the good with the bad

WED. : -9 mi w/ workout. I had wanted to do 8x800, but it was just too hot, 
and I got totally dehydrated. My face was caked with salt almost as much as 
after a marathon, and my mouth was bone dry after the first 400. Ended up 
doing 3x800, then 400/800/400 and I pulled the plug. I was able to keep my 
paces consistent, so I was pleased with that, even if I wasn't able to do the 
whole workout. It was good to have boj out there with me, but I hope to God
I never get passed in a race with someone in those shoes.
2:54/2:54/2:54
1:25/2:54/1:20

THU. : -8 mi, 6 w/ Frank

FRI. : -5 mi, 4 w/ Frank

SAT. : -9 mi, To The Dump. Went to see Michael's play at the high school, and I completely bonked during the second act of Hamlet.  WTF?! No snacks at intermission?? If it wasn't for a smashed up Fig Newton in my pocket, I don't think I would have made it.

SUN. : -

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: 50

TOTAL MILES FOR 2012: 507

Frank's Miles For The Week: -10 (he's not a total slacker)

Frank's Total Miles For 2012: 149