Getting back to Boston

Spent all morning on the phone to work before actually going to work, so no morning run. Wasn't sure I'd get one in, but I got off work at 11:40, rushed home, changed and was out of the house before midnight. So that counts as Sunday, and thus October. Of importance only because I wanted to get in 100 miles in October, and tonight's 4.5 did that. Three extended laps around the mall, going down to the Burger King twice. Thought about doing hill sprints on Duncan, then reminded myself it was nearly 1 a.m. Hill sprints can wait.

Read something today that quad/flexor stretching may fix the problem at the base of my right buttock. I'll give it a try, since nothing else has worked. Theory is that quad/flexor stretches allow the pelvis to tilt normally and thus relieve the strain posteriorly. I'm no ex phys, but it makes a little sense. I didn't get this problem when I stretched more regularly, which included quads as well as hammies.

A week off now, then I go on the overnight shift for four days. That oughta be fun (not).

I have to keep reminding myself that my body likes it better when I put some stress on it in training. Slow routine miles kick my butt. Running faster invigorates me. Tonight, warmed up for a mile and a half, then cranked it up to GMP and beyond. Ran 1.49 in 11:40, which is 7:50 pace -- just about my goal for Boston. The last .49 was at 7:34 pace. Then cooled down for two full laps at Ben Geren for total of 6.09. Ended up with some drills and one longish stride. Afterward, felt invigorated, not worn out.

Pushed the pace a bit at Cross Park -- not MP, but harder than usual, averaging 8:40. Last half-mile was almost at MP. Nice and cool, but humid enough that I still felt it. But this is the kind of run that's going to get me back in go-fast mode. Tonight felt like what I remember Memphis feeling like -- fast enough that I felt it, but also comfortable.

I'm making one change that I hope will make a difference. My weak link has been the calves; they've cramped to some degree in all four marathons. I hope that if I do some specific calf strengthening as part of a cross-training program, that will give me the extra 10-15% to get through 26.2 before they let go. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten below 3:30 in both of my last two without the cramps; the hips, quads, etc., were cooperating. It's simple -- get on the edge of a porch or stair and just do ankle extensions against my body weight. Crossing the fingers that this makes the difference.

Went out tonight intending to do 7 or 8. But as I got going, settled into a good stride and decided not to waste a good night. So instead of turning around on Phoenix and heading back to my car for an 7-miler, decided to go another mile or so, under the freeway to the entrance to the Pavilion. Then, when I got back to my car parked at the Harps on 74th, decided to keep going down to the light on Rogers, then back to the car. That got me over 10 miles.

Oh, also almost got run over. I was going back up Phoenix toward my car and came to an intersection with a red light. As most such intersections in Fort Smith do, it had a crosswalk light for pedestrians, and I had the light in my favor at that time. But goofball in a pickup truck, planning to turn right on red, was looking left at traffic and never looked right at all. When he started to pull out, I was within about 18 inches of his bumper. I immediately veered right and yelled, and he stopped. I would not look good splattered on an old pickup.

All in all, though, a very good run. This past two weeks of training has been very encouraging as I look ahead to Boston. I figured I'd come around when I finally got some favorable weather, and sure enough, that's what's happened.

Three easy laps at Ben Geren. No traffic concerns, but not without incident either. Tripped on a rock during the first lap; don't know how I kept from doing a faceplant, but somehow got the right leg under me as I tumbled forward and maintained balance. Otherwise pretty much slow and steady; kept the HR in the low 130s. Got in a couple of strides at the end. My thought as I looked at the HR on the Garmin was that, if I'd run 4.6 at this pace in July, the HR would have been about 150. Tonight, it was low 50s and breezy; barely even needed a headband. Garmin says the AHR was 137, but then for much of the first mile it was counting cadence, not HR, until the electrodes got sweaty.

Tried a new course today. Reason I hadn't tried it yet was basically hill avoidance -- it's got three or four monsters. They were monstrous, all right, but I slogged the thing at 9:30 pace, which I thought was pretty good considering my butt still hurt from Wednesday night's 10. Went up Burnham to FF to 74th, down to St. Ed, all the way up the hill on Rogers, under the freeway to Waldron, down to Gordon, up the hill to Burnham and back home. MMR says it was 177 feet of uphill and 177 of downhill, and two of the uphills were greater than 3% average. That's Heartbreak Hill territory, especially the one on Rogers.

Stopped in front of St. Ed's to wipe my eyes and take my sunglasses off, and I thought I heard someone yelling, but with the traffic noise I couldn't tell what was being yelled or by whom (or at whom), and couldn't see anyone without my glasses. Minute later I heard my phone buzz for a missed call. The call was from Liza, my boss. I guess she was the one yelling at me. She knows I'm training for Boston. I called and left her a message that I'd heard somebody yelling something but couldn't tell what, or by whom.

Made today's run up as I went along. Had no idea where I was going or how long I'd go. Went south on Burnham (first time), west on Euper (first time), lap and a half around the mall, up Waldron to Park, across the freeway to 66th, down to FF, back to Burnham, then six Hudson hills on Burnham before coming home. Worked out to 5.75 in all. Hills actually felt pretty good, after not doing them for many weeks.