Picking your spots

Don't you wish you had a crystal ball sometimes? What's the weather going to do, how am I going to feel, should I reschedule this run for later, maybe we can get away with shorts? Not! Forecast today was heavy rainfall warning with strong SE winds and temps around 3-5C (40F). But all morning it was calm with only a light drizzle, that is up until I started today's run. And then, like the weather gods had been just waiting for little ole me the skies opened up and the wind started to howl.

Plan was for 9 miles with 10x800. After a 10 minute warmup and with the rain steadily increasing began with the hard bits in about 3:10 with a 1:40 recovery for a total of 5 minutes for each set. The 1st five felt relatively good with the 20-35k wind at my back, in fact it seemed almost bearable. Unlike a track situation with the clock pressing you to meet certain splits, doing them by time allows you to simply go as hard as you feel (or are able on the particular day). However, you can also 'cheat' alot easier as there are no signposts to keep track.

Of course, after the turnaround point things really started to go downhill in more ways than one. For the next 25 minutes I got the heavy rainfall and high winds exactly as predicted. Even the traffic on the highway was slowed to a crawl but nowhere near the crawl I was reduced to. The last 5 intervals were considerably slower but the effort was no less intense. Finished up with an easy 20 minutes for a total time of 1:18 with the weather clearing and the rain stopped! The drowned rat crawled back in his hole. Perhaps I could've picked my spot a little better? Maybe next time...

Long runs are fun

Perhaps the non-runner won't understand but when the weather changes for the better with sunny blue skies and light winds it's just wonderful to get outside and feel the wind in your hair from moving your body along under your own power. This is a picture I took on the way home of Saint Croix Island an international historic site just up the river. The key points to note are:

1. blue sky
2. calm clear water, little or no wind
3. no snow
4. is that a skunk crawling out of his hole?
   

So the gang all met at the usual spot near Boyden Lake for the Sunday morning run and we all had our happy faces on ;-) Why not? The starting temp at 7am was about 34F (1C) and only going up. Nobody was brave enough to wear shorts but we could've got away with it.

Looking up and down the road for cars! No actually we were thinking of Dawn and I had to explain that "No! She's not some kind of weirdo. This is just her view of runners in races as she likes to take her time and get her money's worth." Did I get that right, Dawn?
And we were off! Started out nice and easy for the 1st 30 minutes or so and then my twisted plan to run most of today's run at marathon pace kicked in. Jonathan decided to come with me at first and we could hear some debate in the background between Steph and Andrew. A few minutes later he caught up to us. I guess Steph told him to just go play and not hold back with her but I felt a little sad for her bringing up the back of the parade.

The marathon pace thing is an integral part of the Pfitzinger marathon plan with increasing doses of MP runs as part of the long run. The theory which makes total sense is that you can't expect to do on race day, that which you haven't practiced. The problem with the theory though is that it's not easy to just turn on a switch and run 10-15+ miles at this faster pace in a non-race situation on typically tired legs from all the training. However, today's run while not 'easy' was much more doable that trying to wing it alone.

The 'boys' keyed off me for the pace and I keyed off my breathing and heart rate monitor with a target of 150 beats/minute. With my max of 170 this equates to about 88% and is a little on the high side but experience has shown that I can hold 85-90% for the marathon distance. We cruised along quite comfortably on our moderately hilly route, slowing slightly for the hills but maintaining the effort (HR). I think the pace was a little easier for 'the boys' than me cause they were doing alot more gabbing than I was. I even asked if we should pick up the pace for all their talking but "no, this is at least 7:30!" Completed the 17 mile loop to the cars in 2:13 with 1:40 or about 13.5 miles at MP. A fancy shmancy GPS watch would have been nice but the effort meter said it was a good run over a hilly course. Finished up with a 1 mile cool down, reversing the route and picking up Steph who was just behind us and moving very well. Jonathan and Steph then continued on to finish off 20 miles while Andrew and I had a muffin (actually fig newton).

Wasn't that fun??

Total for the week was 74 miles, YTD=726, and only 5 weeks to go!

Hard... easy... repeat

It's not rocket science but it works eventually either breaking you down or building you up. After recovering from Wedneday's longish run with a couple of easy runs on Thurs, Friday was meant to be a double with 4 and 12. However, I was still tired and needed extra sleep thus missing the hang-on-the rails treadmill run. The extra bonus was to save any extra energy for the hills planned along with the 12 miler.

We had some light snow and sleet/freezing rain the previous night but by noontime things had warmed up with it mostly melted. I didn't get fooled into underdressing today and wore tights, jacket and extra headgear just in case. Eased into the run with 6 easy miles around the Point and then repeated the hill workout from a few weeks ago on Joes Point road by the golf course. This is a dead-end, out of the way dirt road with a 1/2 mile long uphill and today the idea was to jog easily up and then go hard coming back 'down' to simulate the pounding of the Boston hills. The road was mostly bare but had a few icy spots where I had to tiptoe carefully over. Managed to do a total of 6x1 mile loops in times between 7:50 and 8:14 which was slower than the last time around. I'm attributing it to the roads and still being a little tired and that's that! The legs and feet where complaining with various aches and pains during this workout but these all went away as fast as they appeared. You need to be very careful with the pounding this kind of workout can do.

Today, Saturday was just an easy 7 miles with a few strides mixed in. Another plus temperature day but there was a cool north wind and again didn't get sucked into underdressing. Felt a bit draggy but hopefully will be better for the long run with marathon pace planned for the morning.

Holding on for dear life!

Dallen would have been laughing out loud this morning if he had seen me on the treadmill, eyes barely open, hands clutching the rails, hoping not to be shot out the back into another room. Went to bed the night before tired, woke up tired and sleepy, somehow made it down the stairs to the mill, walked the 1st 1/2 mile, jogged the next mile or so with the occasional clingons, and finished up the 4 miles at about 9:00 pace overall.

Why so tired? Simple answer: the dreaded mid-week 15 mile run was once again doing me in. This is one of the main staples of my running program and also one of the toughest runs to get in. It's hard to find the time to fit it in, hard to do in the middle of the week when often worn down by hills, tempo or interval runs. The weekend 20+ miler is never, ever, as hard as this run. So that must mean it's working; Nobby and Mike are right: 'training is supposed to be HARD' (duh!)! If you're just sailing along through the workouts and never feeling drained or tired then most likely it's too easy or you're not doing enough to get a training effect. BUT you'd think that after all this running it might just get a tiny little bit easier?

So... Weds was a 15 mile slog/jog around town in the middle of the day for a total of 2:09. The sun was shining again and I was a little underdressed in shorts due to the light northerly wind to go along with the low 30ies temp (+3C). The body was still tired from the 'fun' intervals on Tues (you always pay back for good days) and despite taking it slow and getting gatorade at the midway point, well you know...'a long and winding road'. That night I was too tired to type but managed to read a few blogs while relaxing. No volleyball either, was tempted but just couldn't get off the couch.

Today, a rest day with 2 easy runs. The treadmill adventure (above) for 4 miles in the morning and then an easy 6 mile loop around town before supper. My internal watch/gps is still working perfectly too! I was asked how long I'd be? 'Oh, about 50 minutes'... So six mile car measured loop, watch in my pocket, easy/easy pace but feeling decent, for final time of ... 50:57 would you believe? Maybe I don't need to shell out all that money for a fancy shmancy GARMIN 305 after all! Just use the little internal clock and effort meter that's already built in but be sure to feed it lots of beer and ice-cream ;-)

I almost forgot, here's the update on our new driver. Our 'baby' boy A passed his final driver's road test yesterday with flying colors. No major problems except for finding where the high beam switch was located. Despite being well prepared the parallel parking was not required and he did a simple back-in instead. Now A can take the cruise control off and drive like the rest of us while Dad forks over more dough to the insurance company. It's really nice to see your kids growing up!

