sub-3 or blow-up trying

Doctor's office called to let me know I tested positive for strep.  I'm 3 days into an antibiotic.  Full night's sleep and feel much better than the last couple of days.  My quantity is shot for this week, yet still working on quality.  Raining out today so did a mp workout on the treadmill.

5 miles @ 6:53 pace (6min pace for final 1/4)

- 5 min break-

5 miles @ 6:44 pace (6min pace for final 1/4)

Still feeling a bit weak from "bug", but still feel good about fitness level.

Ran with Ed 2-miles down to the track.  Did some mini-speedwork...

1/4 in 95 seconds (1 lap jog)

1/4 in 90 seconds (1 lap jog)

1/2 in 3:05 (2 lap jog)

1 mile @ 7:30 pace

1 mile @ 6:11 pace (3/4 lanes weaving through hs students)

1 mile @ 7:30 pace

1/2 in 3:00 (2 lap jog)

1/4 in 81 seconds (1 lap jog)

1/4 in 80 seconds (1 lap jog)

Jogged home 1.5 miles on a more direct route.  10.5 miles total.  Not much sleep last night and very congested today.  Might take tomorrow off.  Legs felt good, lungs did not.

Disciplined myself to another day of rest.  Although I am finally getting sleep again, the sickness has still not gone away.  My doctor told me to take 8-10 days rest...seemed a bit extreme for strep throat, but I have taken 3 this week.  Strength is much stronger than Monday, so things are definitely improving.  Did weights at the gym today, but no running.  I'm signed up for a 1/4 marathon tomorrow (6.55)...I'll play it by ear. 

High 30's with rain outside. Do not want to take the chance of getting more ill,so stayed on TM inside. Ran 2 miles a 6:15 pace each, ran 1/2 mile at 6min pace, did 5 sets of squats, and finished with 2 more miles at mp (6:53). Three nights in a row with good sleep, yet still struggling to get better. Legs are fine, breathing still takes work. Stinks to feel this way down the final stretch, yet better now than 2 weeks from now.

Jogged 1.25 mile warm-up and then took off for a 12 mile "tempo" or steady state through the hills, finishing the final two miles on the local track.  My legs were pretty stiff from doing full squats yesterday in the gym, but by mile 3 or 4 they began to feel more stretched out.  By mile 5 I was just at about a 7-minute pacing, having completed a good 1.5 uphill stretch.  Mile 7 got a good shot in the arm from a group of local runners all headed for Boston...they drove past having just completed a 1/2 marathon and were honking their horns/cheering- I was pumped to see them, they had fun yelling out to me.  Mile 9 took me by surprise.  I felt I was averaging 6:45, but it had me at 7minutes.  Knew I needed to pick up the pace a tad.  Really wanted to finish with a mp time.  Miles 11 and 12 (technically timed 11.75 miles) were on the track and I knew my goal time was within reach.  My final two splits were 6:45 and 6:47 for an overall time of 1:20:55 over 11.75 miles (6:53 pace).  Nailed my goal perfectly!  Jogged 1.5 miles home.  With fresh legs this would have been much easier, yet it may have been a good thing to help similate late mileage of a marathon. 

Now the official taper begins (even though I had a very low week of mileage due to illness).  Energy level is back to normal and health is getting there.  I've almost put in half the mileage of my entire past week.  Will probably shoot for 50-60 this week and then ease a little more on marathon week. 

Raining outside, so another TM workout.  2 mile warm-up, 4-miles broken up- 1/4 10min, 1/2 6:53, 1/4 6min, 2 mile cooldown.  Translated into 2 miles of mp + 1-mile @ 6min pace.  Still have sore throat, but getting stronger everyday. 

Early entree...thought I'd log my training records since the marathon I ran last October...

50 mile weeks:  6

60 mile weeks:  4

70 mile weeks:  6

80 mile weeks:  2

90 mile weeks:  1

20 mile runs:  8

additional days with 20 miles:  2

I have averaged over 10-miles per day since January and have done 6 of the 8 20-milers in that span as well.  My goal at this stage for Boston is sub-3 hrs based upon my last 20-miler through strong hills (22 miles- overall pace of 7:06 and 6:50 pace for the last 9.5 miles) + yesterday's run through challenging hills as well (14.5 miles...11.75 @ mp).  My secondary goal is to keep a 7-minute pace or better throughout Boston.  Ultimately, my 3rd goal is to pr (less than 3:10:30)...it would still be an accomplishment due to it being a much more challenging course than my pr marathon.  I've done the work to get ready, now it's sleeping well, healthy eating, and taper with  small bursts of speed to keep sharp. 

