Boston Strong

10 miles @ Kennesaw Mtn with JCs group, followed 45 min pick-up soccer.

I am on pace for 3,650 miles this year.

Btw, intersting race going on in Arizona right now to follow.  I have run several times with the guy leading the 6 day race, Joe Fejes, from an Atlanta suburb.  He is currently leading the world record holder from Greece by after 4 days ... 401 miles to 400!  I can't imagine the chess match going on between these two sick individuals with 48 hours to go!  Joe won the 72 hour race last year, with 329 miles! 

http://www.aravaiparunning.com/ultracast/

AM - 3.5 mile Sawnee Mtn loop in steady rain - very slow for recovery/footing purposes.

Legs were sore from yesterday but loosened up, short strides for sure footing kind of made the ascent like doing continual toe raises, I am sure my calves will burn or cramp later, but it was low impact & a good cardio workout, even if slow.

I had this crazy idea thet if I just run this loop 100 times in the next 100 days, I would probably be well prepared to charge up the Newton Hills ... time will tell if I test that theory, but it was an interesting thought.  lol

no garmin, after dark, so ran 9 1.33 hilly neighborhood loops, 12 miles in 1:40 ... which means around 8:30 pace ... sure seems like it was faster.  I mixed up running the ups & downs hard, so overall it was a great workout ... and my longest run.

2 easy loops Sawnee Mtn, no watch

John Burrus Rd out ... 7:28, 7:23, 7:16 ... 7:23 ap

and back ... 7:58, 8:17, 7:12 ... 7:49 Ap

Overall 7:36 ap ... sub 3:20 ... :)

Snuck out for a midday run in the sun as temps are steadily dropping towards single digits.  Plan was to do same run as yesterday, but 3rd mile was stright into a nasty headwind & I had to stop at 2.5 miles and put my gloved hand into my shorts for a couple minutes before I could carry on ... and figured it was best to turn around at that point!

John Burrus Rd out ... 7:18, 7:19, 7:10 pace for half mile  ... 7:17 ap

and back ... 7:59, 7:43, 7:29 pace for half mile ... 7:47 Ap

Overall 7:32 ap

20 degrees ... 3 mile minimum no excuses test ... Groover Road and back

7:28, 8:16, 8:00 ... 7:55 ap ... 46.5 miles in last 7 days

103 days to race
 

1:30 - 4 @ 7:10 ap ... 7:16, 7:05, 6:58, 7:18 ... 8:10 cooldown ... Burrus Rd

5:30 - 8 @ 8:26 ap in hood

AM - 4 @ 8:40 ap  hood loops

PM - 4 @ 8:03 ap    7:54, 7:48, 7:55, 8:33

4 @ 8:44 ap in hood

8 @ 7:43 ap   JB o&b

Elmo Rd. out & back

9 @ 7:30 ap

3 mile cd

AM - 4 easy in hood

7.5 Hood loops @ 7:51 ap

Plan was 6 sub 7:30, but Mile 5 started with a big uphill & my legs were feeling it pushing the pace, so I decided to cooldown last 2 miles rather than injure myself ... oh well ... happy with a solid 4 mile tempo, still in base building stage.

7:09, 7:11, 6:54, 7:23, 8:15, 8:22

Overall: 7:33 ap

8 miles in hood 9 pm  38 degrees full moon 7:53 ap

8:11, 7:58, 7:57, 7:49, 8:14, 7:57, 8:05, 6:55

felt great

Took 2 days off running ... weekend fun & got soccer reffing license

JB rd. out & back

Out: - progressive 5k: 21:13   6:51 ap   7:15, 6:56, 6:25, 37 sec

Back:  23:38   7:37 ap    7:40, 8:04, 7:11, 42 sec

8:23 ap hood loops

Pretty happy with this run, it is amazing the progress that can be made in 30 days of consistent running.  It was 7 pm, 27 degrees & windy.  Did not really have a plan when I went out, but wanted to get at least 8 in.  My calves were very tight when running uphill the first couple miles, but they slowly loosened up.  After a few miles, I started thinking about the brutal cold front coming in, and thought maybe I should run 13.1 & get my long run in, a good benchmark 3 months before Boston.