40 days and 40 nights

Sorry to be so obsessive but that's all that remains to marathon day and I'm already feeling it. Only a 4 more long runs, 2 dreaded 15 mile midweek runs, and a mixture of tempo and interval type days left. The 3 week taper is also going to be rough to take after such a long intensive program. Unlike Duncan who just had an amazing race at Napa Valley I can only manage a couple of marathons per year after extensive preparations.

Wonder of wonders we had a glorious spring like day at last and it's predicted to last through the rest of the week. Clear and sunny with light winds and temps up to +6C (43F) was just wow! Of course this meant shorts for the 1st time in ages along with a long sleeved shirt and light windbreaker. Didn't feel cool at all, in fact had to tie the jacket around my waist at the end of the run.

Today's run was a 12 miler with 6x1000m intervals with unspecified rest between. This looks a little intimidating on paper but once you're out the door it just seems to happen. Ran it as an out and back with the 1st 6 miles in 51:00 and then after the turnaround in Bayside began the real work. Like Thomas I go by time and effort and without recent 5/10k's to go by did them in about 4:15 hard with about 2:00 jog rests including a bit of walking when really winded. Despite feeling a bit lethargic on the way out it felt fine once into the faster stuff. Nice to burn out the carbon a little after all the slower running with the horrible weather we've had lately. Finished up with about a mile to go and eased back to the start in 47:10 or about 4 minutes faster on the return leg. It was over before you knew it, "Can I have some more please?!"

Sunday, Sunday!

Just a teaser until I have time and can compose a proper overview of today's great run with Andrew, Stephanie and newcomer Ozzie. I have to take the youngster out for a road test once again as he's taking the final driver's test this coming week. Wish me luck! Actually A. is a very good driver for a newbie ;-)

Here are a couple of plots; first is my current Boston buildup mileage by week since my last marathon in the fall. It shows total miles in red and long run miles in green and planned runs to come in the next 6 weeks as dotted lines.
And here is a comparison of my monthly mileage over a couple of Boston cycles:
The green line is last year where I ran a 3:34, the yellow line is 2002 when I ran a Boston PB of 3:18 and the top red line (pushing the limit?) is this year so far. I'm either heading for another PB or a big crash! Fun, eh?

More later after my little drive with A... OK, we survived. Only a couple of impatient drivers tailgaiting and passing us illegally as usual. What is it about driving at the speed limit that annoys people so much? A did very well with his parking and road rules so I think he's ready to go.

So today's Sunday run was a real pleasure with the elements not so bitter as they have been. It was sunny and windy making the -3C (26F) at the start seem a little chilly but we were fine for the most part. There was a funny episode about 2 miles into the run when I started to feel very warm and couldn't figure out what was wrong. Finally dummy (me) determined that he had forgot to remove an extra fleece sweatshirt used to keep warm during the drive up! The only option, besides carrying it for 10 miles, was to remove and dump it in the woods for a later retrieval.

Started out with just Andrew and Steph going around Boyden lake, past the Rotweillers who were out and about but only came as far as the ditch to say hello. We then picked up a border collie type dog who ran with us for about 4 miles. We were a bit worried he was going to get lost but then noticed that he was stopping every 100 yards or so to make 'his' mark on various trees, mailboxes etc and so could probably find his way ;-)

Shortly after he disappeared we spotted a most unusual site, another RUNNER! Who, what is he/she doing out here on our private little course?? Turned out it was Ozzie, another local runner who we've been asking to come out with us for weeks now. He was late starting and so did the route in reverse, hoping to run into us and did at about the 1/2 way mark around the lake. Ozzie is about the same age as me and is also training for Boston, not to mention Sugarloaf, the revived inaguaral Paul Bunyan marathon, Mount Desert Island and a myriad of other races. He's a definite running nut like the rest of us and livened up our group and kept poor fading Steph's spirits up (her first longer run since injury).

Finished the 13.5 mile loop in just under 2 hours, dropped a tired Steph at the cars and then kept on trucking with A and O. First down the Golding Road to retrieve my sweatshirt for about 4 miles and then a loop down the main road and back to get my 18 (actually 19) miles for the day. We picked up the pace a bit with O seeming to be quite energetic and then a bit more on the final return to the cars just to get it done with. Great run gang!

Total for the week 70 miles in 10 hrs of running. Year to date mileage is now 652 and only 6 weeks to B-day tommorrow and counting (see my new fancy countdown timer). Have a great week everyone!

Over the hump!

Hey, things are finally looking up! We broke the freezing point today for the first time in over a week, which seemed more like a month and it feels great ;-)

Only a couple of easier runs to report. On Friday it was an easy but complicated route with a jog home (1.5 miles) to get my van, drive it to the garage for a service check, then loop around town to complete the 6 miles scheduled. It was a cool day at -8C and the usual -20C windchill but the sun was shining and the light cover of snow made for nice running across the golf course.

Today, Saturday things were looking up with temps at -4C but strong NW winds of 30k/hr making for a bit of a windchill, though nothing like we've had. Only needed one layer and a jacket, which was a little cool but OK. Did a 10 mile run as 5 miles out into the wind in 44min and then the return trip at a harder effort in 38:40 which is just a bit slower than marathon pace. I thought it was a bit more effort than that but somehow I've lost some of my limited speed with all the slogging so far this winter. My Feb mileage total was 293 miles which is a new record over this runners recorded history.

Meanwhile the countdown to Boston goes on. I found a nice timer at Hunter's: Marathoning with Arthur Lydiard site which he found at 'little miss runner pants' site... Cool, thanks folks!

Not a pretty sight

Obviously, if you've been keeping track, this is #100 but don't feel like celebrating too much just yet.

Like Andrew this horrible weather is wearing me down and if you'd seen me dragging my sorry butt around town yesterday you'd agree that it wasn't a pretty sight. I was bundled up with extra clothes that only seemed to make me sweat more when slogging along with the wind at my back. Oh yes, another -12C day with windchill -20 AGAIN! Perhaps it's just the cumulative miles but this was the longest toughest 2hr run I've done in years. yuck, yuck, yuck, we need a break soon or we're all going to crack.

So, 4 miles easy at 645am on the treadmill. Then a 14-ish mile mid-day run that was meant to be 15. Slowly the miles are accumulating, and that which does not break, gets stronger?

Maybe I will go to volleyball. Tired but need a change of scenery and something different. If it doesn't pan out I can just come home early...
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and a good nights sleep!
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Hey, it's another day and the sun is shining once again. Survived volleyball, in fact it was a great night out and a good break. More energy than expected, even managed a few spikes, lots of fun and laughs with the co-ed group that comes out every week.

Today was a bit of a busy day at work with a drive to Saint John for a meeting to talk to some of our 'clients' in the fishing industry. It went well but didn't get home till 430pm with a 7 mile run to fit in before supper.

We had a light snowfall during the day with about 5cm (2-3 inches) which made for a beautiful winter wonderland outdoors. However, more importantly the temperatures have risen and the current -5C with light winds felt absolutely balmy after what we've been enduring. It was a glorious, quiet gentle run around town with a few zigs and zags to make up the required distance. Ran partly on the golf course and on some empty side streets where my footprints in the snow were the only ones to be seen. Total time of the run was almost exactly as predicted when leaving the house, 'How long will you be?'.... 'Back in an hour' (actually 60:50) and this was watch in the pocket for the duration. I guess those internal clocks do work!

Been thinking alot about my running goals and plans after prodding Rob about his. This will have to wait for another day but meanwhile things are looking up and the temperature is rising. We may even get to 0C (32F) by the weekend. All right!!

99 bottles of powerade on the wall...

99 bottles of beer... you take one down, you pass it around...