Ran on the TM 6.5 miles.  1 mile warm-up, 2 miles @7:40, 3 miles @ 6:27, and .5 mile cooldown.  It's so refreshing to get my lungs back.  Fighting illness for the past 2 weeks, I'm beginning to feel like a new man.  So glad to get the sick thing out of my system. 

rest...plan on doing crunchs while watching baseball tonight.

Jogged to the track.  Did 3 x 800 with 1 lap jog in between (2:53, 2:52, 2:52).  Pretty effortless run...just trying to keep snap in the legs.  Jogged back (2.5 miles each way). 

Ran 7 miles outside- beautiful morning!

1/2 mile warm-up/then stretch...

6 miles on certified course in 39:58 (6:40 pace)...

3/4 mile cool-down...

Course had 1 steep downhill (1/4 mile) and 2 semi-steep inclines (.3 miles and .4 miles)...overall felt good about the effort and this will probably be my last mp run over 3 miles. Plan on running 10-miles Monday, but at an easier pace. Everything else will be in the 4-7 mile range at easy pace w/a few strides throw in.

I would have to say that this tapering process is definitely helping to boost my confidence. For a while in the midst of peak mileage I was beginning to second-guess my speed. It was raining outside today, so I decided to throw in a few 800's on the TM, Yasso style. Promised myself not to go over 7-miles. Jogged .25 miles between 800's.

1-mile warm-up: 8 minutes 8x800 (w/.25 jog between): 3:09, 3:08, 3:05, 3:01, 3:00, 2:58, 2:56, 2:45

Kept increasing the speed and could have easily completed 10 sets with continued increase in speed...but hit 6.75 miles on the 8th set. Good to leave a bit in the tank. I haven't felt comfortable under 6min/mile speed for a couple of months now...today it was almost effortless. Doesn't hurt to have my health back as well. Plan on a nice easy 4-mile run tomorrow with 6-8 strides thrown in.

Oh yeah, did 1 hour of weights in the morning, including full-squats (light weight) at the squat rack.  Happy Easter to all!

Nice firm, but easy pace through the hills. 1/4 mile warm-up, 8.75 run, and 3/4 mile cooldown. Ran 8.75 in 1:04:16 (7:21 pace). Leaving for vacation this afternoon. 8 hours of sleep last night!

oops...today's run was recorded as yesterday's.  Took Easter off and spent time with family.  Did workout recorded yesterday on Monday.  Got 8 hrs. sleep.

9 hours of sleep last night + 1 hour nap this afternoon.  Did high rep weights this morning + 2 miles of slow running.  At the south Jersey shore with family...raining outside, so spent some time at the indoor pool.  Hope to get some good rest balanced with family time this week! 

5 miles at a 9 minute pace w/half mile thrown within at 6:30 pace (felt real easy).  9 1/2 hours of sleep last night...feeling great!  Plan on doing 3 miles at mp tomorrow for a "dress rehearsal". 

10 1/2 hours of sleep last night! This has been the most productive week of rest for me in years. Good timing for a family vacation.

Had a choice to make this morning. Measure out 1 mile distance from our hotel in 2 different directions. Turning left, slight downhill, but into 30 mph winds. Turning right, slightly uphill with the wind at your back. Desire to get 3 mp miles in, so made a decision to start against the wind for 1 mile, turn and do the next 2 miles slightly uphill with the wind and then jog against the wind back home.

.75 mile warm-up

3 mile mp: mile 1- 6:40 (fighting the wind, so felt slow, but was running a little harder than need be), mile 2- 6:48 (minimal effort, yet hard to believe I hope to do this for 26 miles next week), mile 3- 6:49 (significant uphill portion, yet 30 mph winds made it very managable).

Jogged 1.75 miles back to the hotel.

