Chaire Herodikos Selymbriaios!

Biked to Cape Cod: 104 miles. Seat bolt broke off at mi 72, thus 32 mi standing up.

Early ride: Nickerson State Park on Cape to Plymouth, commuter rail home, ~60 mi.

60 mi from Plymouth to Nickerson. Found little attic apartment south of Wellfleet on the cape for the summer.

30-ish mi on bicycle -- stunning sunset at Cahoon Hollow. 

55 mi ride, on old bike with ~100 lb panniers, 4.5 hrs. Not race speeds!

A little shinsplint action from all the biking.

Bike accident last night! Irony filled - a day after returning from Cape, was rolling down an alley @ ca. 3mph and just lost my balance, bike landed on hand, minor fracture. In a half cast for 3 weeks, shouldn't interfere with running says doc. But exams and appointments ate up running time this morning. 25 min cross training on the elliptical, will try to get out this eve for a bit.

Fresh Pond via Alewife, brandishing my splint! Bruise on the right kneecap is tender when it flexes no trouble when planting. Took it slow around 9 min miles. Seemed to be a bit of swelling/inflammation by the end but nothing too terrible. Took three advil and no complaints. Will ice this pm.

Beautiful morning, sunshine after rain, got hot towards noon. 

Alewife-Fresh Pond-River-Central Square and home via Cedar St. Nothing unusual, nice morning. Knee still a bit sore but more localized I think to the site of the impact. I"m off the bike this weekend, so looking forward to getting some miles in. Legs feel pretty good all things considered.

Got out a bit late in the morning. Hottish by noon, went down two water bottles, had to refill at the Gulf station. Legs a bit tired by the end. On the upside, knee is fine.

Wore a watch for the first time in a while. Did the Fresh Pond circuit from Boston St. in about 1:03. Legs are close to feeling good again, but wind is definitely lacking. Guessing around 1:36-1:37 this weekend.

Hot hot hot hot. Got up to over 95 today. Would have get  more miles, but had to meet my sister at 8 this morning and was up late last night preparing the house for my mother arriving tomorrow and then commencement on Thursday.  After the Tufts hill found a shade tree to stretch at and watered it not insignificantly. Forehead dripping all over the sidewalk...

This was on the treadmill, but I ran hard so I will count it. Already by 7:00 was 80 or so, too hot for my comfort, so I went to the gym. I find it hard to go for more than this "distance" on the treadmill, there's nothing to hold your interest. Just as well, though - I want to keep running every day, but with the half this weekend my miles will be higher than they have been. In any case, ran most of this at  9mph/6:40 pace and felt good during and after.

I officially graduated today, in a bizarre red robe - or "dress," as my French friend called it - with a hood, three stripes on either arm, and a velvet cap. The dissertation has been in since October, and writing it often seemed to me like a race. I guess you could call this the parade. My family was there. It was sweet, even if I was slow enough finishing that I didn't know any of the other graduates.

The run this morning was slow too, but also sweet. Didn't push too hard. Just ran very easy. Nice weather at last, sun peeking through clouds, 70ish, pleasant.  Off to Pittsfield Sunday then to the Cape!

Nice morning.

I wasn't expecting a particularly impressive time - but undercut my low expectations. Have only been running seriously again since mid-April and the idea here was simply to use this as a training run, completing a 47-mile week, but had been aiming for about 1:37. Many basic things went haywire. Had to get up at 4:30am to drive out to Tanglewood in time to pick up the race packet and had been intending to go to bed early but couldn't fall asleep until 12:30 or so. Ate dinner (spaghetti and tomato sauce) very late. It was a beautiful course but there turned out to be no prize money so the field was small with not very skilled runners -- the competition push was more or less absent. Finally, a very hilly course, which is all to the good.

 Started out according to plan at 7:15 or so and intended to stay in the 7:20-7:30 range the whole race. By mile 6 though I was in real gastrointestinal distress. Spaghetti's revenge. Took a two minute pit stop, which helped a bit, but then tried to make the time up too fast and not only got into a bad heart rate/breathing pattern but brought on a recurrence of  the stomach problem.  The upshot was an 8:05 mile and then an 8:30 mile, which was all she wrote. Started feeling good again around mile 8, but by that time was three or four minutes back of the lead pack and didn't get the usual boost from being around stronger runners. Tootled along at 7:25 and didn't really make up any more time. The last two miles were largely uphill.