Would you believe this is my 99th post? Where did the time go? It's only been 5 months and still finding things to say and talk about with a few kind souls paying attention once in awhile.

Today was another cruel winter day for running with conditions no better than our endurance test on Sunday. From the sounds of it, poor Andrew is still suffering from the repercussions (mostly mental though I'd dare say ;-). Today it barely got above -10C (15F) and a windchill of -18C (0F) was the warmest it got, for about the 5th day in a row. This is supposed to last for a few more days and we might possibly get up to the melting point by the weekend (let's hope)!

But it didn't stop me from running, especially after a whole day of rest from our 20-something mile ordeal on Sunday. So at high noon with the sun well obscured by the dull grey clouds and swirling gusty winds keeping the flags well extended I made preparations for battle. Multiple layers, 3 on top (not enough), 2 on bottom (coulda used more), vaseline, bacalava, neck protector, warm hat, headbands and off to the races.

On tap today, 9 miles with 8x600m reps at 5k pace (what kind of idiot came up with that!). Started out easy, did a few stretches, and about a 1 mile warmup jog to the base of the Joe's Point road and hill where I did my 1 mile repeats last week. The hill is about 1/2 mile at a mostly gentle grade, nothing overly steep but enough to wear you down. Did the reps mostly by time but tried to hit the same end point each time and then walk, gasp, jog my way the last 200m of the hill. Of course this was both up and down so it actually accomplished a dual purpose of providing some hill work (especially downhill) as well. Finished off the last rep as the full downhill distance of 800m in 3:05 which was acceptable given the conditions. Actually once I got started the wind and cold were barely part of my conciousness anymore. Wasn't flinging off all my clothes but it was no longer the main concern, rather the struggle to keep form and make it to the same mark on the hill each time.

Nice to finish the repeats but still had 4 more miles to get in and this is where things got hard. The 1st 2 miles were a nice jog with the wind at my back but then after the turnaround it was a teeth first struggle to make it back to homebase. The lack of adequate extra layers made themselves known and it was a relief to finally stop and call it a day.

Guess I'd better get to work on number 100, with miles to go and the roads always beckoning.

Not so cold?

I beg to differ Jonathan! Perhaps the air temp of -12C (10F) was a bit warmer than last week but the wind certainly made up for it with 15-25mph winds and similiar windchill of -22C (-8F). Yeow!! At least it wasn't snowing, in fact with the clear skies it was kinda nice when the sun came up on the drive down to Perry to meet the group.
Looking across Passamaquoddy Bay from Mill Cove toward St. Andrews (6:15am Eastern)
Same view but zoomed and more down the Bay a few seconds later... This spot is only a few miles from our meeting point by Boyden Lake in Perry, Maine.

Arrived a 1/2 hr earlier this morning so Andrew and I could get in a few extra miles before Stephanie arrived at 7:00am. We did a short out and back and thought it was going to be a nice easy run but forgot to note the nasty wind at our backs. After the turn we had a change of heart and decided the brutal wind was going to make this a tougher day after all.

Stephanie had arrived by the time we got back. After throwing around various plans of attacks to minimize the time into the wind and get the 10 miles in that Steph needed (she's been out of commission lately with a sore leg) we headed north along the lake to do a couple of out & backs. Again, tough going into the wind but nice after each turn around and the quick car pit stops for drinks. We talked about lots of stuff, running mostly, plans for upcoming races including Boston and Holyoke, the awful weather. We also noticed that despite the cold there are still large open water spots on the lake so no short cuts were in the plans today.

Final hour of the run was just Andrew and I along the southern base road along the lake. The 1st 1/2hr was great; we just sailed along literally, right past the Rotweiller house (we could hear them barking from inside) until the fateful turn around when things got ugly. Where did those stupid hills come from? Like being on a treadmill at the steepest incline, we slowed down to a crawl for the final return leg. Finished back at the cars in 3:08 according to my watch. Andrew said it was time to stop but stubborn moi decided he still needed 12 more minutes of 'punishment' so as to have the required time 'on my feet'. Total for the run is somewhere between 22-24 but I'm calling it 24 for due diligence and nose to the grindstone effort.

Andrew is done (lucky dog) and he can afford to smile now, or is he laughing at me?
End of run (almost). I still have 10 minutes to go which is perhaps why I'm not smiling.

End of a tough but satisfactory week with a total of 75 miles in 10.5hrs of running. Only 7 weeks to go to the prize ;-)

Slacker is worried

Pushing an 70+ mile week and feeling a bit like a slacker because I dropped a couple of my 4 mile easy run doubles to recover for the tempo effort today. Maybe it was just the body finally winning out over the evil master for a change...

There was no volleyball on Weds, just couldn't find the gumption to crawl off the nice leather couch while watching Olympics. The next morning I slept in till 7:30 missing my easy dreadmill run on purpose. Actually awoke on time before the alarm but no, back to the warm bed instead. Nice.... Then at lunchtime it was just a slow tired 6 miles around town about 2 minutes slower than the same effort earlier in the week. Felt draggy after the run and so no desire to do the treadmill thing after work either and opted for more recovery from the Weds hill workout.

Same deal this morning, woke up before the treadmill alarm time, but no, right back to sleep for another 45 minutes... yes! All this so the legs would have a chance to recover and put in a decent effort for today's 7 mile tempo run embedded in a 12 mile run. In order to improve you need to recover enough to go hard on hard days. The usual slogging pace just doesn't cut it and so there was no option but lose the doubles and not worry about the mileage game so much.

However, the tempo run went poorly, despite the legs feeling fresher than usual when heading out. The average pace for the 7mi on the usual hilly/windy/snow covered course was 7:42/mi with splits between 730 to 750. Damn! Can't even run marathon pace (<730) now on a tempo run... But I'm not despairing, this is the usual pattern for me in heavy training. Just don't have any speed but it usually comes back after the taper with the race day magic.

So, what's going to happen next? The disturbing pattern is:
Hills on Weds + Tempo Friday + Long run (24 todo) Sunday = Big Time Bonk?

Hey, I could be 'Just Like Mike' ! We'll see ;-)

Mind over matter

It's only Weds and already the mental part of running is coming to the fore. Most day's it's easy to get out the door, especially when it's a nice day and you've only got a short easy run to contend with. Tues for example was an easy double day with 4 miles on the mill at 6:45am followed by 6 more in the noontime light snow and mild conditions. Don't even have to think about it, 'Just do it, eh!?'

Drumroll... A bit tougher to get going today despite a beautiful, sunny calm day with above normal temps near the freezing point. The reason, a 15 miler with down-hill repeats, sounds like fun eh? Started out with stretching, an easy 1 mile warmup, more stretching and then begin. Ran the repeats on an 800m hill going from Pottery Creek to the top of Joe's Point road, which was mostly snow covered from last night's little sprinkle (only an inch or 2).
As I said, these were downhill repeats which were done at about marathon pace or a bit harder with the focus on form and turnover. First loop in 7:43, then dog it back up the long gradual hill for an 8:04 2nd loop, ouch! better pick it up a bit on those uphill 'recovery' jogs; next repeats in 7:52, 7:51, 7:51 (counting), and 6th (more counting) and last in 7:45! It was a nice feeling to run a bit faster than normal and most of the downs felt fairly smooth. I tried to think faster turnover, quick feet, raising my knees and of course the last 5 miles of the Boston course on tired legs. Some other points from a book that Andrew had lent me also helped.

Downhill running tips from Higdon, Run Fast. Relax it’s free speed!

1. Starting down, tilt forward, from the waist. How much you tilt depends on the steepness of the hill. Lean forward so the torso is perpendicular with the surface of the hill.

2. As you move faster, raise your knees and lengthen your stride to cope with the increased speed and faster stride rate.