Overall, felt a little sluggish, yet very managable. Plan to run 4-5 tomorrow w/a few stride thrown in. Will probably take Sat/Sun completely off. Enough time will be spent on my feet going into Boston for packet on Sat and pasta dinner on Sunday night.

Very excited! Although my weekend's swamped with family committments, still hope to meet a few of you bloggers.

Ran 4.5 miles at 9 min pace with nine 30-second strides at 6min pace.  Feeling quick, fresh, and ready to go.  Took alot to hold back today.  Feel ready to go! 

rest...ended up walking way too much (4-5 hours at expo and in town). 

rest...less time walking around today.

I'd like to start by saying this was one of the most mentally challenging events I have ever experienced in my life.  I'm not sure how I finished today, but thank God for helping me through this race.

Started the day by taking a shuttle to town at 5:30 am and then connecting with a bus to Hopkington.  Big surprise in arriving there (should have read the material)...we wait outside for 2 1/2 hours.  I was underdressed and spent the entire time shivering. 

By race time my legs were blue, but the adrenaline in my system started to help warm me up.  Began to feel great!

The starting gun when off and we were on our way...I began in corral #5.  I'll do my best to give race details...

Mile 1:  6:55 (probably did a little too much dodging, but felt very comfortable with the pace)

Mile 2:  6:30 (definitely a little fast, but still felt very comfortable)

Mile 3:  6:30 (new I should slow down and made conscious effort to do so)

5k average:  6:39 (Remembered people saying be careful, so thought I should adjust)

Mile 4:  6:44 (Thought I could hold this comfortable)

Mile 5:  6:50 (Still felt fine)

Mile 6:  6:48 (Uh oh, my legs were beginning to stiffen)

5k average:  6:49 (Recognized this pace would not work long-term and decided to adjust to more like a 7 minute pace)

Mile 7:  7:05 (wanted to pick it up just a tad)

Mile 8:  7:08 (thought I ran faster, but guess not)

Mile 9:  Whoa!  Can't remember exact time, but way off...decided to quit looking at my watch and concentrate on stride.  Legs were already cramping...this has never happened to me in a race since mile 20 of my first marathon...I was determined not to panic and began doing my best to stay as relaxed as possible...maybe I could regain legs and surge later.  Breathing was effortless, but legs were totally shot.

5k average:  7:17 (never looked at my watch again, so base the rest of this report upon race results from website)

Miles 10-12 (held concentration)

5k average:  7:09...20k= 1:25:32

Half Marathon time:  1:30:18 (negative split nowhere in site...mind over matter)

Miles 13-15 (Legs really cramping bad...feet beginning to hurt as well)

5k average:  7:23...25k= 1:48:28

Miles 16-18 (Thought going uphill would be the end of me, but actually it seemed easier on my leg...almost a relief...much less steep than I had mentally prepared for)

5k average:  7:47...30k= 2:12:35

Miles 19-21 (This was the most mentally challenging part of the race...wasn't sure how I could keep moving my legs...1 mile at a time...I asked someone when we were going to hit Heartbreak and he said, "we already did"...what?)

5k average:  8:02 ...35k= 2:37:30 (Have no idea how I held an 8 min pace, but felt greatly encouraged to have made it through the hills)

Miles 22-24 (This was a complete blurr...my calves and quads felt like they were being stabbed with knives...maybe not that bad, but you get the point...also, my body was actually begininning to shiver a bit...passed my family which gave me a little more inspiration to finish)

5k average:  7:54 (Wasn't any faster, but the downhill helped improve my split)

Miles 25-26:  Just concentrated on form...didn't stop for fluid because I knew if I were to stop, I would not be able to start again.

Finish= 3:13:26...Didn't achieve any of my goals, yet felt a deep satisfaction in having dug deeper both mentally/physically than any athletic performance done in my life.  My finish (3,319) put me over 2,000 spots in front of my starting position (5,550).  I tried to tough it out afterwords, but ended up in the medical tent with a low body temperature.  People there were wonderful and a couple bowls of broth eventually got my body temperature going the right direction.  Still shivered for another 2 hours as I attempted to connect with family.  Very sore, but no injuries or concerns.  Energy level was fine at the end... never breathed hard at any point throughout the race- just had no legs and was very cold. 

Lessons learned...