This was my neighborhood loop run, it is basically a half mile from the front of the hood to the back culdesac with about 90' of incline, and then back down to complete the mile ... of course I start in the middle from the house, so the mile splits go up, down, & back up.  They were clicking off pretty easy & I felt good, so by Mile 6, I had pretty much decided to run 13. 

Half Marathon:  1:42:02  This is my BQ pace.

6 loops in  hood  8:58 ap

JB out & back, lunch break

5 @ 6:49 ap ... big uphill at start of Mile 4 killed me!

6:52, 6:43, 6:30, 7:12, 6:48

Getting Faster!  :)

JB out & back  8:38 ap

Easy run that seemed to get progressively harder

8:38, 8:18, 8:13, 8:37, 8:56, 9:18

5 @ 7:19 pace, warmup, recovery, & cooldown pace around 8:00

First track work in over a year ... 6 x 400m repeats with 400m recoveries

Of course I wanted to do more than 6 repeats, but was pleased I did not quit after 4.  Let it go a little on the last one, to try to justify not doing more.

1:25, 1:28, 1:29, 1: 26, 1:30, 1:22

AM:  Hood laps 4 @ 8:12 ap

Lunch:  Groover Rd & back  3 @ 6:48    7:10, 6:50, 6:24

PM:  Hood laps 8 @ 8:24

Recovery 5k 8:47 ap

8:45 ap in hood

10 @ 7:52 hood laps

Sims Lake Park 15 miles at 7:50 avg pace

68 & sunny, couldn't pass it up ... Parkside sub & back, 11 miles @ 8:45 pace.

10, 15, 11 ... makes for 36 miles in last 48 hours at an overall ap of 8:07.

Ready for some football & an ice cold beverage!

Hood Laps

Hood Laps  8:17 ap

Hood laps   8:05, 7:58, 7:59, 7:42, 7:24, 8:45

4 @ 7:13 ap, cooldown @ 8:52

7:21, 7:17, 7:13, 7:03

16 miles Rolling hills ... Mt. Tabor Rd. & back ... steady effort

Felt solid throughout run, although glad I turned around at 8 miles & not 8.5!

I actually ran to 8.25 miles, so I could walk the last 1/4 mile up hill home.

10 weeks to prepare for last 10 miles

Hood laps - 8:20 ap

8:25 ap

At 6:00 I managed a 6 mile walk/jog on a 2" base of snow/ice with a constant wintry mix falling from the sky ... roads were pretty much deserted ... I replenished coffee, creamer & sweet tea!  I will call it a easy 3 mile recovery ... and a little fresh air to keep from going stir crazy.  Supposedly it is switching back to snow with a couple more inces of accumulation before it clears up, so the roads will be a mess for a couple days.

Split	Avg Pace
1	7:56
2	8:10
3	8:16
4	8:16
5	7:49
6	8:23
7	8:01
8	6:34
Summary	7:56

This was a fun way to end my neighborhood mile loop run, to throw one down with the last qtr. mile all uphill.  I have not done much 'fast' running, so I am going to overanalyze my fastes mile this year!  lol

I had no goal pace as it is all hills, but I did not allow myself to look at my watch the whole loop & hoped I would come in sub 7 ... started off a little conservative uphill & definitely could have pushed the down harder, but knew I wanted to finish running up strong.

0.25 + 30' el   1:48

0.25  - 30' el   1:36

0.25  - 45' el   1:32

0.25 + 45' el   1:36

Perhaps I will try again after a 2 mile warmup & some strides.  A sub 6 on this loop would be a good goal ... basically that would mean shaving 12 seconds off the first 3 splits, as I don't think I can run the last uphill split any faster than I did tonight!

7:15 pace out:  7:17, 7:08, 7:20

8:23 pace back:  8:15, 8:37, 8:18

Training run complete ... 13 miles in the bank & 10 days build the balance up to withdraw 26.2!  They say the second half is all heart & determination anyway!

13.1 in 1:44:02   7:56 pace

Hardly a 'Race' report, but considering I only ran 19 miles total in the preceding 66 days, I am happy with my 4 hour marathon.  With 5 miles to go I figured I could easily cruise in just under 4, but 3:59 means no more to me than 4:01, so I chose to just enjoy every moment and finish whenever I finished ... but I did speed up turning onto Hereford & boylston to look good for the pictures!  :)

It was a great weekend and I stayed with a friend who lives in Hopkinton.  Saturday afternoon I drove the course & picked up Preston and his family at the airport & we met David out for dinner.  Met up with Preston again at Easter Service for the 'blessing of the runners' and also briefly met Hillbilly Runner & Tom Slick.  It was a great service and the scarves they gave out to runners were awesome!