3. For better balance, esp. on uneven ground, allow your elbows to rise up and out.

4. To cushion the shock of descent, land more on the balls of your feet than on your heels.

5. Most important is to practice and concentrate but don’t overdo it as it is easy to get injured running downhill with up to 40% more leg shock than on the flat.

After 6 miles of hill repeats, I thought it was enough punishment for the day but still had about 8 miles left to do. And this is where the mind comes into play, the lazy body is tired and wants to go home but the evil master says 'NO, keep going this way, that way, hurry up, no slacking!' . So it was a jog back home for more Gatorade and then a 2 mile measured loop at medium effort which came out a surprising 7:40 pace. Then 5 more around the Point to finish me off in 2:03 . The rest of the day was just resting at the keyboard and even bummed a ride home as I felt too beat to walk the one mile home.

Tonite, it feels nice to sit and type while watching the Olympics out of the corner of my eye. The men's hockey team blew it I guess but they never did come together as a 'team'. Meanwhile the amateurs are doing well for Canada with the medals still coming. Go Canada!

Hmmm, should I go to volleyball Mike? I'll try not to lose my keys ;-)

Still b-logging away

Logging and blogging the runs somehow makes it a bit more manageable, don't ask me how or why but it's true. Just like you don't want to ask me why I run and put miles according to my optimistic plan no matter the cost to body and soul. It just is and happens cause it's written down and I've gone public with my goals. A few threads from the web...

> "Commitment" is an observer's word, not a participant's. People
> who are committed show it. They don't usually have any reason to use the
> word itself.

"I am reminded of the old joke regarding commitment when it concerns the
production of bacon and eggs for breakfast. "The chicken is involved but
the pig is COMMITTED!" And in at least one ... project, all the client
participants showed up the day after the joke wearing pig's noses to show
they were committed to the project... "


Should I wear a pig's nose for our next group run? But then again, just showing up and doing it is the key point. I like the old Nike theme of 'just do it!'.

Today's run was a nice group run of 16 miles in the freezing cold with Andrew & Jon. The company made the run alot more bearable. Actual temps were -17C (0F) with 10-20mph NW winds making for a windchill of -26C (or -17F) but with enough layers (see yesterday's post), vaseline on exposed skin and other buddies to take turns breaking trail it was not that bad. We did the usual 13.5mi loop around Boyden lake followed by a few extra to make up the distance we each needed.

Not alot to report about the run, no dogs - they were all safely indoors, few cars as usual, the usual conversations about food begining about 1/2 way into the run. We also had the false impression that Steph might show up with coffee and fresh baked muffins but that was just a pipe dream. The pace was good today as we worked hard to keep warm and I felt reasonably strong and fresher than expected for most of the run. The legs did get a little sore/tired near the end but this is to be expected. A nice run and oh so nice to stop and get warmed up, my feet are still cold.

Total for the week 67 miles, year-to-date 507 and only 8 weeks to Boston from tomorrow!

Battling the elements

From shorts and long sleeved shirt one day to this today (from +12 to -12C)! Layers and more layers to do battle with -20ies C windchill. This was also a warmup for Sunday's run which is predicted to be of similiar conditions.

Layers as follows:

• head: bacalava, neck warmer, fleece hat, big glasses, vaseline on exposed skin
• body: 2 long sleeve tech shirts, fleece pullover, outer shell, gloves
  
• legs: underwear, tights, Gore-tex pants, Thorlo socks and Mizunos
  

The result was warm as toast despite the cold and high winds. Today's run was an easy 8 miles around town with the usual zig-zags to make up the extra miles needed. There was a substantial difference when running with the wind, watching leaves and small bits of dirt sailing along with me in the 20-30mph breeze. I also had to remove bits of clothing to prevent overheating but this was only temporary on heading back into the gale. What is the standard line? "It's not the heat, it's the humidity" or is it "It's not the cold, it's the wind!" The plan also called for 10x100 strides but not today... just got the miles in so bragging rights are established (right guys & gals?)

See you on the roads tommorow!

No rest for the weary

So much for this being a recovery week. Instead of feeling rested up an raring to go back at it next week I'm just feeling wasted and tired.

Perhaps I should have emulated Duncan and taken a nap at lunch in the van, instead of running in the blustery conditions we had. In fact, I'm starting to get the feeling he might be my evil younger twin who is sucking away my running energy. It's a bizarre theory but take the following similiarities, same height 5'11", same weight 162, likes beer, trains like a maniac. But even stranger of all, today's mileage was exactly the same, a double with 15 miles total and 4 easy on the treadmill (do you hear the weird music?). Of course when it comes to speed we're obviously in different worlds but how come he's feeling good and I'm not or vice versa... Naah!

But I'm still tired and have no explanation. Work is completely crazy busy and not likely to improve for weeks (around the time Boston happens actually). Now if I was listening to my body and not blindly following a schedule, then maybe I wouldn't be afraid to sleep in instead of doing the dreadmill routine or to cut back on the miles when it's not going well. Like today's 2nd run... the weather was mild (+12C or 50F) and very strong winds near 30mph but instead of easing into the run and starting to feel better it was just downhill from the start (and not in a good way). Again, too stubborn to call it a day and slogged out the 11 miles.

The weather has been quite amazing again and did it in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt again today. But tommorow it's back to winter reality as the Polar Express from the west is bearing down on us (thanks Dawn!) with -25 to -30 windchills and other fun stuff. Now do you think that would be a good reason to cut my run short? Naah! Actually looking forward to the group run on Sunday, surely things will be better by then ;-)

We're all tired and where's the couch?

This seems to be the common theme lately on the running blogs that I follow... Dallen is hurting, Duncan is toasted, Lydiard Mike is focusing on each footstep when he's not too tired to type, Rob is near the breaking point and Andrew seems to just be in a funk!

Most or all of the above may apply here in balmy St. Andrews. It's been really busy at work with presentations to prepare and meetings to attend and despite being a so-called rest week and I'm beat. On Tues I broke my 9 miles scheduled for the day into 4mi. on the dreadmill at 645am and a 5er after work, neither of which seemed too difficult, just dragging my butt sort of runs.

Today, almost falling asleep all morning at my desk, even after 3 cups of coffee and 9 mile run with 6x600 at 5k pace awaiting. But what a great day, +6C (44F) and medium SW winds of 10-20mph and so went in shorts and felt great showing off my skinny white legs! Once running things went a bit better and was able to do the workout, more or less, just going by time on the road for the intervals. Used my sidestreet hill by the golf course for the repeats and was able to get a bit of speed up going down at least.

After the run it was back to being tired and dopey for the rest of the afternoon. Tonite I hope to have enough energy for a few hours of volleyball and better get going now....

Still building the pyramid

Calm before the storm. This is what the view towards Navy Island from Pottery Creek looked like yesterday, Saturday just after my easy 7 mile run. It was bitter cold again, around -14C but with only a light wind making it bearable with enough layers. Nothing like the +12C that Dawn and the gang were enduring in shorts & t-shirts for the race in Calgary! I hear that a little winter reality and snow is headed their way real soon...

So today, Sunday, was long run day but with a twist; calling for 12 miles at marathon pace. I wimped out on the trip down to Somesville with Andrew and instead got up and going early at home before the storm was due to hit. Made the usual pre-long run preparations of a light breakfast of coffee, OJ, cereal with fruit and milk and more coffee (no bagel today). Then gear up with foot powder, bandaids for tender spots, vaseline in strategic places and plaster over my face with temps of -12C (10F) and windchill of -18C (0F). Out the door by 8am only 1 hour after waking up.