Anyway, as a training run it was good, but as a race -- not sore at all, meaning presumably that I left a lot out there. Will try to get over 50 this week including the mileage from today.  

Picked up some samples of Generation UCAN, which Meb seems to be endorsing. Interested in it more as a way of regulating my blood sugar at night but we'll see if it has any performance benefit. If anyone else is using it I'd be interested to hear about their experience.

Will dig up the Garmin and post splits for archival purposes at some point. Not sure if there's a course elevation map. It was the inaugural run of this race. Well organized I thought.

Postscript -- Splits:

1 - 7:10 (went out too fast)

2- 7:43 (paid for it)

3- 7:22

4- 7:17

5- 7:44 (kind of gassed)

6- 7:37

7- 7:31

8- 8:06 (gassed)

9- 8:28 (really gassed)

10- 7:34 (catching my breath, but it's all old guys back here)

11- 7:24

12- 7:36

13- 7:35

13.1 - :53 (wheeeee... half-full tank)

Out on the Cape! Did a quick one before moving in, along Seaview Drive in Wellfleet. Beautiful morning.

Back in Boston for meetings. Very humid morning, came back totally soaked.

visiting Miriam in Philly, was hoping for a full run but it was hard to get it in after the train arrived, very hot out. Just jogged around Narberth after dark. Still aiming for 50+ this week.

Went out in the morning around 7:30, still was hot and humid. Totally soaked and dripping all over the road by mile 5. Probably a bit dehydrated too, not many fountains working. Route was Miriam's house in Narberth to Fairmount Park, along the river up to Montgomery, then planning to do the Belmont loop but found myself in urgent need of a toilet. Problem! All the permanent toilets turned out to be closed -- it was kind of comic, I would feel this sense of relief as one appeared in the distance only to   discover it was locked. Finally located a portapot but cut back to Parkside Drive early. Then ran a bit too far on Merion Road and got lost for a while in Mainline Philly, just as well since it made up the miles lost to the Portapot Detour.

The sociological contrast between gritty area on Parkside past Overbrook and Lower Merion was striking.

Parched by the time I got home, but an enjoyable run overall. Will do it again tomorrow, a bit earlier.

Same route, Fairmount to the river then back through the park, but I did it right this time and even hit the portapot at just the right moment. About 1:30 for the run.  Went out earlier and today is somewhat more pleasant anyway.

Out to Nauset Light beach and back. Still trying to dope out the best times and places. It was dark by the time I got done with moving stuff, had my flashers on and not much traffic but still a little nervous. Also an unanticipated enemy - very large and hungry mosquitoes that seem to swarm from dusk till dawn. Have some DEET, and assume that they're only an issue above 8:00 miles or so (there's incentive for you) but I'm thinking morning runs from here on out. 

Canceled today's training run and decided to ride in to Provincetown instead. The challenge was to go on the ocean side of the cape without hitting the highway at all, which turns out to be possible only if you take a lot of tiny, meandering, unpaved and unmarked roads. Bumping along through sinkholes, down sandy morasses, past lovely secluded kettle ponds. When I got lost this very hot woman at the "package store" by South Pamet clued me in. Not the most efficient route -- I found that on the way back. But a great ride. About 50-55 miles in ~4 hours and I was completely done in when I rolled home at 9:30. Slept well.

Out to Cahoon Hollow and back via the CCRT and Ocean View Drive. It's about 7 miles each way and I didn't really want that much distance in one day so walked the last 2.5. Was feeling really good at the turn, but eventually yesterday's expedition  caught up with me. I really like this as a regular run, though, especially as I get stronger over the summer. 

Had to go to Boston for a morning meeting - woke at 4:45 and was out by 5:00 I think. Slowish pace, out to the 5.75 mile beach and back. Needed some stretching at the turnaround. Rolled in at 6:44 and had to rumble to get out on the road by 7:10. Amazing morning, they all are pretty much.

Goose egg. Ended up staying overnight, didn't have running shoes. Got back in time for a run but biked to Wellfleet library to do some work. Peasoupish rain, but the air temp was warm.

This was a decent run, did it in just over 1:29. The last three miles were the best, one of them in 6:47 which made me happy. That seems like a good target MP.

