Getting back to Boston

Ended up doing my tempo intervals, but I tweaked them. Instead of 2 x 2 miles, I did 3 x 1 mile at 10K pace -- well, two of them were at 10K pace. Intervals at 7:54, which is basically MP, then 7:24 and 7:28 (more like it). With warmup, interval jog and cooldown, did 7.41, which put me just short of 50 for the week. Could have done one more lap, but why bother?

Also probably could have done one more interval -- maybe. With 12 weeks to go, why push it too far and set myself back? I pushed it quite a bit just to do what I did tonight, as heavy as my legs felt last night. Sciatica, which had gone away for a few days, made a bit of a reappearance, which may explain why the first interval was slower. Went away probably during the first recovery jog.

Off to Branson tomorrow. Tyler changed classes and now has a night class on Tuesdays, so we can't go to the Auburn game. Probably OK, saves me $50 and a bunch of driving. I can probably listen to game on the radio (or why bother?)

Combo run at the condo overlooking Table Rock Lake. Ran to the fitness center, which is only about 250 yards from here, then hit the treadmill for an hour. Started at 6.3 mph, gradually bumped it up, then did 1.2 miles at GMP before a three-minute cooldown. After running back to the condo, total was 7.15. GMP felt pretty comfortable on the TM, so that's a good sign. Cranked up the overhead fan, but it was still pretty sweaty.

This place is plush. Our condo is a five bedroom patio home. Upstairs, where you come in, has three bedrooms, two full baths, a big living area, an open, huge kitchen and a laundry area. Downstairs has two more bedrooms, including another master and a kids' room with bunk beds, a pool table, another living area and a THEATER. Yes, I said theater. Seats 10-12 in reclining seats, overhead projector onto big wall screen, you can watch TV or DVDs or plug in your PlayStation and play that on the big screen, or plug in an iPod and listen to music through the sound system. Lights dim themselves when you crank up the projector. Rest of the place has big flatscreens everywhere. I figure there's more $ worth of TVs in this place than I have earthly possessions. No wonder Pupe's using a whole week's worth of timeshare points for three nights in this place. You could do a family reunion in this thing no trouble.

The fitness center, by the way, takes up the bottom of a similar place up the hill. Plenty of equipment, maybe too much; it feels a bit cramped. I had the area to myself last night. Could do a 13 with an interruption, since the TM has an hour limit, but I don't know if I can get psyched for two hours in there. Think I'll just do intervals in there tomorrow and do a long run in FS Thursday.

Scott had bunion surgery yesterday, so he's pretty hobbled. Cast, crutches, etc. He won't be going downstairs, that's for sure. I think he came up here to get out of Tammy's hair for a few days.

Got up this morning and scouted out the area. There is NOTHING remotely flat around here. But Pupe told me there were trails over at Big Cedar, and I figured at least those shouldn't be too horribly mountainous. Which was true as far as that goes, but they definitely are very hilly. I found a trail marked "5K Run" and decided to follow it. Went all the way to the end, which was more than 2 miles, so I don't think there's anything 5K about it. Wound up running 4.55.

I think I may do a double today. After I got back to the condo, found an actual map of the property showing the trail. I had run most of it, but not all. I could go back and do all of it, or just do the two-mile out and back again. That would give me a 9-mile plus day. Then do intervals on the treadmill at the fitness center tomorrow before I go back.

Update: Double done. Did 5.3 on the treadmill, plus the .3 to and from the fitness center. Total of 10-plus for the day. Not an overly strenuous day for a double-digit double. Still working on that enormous basket of crab legs, sausage and shrimp I had at Joe's on the river this afternoon, so this burned off some of those calories.

Intervals at SHS. Was supposed to be 6 X 800 at 5K pace. Well, it was 4 X 800 and 4 X 400 and something like 5K+15 pace. Struggled to maintain even that pace. No snap in the legs at all, but got through it when I wanted to take it in. Total run about 7.25 including warm, cool and recovery.

I cannot believe it is 70 freakin' degrees in January. Bleah. Got out on Phoenix for a recovery out and back. Legs were very tight for the first two miles, and the sciatica was actin' up a bit. Things slowly loosened up as I went, and for the last mile I even felt up to running at GMP without too much undue stress.

Looking at 15 either tomorrow or Sunday, and another slow run the other day. It's supposed to be unseasonably warm into Sunday, so if I'm gonna do a 15-miler, better start early before it gets too warm.

Planned to do 14 this morning. Couldn't quite get there. Well, I guess I could, but the feeling I got was that to get there would do more harm than good. So I bagged it after 10+. Maybe I'll go out this evening for a double to get the miles I missed.

Well, I did go out for the double at 9:30, after watching the Hogs clobber Vandy at Memorial Gym. Nice, nice win. Boosted my spirits for certain. Anyway, still pretty stiff from this morning, and figured I needed to work out some kinks before trying to go to bed. As usual, started off pretty slow, got faster as I loosened up. Wound up with 5.76 at a 9:28 average. Total for the day, 16.11 in 2:37:39, a 9:47 average. Would have liked to have gone a bit faster, but right now I just need miles at any speed, I think.

This puts me up to 47 miles for the week despite skipping Wednesday. And I don't know that I've ever done doubles twice in a week; I have this week. Probably aim for 8 tomorrow for a 55-mile week. Maybe even get in some MP miles if the legs permit. That will also give me a 200-mile month (may already be there after tonight; not quite sure). Haven't had one of those in a while.