Began the run with an easy 6 mile warmup around town but didn't get to warm with the wind. I did see a few walkers including Cory (and her dad) who is in town to give a seminar on her thesis which was based on fisheries data we helped her with. At least they beat the storm too! After looping back home and refueling the water bottle with Gatorade I was ready to attempt the marathon pace part of the run. Because of the conditions it was scaled back to 10 miles on an out and back 5 mile measured course. The 1st 5 were more or less into the wind at just under 8:00 pace (aiming for 7:30) but the return leg with the wind behind was better at 7:44 pace including the first and last miles at 7:30 goal pace for a 10 mile time of 1:18:23. Total time for the 16 miles was 2:13 thus completing the week with 75 miles in 6 days of running and 3 doubles.
After the run I had time to play with some of my running data in a spreadsheet program. This plot shows my mileage by week and long runs (in yellow) since my last marathon in late October. The dotted line beyond this week is the planned mileage going ahead to my near term goal of Boston. My only comment on this is that it looks quite consistent (so far) and should allow for a decent performance barring injury of course.

It's now mid-afternoon, 2pm local and we've only had a few flurries so far. I'm hoping that it holds off for Andrew, assuming he did make the drive down to the race. The latest Bar Harbor area radar pictures looks like the storm is still coming and so hopefully he's safely on his way home by now. I'm looking forward to his race report!

Hitting the snooze button

Yup, actually that was the plan when I went to bed last night. I've been burning the candle at both ends lately with work very hectic, all that running, getting up an hour earlier than usual most days to do those short dreadmill drudge runs and so falling behind on that most important training aid of all - rest and sleep. I've heard that the Kenyans sleep 9-10 hours in heavy training, so today I hit the snooze button, went back for another hour and slept like a Kenyan for 9 (count em) hours!

And they didn't even miss me at work because, a-I work flexible hours and b-most of my co-workers were in another dumb meeting. But it still was a long day on the job and wasn't able to sneak off as early as I would have liked since there were more meetings to get sucked into and a couple of reports to finish off before the end of the day.

Meanwhile, out in the real outdoor world it's been freezing cold here the last few days. Temps today had a high of -9C (12F) and with the wind of 15-30km/hr made for a windchill of -16C (or 0F). Brrrr, extra layers for sure! At least I started out my 13 mile run in the sunshine, but into the wind it took a few miles before my face warmed up (all the other parts were fine with 3 upper layers and 2 bottom). My left leg was still a bit sore at first but improved after a few miles; need to keep working on the daily stretching and easy warmups. The run went very well, felt reasonably fresh and kept up a good pace until the final few miles when the spring in my stride seemed to go. Nevertheless it was a remarkable easy 13 in about 1:50. Even the longer runs are now starting to seem easy which must be a good sign.

The forecast for Bar Harbor on Sunday isn't looking so good:

Snow. Blowing snow. Windy with highs in the mid 20s. Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 100 percent.

I've decided to call off the trip to Somesville for the 10/20 mile race. It's a 3+ hr drive and don't want to be doing it into the teeth of a nor-eastern blizzard and then have to return along the same route. This would have been a great run to test my fitness, even if only 12 miles at marathon pace but would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to winter weather and driving. Are you listening Andrew? Be carefull!!

Coming around the bend

It's amazing what a difference a new day can bring to your outlook. Yesterday, it was doom and gloom and the body was coming apart at the seams, while today there seemed to be unbounded energy that just appeared from the bright blue sky.

A little background on the sneaky plan I'm on. It slowly adds mileage over the weeks, first building up by maxing out on single runs but then in the 2nd phase it adds double runs on the easy days. The theory, and it seems to work, is that those 2 short 'easy-or else' runs of 4 & 6 miles are less stress on the body than one longer 10 mile run. Another trick is adding miles on the dreaded mid-week medium-long run day by doing a double that day as well.

So this morning it was 4 very slow (or-else) miles on the treadmill followed by a mid-day run of 14 (plan actually said 15 but I misread) for a total of 18 midweek miles. The mid-day run was fantastic, clear blue skies, a bit cold with a light NW wind (windchill -10F) and felt great with some spring in my stride for most of the run. Did stretches before and after and the legs are much improved (just a speed bump in the road to Beantown). The semi-cold is also gone which helps too. A month ago, when looking at a double like this, I thought 'there's no way I can survive that!', but remarkably it was almost easy and I feel great tonite.

Now about this weekend's long tempo run/race in Somesville, Maine which is organized as 2x10mile loops.... My 'plan' calls for 16 with 12@marathon pace, so do I do a warmup, the 10 miler and add a couple of miles at the end or run the 20 with the last 4 'extra' miles at a jog? I'm leaning toward the former as it would be way too easy to get sucked into overdoing it on the 20 and don't really need the extra miles or stress right now.

Meanwhile, I'm hungry all the time lately and need to find something to eat. The cobbler is history but we always have ice cream in this house. Mmmm food!

Just hanging in

Yup, still here, almost recovered from Sunday's long run effort but all the running is having an effect. Now, maybe the head cold would have happened anyway. It seems to be going around the office and Uncle Otto keeps feeding me cough drops for the cold he got from his teen. But the draggy body, sore legs and wiped out, falling asleep at my desk feeling I had yesterday was running related for sure.

Once tried to run 7 days a week but it only lasted for about ... 1 week. Mondays are the most important running day of the week and they are 'my day of rest and healing'. I can't comprehend running streaks of months at a time, like Animal Lydiard Mike let slip in a recent post (oh yeah he missed a day, on Aug 4!!). That is nuts and praiseworthy at the same time but he's simply following his plan which says 'run!'.

Similiarly if my plan says run xx miles, then it gets done if the body and weather allows but this morning it wasn't so sure. For some reason I'm developing extreme tightness in the back of my left leg behind the knee in the hamstring area and could hardly walk down the stairs to get to the treadmill. (note to dummy/self: stretch every night, before every run and after 1st mile too). So, hobbled down the stairs to the mill and started out at a walk for 1/4 mile....not bad, loosening up, slow jog 6mph ... hey I can do this, barely, a little faster now ! Ended up with 4 very slow miles but got the run in!

Lunchtime plan was for another 6 and the same story as before, stiff and tight leg, actually limping up and down the hall (try to take breaks from the computer every 1/2 hour at least) to try to loosen it up. And then, lace on the shoes magic, a few stretches, easy-easy short choppy jog, more stretches and the run went amazingly well, just a little slow. It was a really nice day with sunshine, light wind, and just a bit below the freezing point. Felt fine after, except for the limp that came back again (looking for sympathy?) and the walk home tonite was nice and relaxing.

And so...the verdict is that I'm surviving so far, but just hanging it. My notes called for a re-evaluation this week to see how things are going and if the plan needed any tweaks or reductions if not able to maintain. If I can get through this week and the coming weekend's tempo 10/20 mile race in Somesville, Maine on Mount Desert Island then next week is only a recovery week followed by 8 more weeks to B-day!!

Sticking to the plan

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Ouch, ouch, ouch; now paying the price for one long tough 22 mile run... It was a miserable day for running today with heavy rainfall and gusty winds as another big system moved through.

Yesterday was a completely different story with a mild springlike day, sunshine, mild temps near +5C (40ies F) and NO wind! I even met 2 (count em, two!) runners while heading out the highway for an easy 8 miles. Finished with a set of 10 strides (more like pick-ups; just not feeling very fast or smooth). The run went fairly well otherwise but still have various aches and the beginings of a cold with a ticklish/flemmy throat.