1) pre-race schedule- do not spend as much time in the city on my feet.  Yes, I've read it from numerous reports, but when you're with your family- easier said than done.

2) early morning wardrobe- dress warmly...2  1/2 hours of shivering takes it's toll.

3) don't shed too much clothing- dropped a long sleeve shirt, gloves, and arm sleeves...regretted these decisions as I approached the city...very brisk wind!

4) respect the downhill- I felt very prepared for running uphill, but underestimated the affect of downhill running.  Hills are subtle, so take you by surprise.  Next time I will do much more downhill training. 

Overall, a tremendous experience!  I learned a lot and hopefully will continue to mature as a runner.  Unfortunately, I did not meet any bloggers, but I look forward to reading their reports. 

Went to Red Sox game...rained out.  Still ate hot dogs at the park and had a great time with family.

Rest...hoped to go to the Red Sox make-up game, but a person in our church died which led us to come home early. 

Still resting...tempted to run today, yet still quite a bit sore.  Decided on one more recovery day.  By the way, pretty much have allowed myself to eat whatever I want whenever I want for the past 3 days.  Running and eating healthy will return this weekend.  Plan on one month of slow, steady running before mixing in intensity/speedwork. 

Legs are still sore, but a very good type of sore.  No sign of injury whatsoever.  Decided to head out on some trails for a good, steady, slow run.  Jogged 1.25 miles to the trail.  Jumped on a 5k course and ran it 2x (9:10 pace followed by 8:23 pace).  Jogged 1.25 back to the gym at about an 8:30 pace.  Spent another 30 minutes on legs.  It's good to be back at it!  I'll be careful not to get too intense, too soon.  I'd love to shatter 3hrs in the Fall.  See no reason why I can't now that the weather is getting nice. 

Did 30minutes leg work at the gym. Went back out to the trail course. 1.25 down, 5k loop x 2 (9:14 pace- loop 1, 7:15 pace- loop 2), ran an extra mile and then 1.25 back to the gym...9.7 miles total.

Felt good to stretch the legs out a bit. Will try to average 8-10 miles per day over the next month before ramping up and adding a little more intensity. Hope to build a stronger base for the Fall. Already working on choosing my next marathon. This one will be a small town type. "Big races" are fun, yet I prefer the smaller ones with less hype.

Weight: 177lbs (Never got below 175, yet hope to get to 165-70 by Fall)

Went with the family to our local track today.  I ran 2 mile warm-up and then 3 miles at a 7:19 pace.  Then ran a mile with my 9 year old who ended up running 5 for her personal best.  She ran all 5 barefooted.  Then I ran 16 strides barefooted on the soccer field- 100m each w/16 jogs back between runs.  Felt great for form and refreshing to my feet.  Finished by running 1 last mile with my 9-year-old.

Jogged to Whites Woods and ran the 5k trails course in 21:51 (7:03 pace).  Kept a nice easy flow and felt a little bit of zip in the legs for the first time since last Monday.  Jogged back to the gym...6.5 miles total.

Did a quick 2.5 mile run on the TM.  Picked it up to a 6min/mile pace for .5 miles.  Legs felt great, but hip still a bit stiff. 

9 miles total today.

Ran 5 miles from the gym with Rick.  It was hot and he hasn't been running for a while, so we ended up run/walking the last mile.  He's the one who got me in to running, so I felt good about being patient with him.  Also, todays run helped me to stay in a recovery mode.  Now that the soreness is gone from the quads/calves, I'm beginning to discover other sore areas- mostly my left hip.  Since I ran with sore legs for almost 20 miles in Boston, I ended up using almost an entirely different set of muscles than I am used to tapping into.  Lot's of hips/arms, since the legs had stopped working.  It may take another week or so to feel normal.

Ran a loop 8 miles to the track in 60:40 (7:35 pace).  Stopped to see the jr. high track team competing and then jogged 1.75 miles back home.  The hip is still pretty sore, but didn't start hurting until mile 4 or 5 on a steep hill going up.  Probably won't do any speed work until the hip starts feeling normal again. 

Ran with Rick on a trail run.  Nothing special.  He had a lot going on in his mind, so gave us a chance to talk.  Hip still a little sore, decided not to do double today as I ease back into running schedule.  Total of 4.5 and then did half hour of weights.