Sunday was also my birthday, met some other friends and just hung out downtown & went to the expo to get some last minute things.  Also dropped my bag at a friends at the Westin Copely, so after the race I could shower & head for my 6:25 flight.

Onto the race ... staying in Hopkinton is a plus ... went to local bus and arrived in village about 40 minutes before corral calling.  Preston & I met up in the corral which was a good thing. as we failed to connect in the village as planned.  While it was chilly first thing in the morning, it was heating up fast and I knew things would be challenging for me as the day progressed ... of course that was going to be the case if it was 45 degrees, so just a contributing factor.

We ran the first 5+ miles together somewhere around 7:40 pace, at which time I wished Preston a good race ... it was time for me to walk to take a GU, Endurolyte, and start to conserve some energy.  The next 5 I kept a pretty good pace, but took a couple walk breaks, not because I had to, but because I knew they would pay dividends later in the race.  By this time, I had fully decided I was going to enjoy the day to the finish, and my finish time did not matter.

Miles 10-15, the walk breaks became more frequent, I hit the half in 1:49:10 ... not that it mattered.  From this point on it was just run when I wanted, walk when I wanted, high five people when I wanted, and engage the crowd ... they were awesome!

Of course I was happy to finish, and even happier that I had a pain free walk to get my medal, go get a shower, and make my way to the airport.  At no point in the day was I really uncomfortable, and I can't say that has ever been the case in a marathon before, so I really am glad I had the wisdom to switch to enjoy mode at Mile 5, as I am sure running 10 minutes faster would have taken a whole lot more out of me!  Miraculously, I even felt fine getting off the plane ... but next day soreness did set in on Tuesaday.

All is good, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to participate in this historic event ... Now time to start training so I can get my qualifier in early September & return again to race Boston!  Next year, race day is on my birthday, and I plan on being there ... I just have to take 40 minutes off my time in the next 5 months!  :)  I believe a Boston PR is in the cards next year, the challenge will be qualifying for the first wave, as I believe starting 25 minutes earlier is a huge benefit, particularly for someone who does not like to run in warm conditions. 

4 @ 7:51 pace, 1 mile walk/jog recovery

Could he be re-entering the zone?  Signed up for www.eriemarathon.org Sept.14

7:30 pace ... one is better than none

Officially landed in Harrisburg, PA, 4 miles along river with 3 1/4 mile intervals

2 loops at Wildwood

In Pittsburgh, hot & humid, went out 2.5 miles at 7:27 pace, struggled to get back to hotel

First official day of Erie marathon training.

(4) 5k loops @ Wildwood Park, couple minute break between each to hydrate & towel off.

12.4 miles total @ 8:27 ap.

Loop 1:  8:26 ap

Loop2 :  8:14 ap

Loop 3:  8:21 ap

Loop 4:  8:49 ap

14 week training plan details:  Run more.  Run faster.  Run longer.

Evening:  After a heartbeaking U.S. Draw, went out for a 3.6 mile shakeout:

8:20, 7:06, 1.6 @ 8:50

3.6 @ 8:14 overall ap

a.m. - 4 along river 8:41 ap

4

3

5

6

5.5 out at consistent 8:10 pace, 5.5 back with consistent walk breaks!

7:34, 6:53, walk, 8:51, walk, 8:50, walk, 8:40

drip, drip, drip

8 somethings with a 400m finish in 84 seconds

Lots of walk breaks mixed in, but I did run 1 7:00 min mile

May race a 10k Sat, see if I can break 45:00 without keeling over

8:13 ap

AM - 5 out progression run, 7:20 ap

7:44, 7:29,  7:23. 7:15, 6:50

5 back at 7:47 ap

PM - another 4 @ 8:26 ap

PPM - 5 mile leisure bike ride along river

No training, walk/run second half

15k trail race on zero training

152 days to prepare, I got this. I will start tomorrow.