As I said, today was a completely different story with nasty weather that reminded me of the KV marathon last fall with cold rain and wind. But I guess it could have been alot worse, and it is February and not October, isn't it? And so after delayed things as long as possible, waiting for the wind to drop and rain to stop, and even the temps were rising, finally got on the road at mid-afternoon. Even tried to convince K who was on MSN to join me but he already had pressing commitments (he says ;-)

Conditions were decent for the 1st part of the run with very mild temp of +9C, no wind and just a slight drizzle. Did a bunch of zigzags around town for the 1st hour before refueling at home and heading out of town to complete the almost marathon. Over the last few miles it really felt like I was running a marathon, the weather closed in, steady cold rain, legs and mind tiring, just one more mile, just one more mile. It's not fun at this point but you still can't cut the run short, the plan says x and we're doing x, so shut up! Finished the 22 in 3:13 and barely able to walk down the driveway to the house. Man that shower felt nice!

The purpose of these extra long run is the subject of much debate in the running world. Some plans max out at 20 and others actually go overdistance up to 28-30. I'm convinced that there is a benefit to the extra distance and can feel it working just sitting here on the couch. I'm especially partial to the idea of doing long runs by time on your feet equivalent to your expected marathon time, which for me is in the 3:10 to 3:20 range.

Total for the week is 77 with 2 doubles included, both new records. Total for January was 298, didn't make it to Frostbite Falls with the rest of the gang cause I got lost going in the wrong direction with all the running. Looking over my plan it says to re-evaluate now to see how I'm feeling at this point (I was worried about handling the extra load). (Ahhh, time out for ice-cream and peach cobbler, mmmmmm feeling much better) Besides being tired and sore I think it'll be all right, final report forthcoming.

Chinks in the armour (2)

I'm having issues with my blog or it could just be blogger losing comments etc so I'm re-posting this.

There's a nice article in Marathon and Beyond called Running as Armour which goes into what the author, a doctor, declares are some of the benefits of a running habit. I must agree with most of them but some days it feels like the habit is tearing down the body rather than keeping it invunerable to life's knocks.

For example, I woke up this morning with very tight sore achilles, calves and hamstring, in fact the entire back of one leg was like a giant cord of knots. Tight, tight, tight despite 1/2 hour of stretching last evening and a long tempo run staring me in the face today. Forecast was for wind and lots of rain and so decided to take the van to work to save energy (that turned out to be a great decision). Still tight and a bit sore all morning thinking 'Man, how can I run like this?' but miracles happen and once the shoes were laced on things started to improve.

The plan called for 12 miles with 6@1/2 marathon pace which I decided to do as an out and back run. However, dummy decided to leave his gloves and headband behind at the start with warm feel like temperatures and the wind at my back initially. Regretted this for the entire 2nd half but had other small miseries to keep me occupied, that is fighting the 30km headwind while trying to keep the effort up. Reverted to alot of counting and some yelling at the sky for some portions and only managed to do the return leg 4 minutes faster than the slow jog out. It was so nice to be finished even though the tempo pace was much slower than planned, not even marathon pace today (ouch).

An unexpected reward and another chink off the armour after the run was a stiff neck and back that just came from nowhere...'what gives, am I falling apart?' or maybe it's just a lack of ice cream! That will go good with a nice homemade peach cobbler that magically appeared after weeks of incessant whining and moaning for more dessert.

Which reminds me, the Readers Digest (hey, it's a nice light read) reports that the current New Yorker has a cartoon of 2 dogs. "I had my own blog for a while," one says to the other, "but I decided to go back to just pointless, incessant barking."

Happy Thursday

It's only Weds but thought I'd get a head start on this post with a prediction for tommorrow. The experiment has only just begun but from the general energy level right now, the prediction is that it will be a banner day after a series of downer Thursdays over the past few weeks. One week ago it was a Cruel Wind, two weeks ago it was Tired and Getting Grumpy, 2 weeks before that it was the Blahs; well you get the picture.

So today (Weds), the plan was to head off the blahs at the pass by getting out of the way what is considered the hardest run of the Pfitzinger program, the dreaded midweek medium long run. Feel like a free man now, with only downhill-wind-at-my-back runs for the rest of the week...'I wish ;-)' Managed to get 15 miles in over an extended lunch in just over 2:03 including a series of four downhill repeats over a 1 mile loop on a quiet back road by the golf course (at the end of Joes Point road where the view is awesome). The roads were perfect with last night's storm staying to the south and only had to contend with some wind (20-40 km/hr) and a bit of cold (-2C). Felt decent for most of the run, made a stop at home for gatorade which provided a nice boost, and then fought a tough headwind before turning for home on tiring legs.

Now, just mixed another batch of Gatorade and ready for volleyball. We'll see how frisky I am in the morning on the treadmill at 6:30am to start off another double run day....

It's now Thursday for real and here we go with a report, no waiting involved.

Volleyball was good with a nice turnout and even teams and games. My wrist was still sore causing my setting to be a little 'off' but had good energy for some jumping and moving around, although I couldn't move too quickly.

Up around 6:30 (before the alarm would you believe Andrew?) for a quick 4 miles on the treadmill. It's getting to be fairly painless, roll out of bed, grab the water bottle, set the satellite to the morning news and roll along until I wake up. Went very easy around 7-7.5 mph and felt fine, just a little stiff at first.

Nice brisk walk to work, about a mile with a clear sky and temps around -9C and no wind.

Lunch time was just an easy 6 mile loop around town with temps up to about -1C and again, no wind! The legs felt fine except for some stiffness in the achilles for the 1st mile which went away. Have to keep up with the stretching program in the evenings while watching the late news so this doesn't develop any further.

After the run, I had that 'happy tired' feeling in my legs and lungs which only seems to occur when pushing the training limits a bit. It also should mean the heavier training load is having the desired effect but is not overly stressful. And finally, Happy Thursday or Happy Groundhog Day, only 6 weeks to spring, right?

To blog or not to blog...

That is the question... some days it's whether I've got enough time to write, other days, well if it's only a short jaunt and not much happened, it might just not be 'blogworthy' (a real word with it's own website and you can buy the t-shirt!). It doesn't really matter how many people read my ramblings either but it's nice to get comments and feedback.

A blog can also be handy for looking for patterns and problems on the mental side of running that don't get put in the paper log. Take my ups and downs over the past several weeks and the issue of really bad days on Thursdays. Well it turns out (a theory only) that the problem may be overdoing things on Weds and just not having anything left for the next day. So...the plan this week is to really overdo it on Weds, ie. following the plan for 15 miles with hills, and then take it very easy the next day. We shall see shortly...

Actually there were some blogworthy events today. First, I received my Boston entry confirmation email and am now in the entrants list. Yay!!

"This is to notify you that your entry into the 110th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 17, 2006 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate.

You can verify your acceptance into the field by searching the 110th Boston Marathon "Entrants" database on the B.A.A. web site, www.bostonmarathon.org or www.baa.org. Additionally, a "Confirmation" postcard will be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail."

And secondly, in the actual running department, I managed to get another double in with a 6:45am treadmill run of 4 miles, slow-slow and then a noontime run of 6 miles which felt even slower but my watch begged to differ. The treadmill weather was perfect (as always), while the outdoor conditions were sliding downhill with a nor'easter bearing down on us. Mostly just wind and a few flurries so far and hopefully the storm will skirt our area so I can get in the tough run planned for tommorrow. And then maybe there will be more to blog about ;-)

Kaa Ching!

Well almost, the sales register says that my total for the week was 72 miles, not the intended 76 but we'll take what we can get. As previously posted I tried to re-arrange workouts during the week and that just ended in disaster and frustration. The plan for the coming weeks is to merely follow the 'plan' as written as much as possible and let the missed runs go...

Woke up this morning at 6:20, 10 minutes before the alarm was to go off which is a good sign. It must mean either that I'm keen to go and rested or overtired and overtrained and need more rest (pick one). Also got out of bed with a limp! My right shin and knee were very sore for some strange reason and was hobbling around a bit wondering if I'd be able to run or not. The soreness continued right up until I met the group for the Boyden Lake loop and then magically went away for duration of the 2o mile run! Of course it's now back again after the run, so either it's mental or my body is demanding some sort of penance or burnt offering (maybe some ice-cream?).

