Getting back to Boston

Out at dawn for 7 before work. Bad case of bah humbug this morning; run didn't improve that much, but it did work out some frustrations, I think. Low and slow, and kept the AHR down to 124. Gonna try to get to 2250 miles for the year by the end of the week (duh). Today took me over 2200, if I remember correctly. Temp right around freezing, quite comfortable in long sleeved tech shirt, headband, thin gloves and track pants, and probably would have been OK in shorts as well.

Sushi before work, in the rain. Drizzle wasn't a bother at all. I had a lot on my mind, which made the time go faster. I had the phone along in case I got called to work, and I got a text from Carol that she's available for a date on Friday, which brightened my mood considerably. Kept the HR down, averaged about 129, 9:46 pace.

Max goes to the vet tomorrow to get stitches out, and I go visit the folks in Bryant. Maybe I'll work in a run there somewhere, before, during or after the drive.

Interrupted my drive to Bryant for a run on the River Trail. Absolutely beautiful day -- cloudless sky, high 40s, bit of a breeze. Original plan was to do 8, but enjoyed the run so much I stretched it out to 10+. Pace was 9:31, but still kept the AHR under 130. It got a little windier on the return leg, right in my face of course, so that's probably why the AHR wasn't down around 126.

Short run tomorrow, go back to FS, hope to do the Hadd test at the track on Thursday, another shortie on Friday before my date with Carol (Bordino's?), then MLR on Saturday. That should get me out of 2011 with 2250+. Didn't quite threaten my annual PR of 2500, but it's my second best year. And my first year with three marathons, all sub-4 (but all not what I wanted). Hoping I get a good race in 2012, whether in Stockholm or Indy.

Hadd test today at Southside, to set my baseline. Recheck in six weeks, see how much progress I've made, in terms of how fast I can run at given heart rates. The format is 2400 meters X 5 at increasing heart rates, starting with what amounts to a very slow jog, and bumping up about 10 bpm on each subsequent interval. Ninety seconds rest between intervals. Here's what I got:

HR 127, 15:07 (10:08 pace)

HR 134, 14:01 ( 9:24 pace)

HR 145, 12:37 ( 8:27 pace)

HR 155, 11:45 ( 7:52 pace)

HR 163, 11:02 ( 7:24 pace)

So the fourth interval was just a smidge below GMP, and the fifth interval was about 10KP. Fifth interval was also HARD. I would also observe that on the first two intervals, I was kind of feeling my way around, partially because the HRM didn't lock in until about halfway through the first interval, and the second because I really started too slow; HR didn't get up near 135 until the last two laps. Also, the instructions were to go out kind of conservatively, rather than blast out fast and have to back off to keep my rate at the desired level, but on the second rep, I was, again, too conservative.

I'm pretty sure (OK, completely sure) that the last rep was above LT, and I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying at that pace very much longer. Could I have run a 10K at that pace? Maybe, maybe not. Probably not much past a 5K, really.

And then the endorphins kicked in. My cooldown jog felt really good, so I extended it to three miles plus. 

SLOOOOOWWWW 9 today. Legs, and especially glutes, were really tight after yesterday's Hadd test. Really never did loosen fully. Even if they had, I was going to keep the HR down, to the point that I walked up parts of two hills because the HR was creeping up too high on the climb. Average today was 123, so I guess I succeeded in that.

If my mental math is correct, I'm at 2240 for the year, so a 10-miler tomorrow will get me to my mini-goal of 2250. I'm thinking more like 15 to cap the year. Then I might go for a midnight run to start 2012 off right. Tonight, hoops at BWA. Don't know if Tyler will go with me or not. His choice; I'm going anyway. Pam's also supposed to come visit the cat at some point. Not sure when. Wouldn't be surprised if she stalls until after I've left for the basketball game.

Finished off 2011 in fine style. I ran 7.8 down to Marketplace and met up with a WAR group there. They decided to do 10, 5 out and back on Phoenix. I was going to peel off on Old Greenwood and head home after 3.3 going out, but I felt pretty strong and we were going at a good pace, so I just kept going. Did the full 10 with the group, then ran another 2.6 to go home. Which became my first 20-miler ever when there wasn't an impending marathon. Good group -- Lalita, Stacy, Kathy, Mary Jo, Dennis, Lionel and a couple of others I'm forgetting in an almost-senior moment. Reminded me that group runs can really be fun, and I need to do more of them.

Week total, 65+. Month, 188. Year, 2260. That'll do for now. With more consistency in 2012, that figure should go up. PR? Maybe. Hopefully.