I will stop saying "nice morning" for the sake of economy. Many cute rabbits. Do they ever get run over by bicyclists? Doubt it -- fast buggers. Yesterday I saw a cardinal. They are red just like the Catholic ones (for those who haven't caught a game at Busch Stadium).

Slight strain in the left quad due I think to tight ITB. Runnable but uncomfortable-- didn't seem any worse than yesterday when I began but about mile 3 it started to give unhappy signals, little electric twinges, and I cut the planned 11 miler short.  Next week I think slightly shorter runs but without missing days and rabbiting. Not quite ready for MP.

Quad still a bit sore but running was no problem. Just had to keep at a moderate pace-- it let me know with a twinge when I was going too fast. With that caveat, it felt pretty good when I had finished, less good 4-5 hours later, but no obvious change from the previous day.

All in all a slow but pretty pleasant run. Up to the 5.5 mile beach then around and back to the Campground Road beach. 

Biked about 25 miles.

Slow going and not a very enjoyable run, the quad was aching and didn't feel any rhythm except for a mile or two. But it look like I can keep this up without making it worse, at least. Resting it yesterday didn't seem to do anything.

Gimpy enough starting out that I decided to go for something a bit more modest. Once again, though, felt better after two miles. Ran the trails by the Nauset estuary, which were stunning in early morning, out to Coast Guard Beach. Then walked home via Nauset Road. The full loop is 7.5 miles, good medium length run.  Thigh pretty sore now though. Considering a layoff, which would be a shame as the legs are just getting into decent condition again. We'll see tomorrow.

So this turned out to be a grade II strain in the left sartorius where it crosses to the inner thigh. It would have been pretty minor I think had I not kept running on it, but by two weeks ago Thursday I was really having trouble walking and shutting down was an easy call. Walking without discomfort now, but still sore when I tried to run this morning to my disappointment.  So one more week. In the interim I've been swimming every morning at Wiley Pond to keep the fat down and biking 20 mi a day from Orleans to Wellfleet and back.

Two morals - no fast miles while adding weekly distance and rest day after anything more than the usual aches and pains.

Back on the road again at last. Coast Guard Beach to Nauset Light and back by Bracket Road. Temp was 80 degrees already by 6:30. Slight soreness, but nothing too serious, did a bunch of Hercules stretches before during and after.  Seems okay. Going for a massage this week.

More or less the same route, tried to run the Nauset Bay trail system but ran into a swarm (no exaggeration) of green-headed biting flies. You can't outrun them like mosquitoes, they are armored and hard to kill. For some reason they were only on the dirt roads and trails, the paved roads were fine. So hit Doane Road to Coast Guard beach again and back via Nauset Light. Leg/groin still a little sore but i think I'm treating it right. This feels like a good distance.

Hot today. 

Pretty sore to start out. Stretched at about 2 mi and briefly slowed to a walk, then decided to give it one last try and it was fine. Running more on my toes (or at least pointing them) seemed to put less stress on the leg, so maybe it's in part a mechanical problem.

Postscript:  small blisters on both big toes, right in the same place. Interesting.

The mechanical adjustment proceeds apace. Very clear how much more efficient it is, and I feel much more in  control over stride length and turnover. Don't know that I would ever have ever have altered my form if it weren't for the injury, or whatever it was -- today's run actually seems to have made the discomfort disappear, whether that was a warmup walk or better stretching, who knows.

Coast Guard beach to Nauset Light. Picked up a nice beach chair that someone had discarded at Coast Guard and hefted it for three miles home, trading hands every 400m or so. Not too bad, pretty light. Long light at Hwy 6 and Bracket Road, so walked the last 1/4 mile. 

Not unexpectedly, calves very tight to start out. Really didn't losen up and come together until about mile 5, but then felt strong. Could have gone quite a few more miles.

 Super humid today, ran shirtless but was totally soaked by the time I got home. A day for hanging out near the water or air conditioning.

A new week, a nice run. Planning for six days this week. Leg feels great.

Great night run. Bike path to Samoset to First Encounter Beach where I watched a killer lightning storm far away across the bay on the South Shore. Then it came for us. The air got cooler, and --  thunder. Time to get on home says I. Not quick enough! Some of the strikes were awful close-- thunder nearly instantaneous. Bright! The rain held off until the moment I stepped in the door, then a real downpour. Janacek string quartets playing on the CD. Beautiful. Everything is doused. The tomatoes look very happy.