It was a perfect day for a long run with the gang. Sunny, light north wind, temps around 32F (0C) and very little traffic (but more than usual- maybe a dozen). We did the usual 13.5 mile loop, were serenaded by hound dogs, snuck by dozy Rot's, and had many excursions by various members to check out the scenery in the woods. After the loop Andrew and I did a 6.5 mile out and back along the Gin Cove road by the Bay, making it back despite crashing into each other when attempting to turn around! Was that a Power surge or a Seeley turn that caused the misfire? I think it was just low blood sugar and brains not quite up to par ;-)

Food was also a big topic of conversation today including my plans to stop at the Superstore on the return trip. Let's see, what would the cashier think of a cart full of bananas, bagels, Power bars, Gatorade and ice cream? Unfortunately the store was closed so I may get AP to practice his driving and bring me back this afternoon. We can't run out of 'runner' food now can we?

Only 11 more weeks to Boston! Can you believe it??

Still hanging in, barely...

The last few days have been tiring and I'm just hanging in there from day to day. All the advice out there reminds you to accept missed workouts as 'missed' and to not double up or attempt to make them up. Which is exactly what this dummy has been trying to do all week to no avail!

Missed Tuesday's tempo run due to weather and road conditions and then switched the medium long run with the intention of doing it later in the week but it just didn't happen. At least the Friday run (11mi in 1:34) felt MUCH better than the slog of survival on Thurs. There is a pattern here and reading my own blog back over the past few weeks it seems like I'll just have to make some adjustments and just try to follow the plan as written. The Pfitzinger program is quite demanding, especially the 70+/week version and the rest or easier days are ordered with experience and good reasoning behind it. It does not take kindly to re-ordering of hard/easy days at all.

Today was just an easy 8 miles with 10x strides and dummy here again did not follow the directions (maybe a post-it to my forehead will help). Ran the correct distance but looking at my HR times and efforts, it was too hard, mostly in the >80% range. Did the strides (sort of) but it was more like short awkward speedbumps mixed into the run. They didn't feel smooth or fast at all. Hopefully this won't compromise the scheduled long run on Sunday. Now need to fuel up and get ready, so let's see, 'What's first ice cream or bagels with gobs of peanut butter? Mmmm, those Turtles look good too!'

At least the weather is looking good!
Sunday : Sunny. Becoming cloudy late in the day. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40. High minus 4C.

Cruel Wind

It must be something about Thursday or the fact that it's medium long run day but I always seem to run low on energy. Perhaps a schedule change is needed for the coming weeks...

Weds or hump day is usually good with an easier run and volleyball in the evening. In fact, I did my 1st double this year on Weds with a easy paced 6mi 630am treadmill run, followed by a super easy 4 miler (it's hard to run so slow and short) at lunch. There was a fresh snowfall and the roads were rather greasy but it was a nice run. I also brought along a little hand held GPS unit to test and record my running route but it seemed to misfire in regard to speed and distance, or do I really run that slow? My story and I'm sticking to it is that it's an older unit and most of my routes are car odometer measured. Felt great, walked to and from work and volleyball was fun and did not seem too taxing....

That is, until today's run and the cruel north wind to go along with the tired, resisting and complaining body. It wasn't especially cold and windy for January; at -5C and 25-40k winds we've had much worse. There was a nice blue sky and sunshine, the roads were fairly bare with only bits of snow and slush. But still needed to wear all the clothes from my bag, and it was a struggle from the get go. (Sorry for all the whining but who else is going to listen?) Managed to struggle around town, resisted the temptation to cut the run short and headed out on the highway and this is where the wind really started to howl and it felt more like walking or treading H2O than running. Finally at the Ghost Road, I gave up 'the ghost' and headed back for home with the wind at my back for a few miles at least. Final total was only 11 miles in 1:35 instead of the planned 15.

I'll be making another attempt on Friday which is usually a higher energy day, especially if I leave work early . I'm also looking forward to doing another long run with the gang on Sunday. I know they will pull me along and make it easy and fun.

Meanwhile, it's time for ice cream!! That and a good nights sleep should work wonders ;-)

Temptations

Looking at a pretty tough week running wise and probably at the work scene as well and the question becomes 'Can I fit it all in and still be able to do it again next week?'. Managed to get out the door and on the road at lunch by 12:05 but then the temptations started...

1. Hmmm, it's kinda slushy and wet from that snowfall we had last night, maybe I should take it easy. Glad we decided on the old shoes today and not the 'shiny new ones'.
   
2. Can't go too hard or fast in these old shoes, must have 750+ miles on them...
   
3. Ahh, how about we only do an easy 6mile loop today instead of 11 miles with 5 tempo pace?
4. I know, we'll switch down a level to the easier 'Up to 55 miles per week' plan. I can do that without even trying....
5. Naaa! You've got your blog to keep you honest now so just suck it up and get on with it!

Well some of the thoughts that were smouldering in the background at least. It was a great sunny day, blue skys, winter wonderland effect with all the snow stuck on the trees and after a mile or so, thoughts of canning or aborting the run were long gone. The hardest part isn't getting out the door but getting past the 1st mile or two; after that it's like the autopilot kicks in because I ended up having a decent run.

Instead of doing the 11mi with tempo, I made a deal with the right brain and switched for a 12 mile easy run because the road was too messy to run fast anyway. It wasn't that slow either with a total time of about 1:38 and felt good for the most part. The lower legs complained a bit but this is likely just the total lack of cushioning in the old shoes. Also had to stop once to untie and remove a shoe in order to take out a rock that had worked it's way in from all the slush and dirt on the side of the road. It's hard to keep your balance on one foot while shaking out the dirt but I managed without falling down! So, a good start to the week but many more miles to go.

Group Sunday run: xyz running club

Special treat, beginning of run butt shot just for Dawn. We were thinking of you and thought you'd like it ;-) Actually it's a few minutes after 'dawn', about 7am US time and a little on the cold side with temps around -9C (18F) with a fairly strong NW wind of 15-25mph. So, we'd better get moving, huh?
ps. If you want to see the front view, you'll have to visit Andrews blog, that is 'whenever' he gets around to letting us know what he's been up to!

As I said before and you all know, it is a special treat to get together for our long runs as a group. No matter what the conditions it seems to make these runs more enjoyable and they seem at least an hour shorter than they actually are. You get to talk and gab about whatever and the miles just melt away. Even the windchill was not the problem it could have been (ie running alone and shaking your fist at the sky) since we could always go into the flying wedge formation and take turns out front.

Part of our discussion focused on what we should call ourselves as a group; we need a catchy name to entice more runners off the couch. Hmmm how about Eastport Mainiacs, Cobscook Roadhogs, Quoddy Roadrunners, or maybe the Perry Shore Lost Soles? Just some silly ideas!

It was a nice easy paced run with a few quicker downhills to work on the quads for Boston and it seemed like alot of uphills into the wind on the last 4.5 mile leg. The Rotweiller 'boys' were out and about today again and made a fake charge before retreating back. Either they are cowards at heart, realized they were outnumbered or the owners have one of those electronic fences that stops them from coming on the road. Anyway, dogs are not a threat when you run as a group. We completed the 13.5 mile loop of Boyden Lake and then added another couple to make up 16 miles in about 2:20.

My total for this past week was 62 miles in 8h42m which was a nice cut back from the previous week of 70. The legs and body are feeling remarkably fresh from this mini-taper and ready to work up into the 'program' some more. Only 12 weeks to Boston on Monday!

After the run, I drove along the shore which was our route from 2 weeks ago when I didn't have my camera. Here a couple of shots of the beautiful Passamaquoddy Bay.
What more can I say?
Simply gorgeous!

Friday's are good days!

It might be my subconsious or maybe it's just the fact that it's Friday and I'm looking forward to the weekend but today was a decent run after a tough slog yesterday. Exactly the same pattern as last week! Is there a hidden message? They say to listen to your body...

"Say what, I'm hard of hearing?"

Started out a little sluggish and slow but eased into what felt like a nice steady pace with low heartrate. The weather was mild at just above freezing and it was dead calm. I love it when there is NO WIND!! Cruised around the Point with a nice ocean view and lots (that's more than two) people out walking their dogs. Then continued out of town and did the Ghost road loop before returning to work for a total of 11 miles in 90 min. The shiny new shoes were also working better today and didn't trip over my heels as much.

After my Boston rant in the previous post, I realized that it was time for me to actually enter and fork over the dough despite any misgivings about waves and course changes. I'm now entered and awaiting confirmation. My time should put me in the 7th or 8th corral in the 1st wave and all that I can do now is train like hell till then. Besides hills I should also remember to do some heat training in the last few weeks. I can either run indoors on the treadmill and stink up the basement or put on winter layers and run outdoors with spring temps. I'd really like to actually race Boston this year instead of having the weather dictate how I can run but always look forward to this race no matter what happens ;-)

Tired and getting grumpy!

I think the accumulated miles are starting to wear me down... This is supposed to be a cut back, recovery week but it just doesn't feel that way just now.

Yesterday was an easy 6mi with the HR alarm set to slow and it felt good to go slow as molasses. It was also blowing a gale with some rain but the shower didn't last long. Today, however was the feared mid-week med-long run, though slightly reduced to 'only' 13 mi. Ran it as an out an back, with a 55:00 out leg (into a 20-30mph wind) and a return leg of 52:00 at what felt like the same effort. The last couple of miles were tiring and started to yell at the cars and the wind and whatever else came to mind. Don't you wonder sometimes if anyone pays 'any' attention to the speed limit signs? I'm trudging along in a 60km/40mph zone and it feels like a freeway going by. Get that license plate, report that courier or school bus driver! Arrgg!

While I'm in the venting mode, I must weigh in on the latest Boston marathon changes being proposed. The idea this year is to have wave starts of about 10,000 runners starting at noon and then at 12:30. This is absolutely ridiculous and will relegate the 2nd wave of runners as 2nd class citizens (no anthem, no fly over, just hand over your $100). Apparently they are doing this mainly because of runners relieving themselves on Hopkinton private property and the new start will make for tighter controls and escorting of all runners to their corrals. There is also a plan for a course change with a new hill at the end of the the race near the 26 mile mark. Oh great, just what we need! More arrghh!!

Shiny new shoes

Nothing like a new pair of shoes to put a little extra spring in a weary runner's stride. Finally broke down today and used the new Mizuno Wave Rider 7's for the 1st time on our slushy dirty roads. I had little choice really, with 700+ miles of every pair of running shoes now in the closet, all the same brand and these are dubbed #19. Let's see, about another 16 pairs to make one earth loop in M's so I've still got a ways to go... Think they'll give me a free pair then?

It was actually kinda weird running, they felt firm but clunky and was landing noisily on my heels instead of the normal flatfoot shuffle. It's likely that my old shoes (exact same model) are so flattened that I'll need to get used to the extra lift. They also bothered my calves and achilles a bit so I'll make sure to still work in the old soldiers for awhile yet (usually rotate with 2-3 pairs at a time).

Anyway! I did get in a half decent 10 miler on a windy but sunny day with temps just below freezing. Ran it as an out an back with the 1st 5mi into the cold 20mph wind in about 43:00. It was great to turn and head back an felt like I was moving well with the wind pushing me a long for the 2nd half. Did the return leg in just over 40:00 including 10x striders at 1:00 intervals with walking to get the heart rate below 130 and to keep the legs fresh. The strides felt pretty clunky and slow and just worked on trying to have a fast turnover. Much prefer to do these on the golf course but there's too much snow and ice right now. Forecast for Weds is a bunch of wind and rain but only doing a short run and then volleyball at night.

Mother Nature strikes back

It was definitely too good to be true as the unseasonably nice weather finally came to an end this morning. This change for the worse coincided with my long run and conditions continually deteriorated as the run went along. Started out barely at the freezing point with a light rain and strong NW wind of 15-40mph and did a 6mi loop of the town. It was pretty quiet for 9:00am on a Sunday morning and only saw a couple of walkers and one other runner, Lisa who was doing the loop in the opposite direction. We both agreed it was a nasty day!

Did a quick stop for more gatorade at home and then attempted to run out of town along the highway but the temps were now dropping with ice pellets and freezing rain. The road surface was turning to black ice making me afraid of traffic losing control in my general direction. Each step felt like my foot was slipping backwards slightly, almost like running on ballbearings or a treadmill, especially on the uphills. So...decided to change the route and stay in town running back and forth along the various side roads and trails and to just go by the total time elapsed to make up the required 20 miles.

Man! I coulda used some company today but it was a good thing that both Andrew and I stayed close to home with the treachorous road conditions. However, I didn't feel alone, thinking about my fellow bloggers and what to say in this post kept me going. There have been some interesting posts in blogworld lately about the evolution of and whys and wherefores with running blogs. I'm not much of a writer but I like to blog about my running and read what other runners are doing and going through in their attempts to reach various goals (or not). Being a somewhat isolated way off here in the boonies, having a blog also helps to keep me motivated and honest about my running. It's much like having a virtual internet refrigerator with your plans and activities posted for all to see.

Back to the run... the 2nd half was alot tougher with more wind, ice pellets that felt like frozen bb's, but slightly better footing which improved from black ice to crunchy ice bits. Kept zig-zagging all the side streets which kept me out of the wind for the most part. However, the legs and body complained more and more as the effects of the weeks miles were taking their toll. Perhaps it was a little bit of payback after having such an unexpected nice runs on Thurs-Friday but the glycogen stores were very low by the end despite 64oz of gatorade and 1 gel. Finished the approx. 20 miles in just over 3hr with final thoughts about Lydiard Mike who would have finished his Phoenix marathon over 20 minutes earlier! Hoping he had a great run and looking forward to his post.

Total for week 5 of the 18 week road to Boston was the planned 70 miles in 10hr 3min of running. Missed some strides and tempo pace effort but got the miles in at least. Now looking forward to the upcoming recovery week of 'only' 62 miles before going on to the next phase of the plan. So far so good with no major complaints, just have to stay healthy and pray for spring.

Looking for the on/off switch

You just never know how you're going to feel and how the run will go until your shoes are laced up and the first few steps or miles are behind you.

Today was one of those days where I was just dragging my butt all day. The walk to work was nice but the legs were tired and sore. All day at work the legs complained and the hamstrings were noticeably weak. In the back of my mind the question 'how in the hell am I going to run 13 miles today when it's a chore to just walk down the hall for a glass of water?'. Meanwhile, it was another unseasonably nice sunny warm spring-like day just begging for a runner to get out and enjoy it. Finally, I bugged out a bit early using some banked time but the one mile trudge home held out little promise for the upcoming challenge.

But suddenly, like magic everything changed! Once dressed in shorts and a long sleeve shirt (when was the last time this happened here in January?) and starting the run at an easy jog it was like someone turned a switch on. This had to be one of the easiest and most effortless runs in ages. After the blahs from last week and the way things were looking earlier it was a most unexpected gift from the running gods. Am I getting fitter or is Friday the 13th just my lucky day?? Like the great weather, I won't complain and will just take it as it comes.

Managed a decent pace (8:30 or less) with total time of about 1:50. As I mentioned it was a warm sunny day near 10C (50F) with only a light wind. It cooled a bit on the return leg as the sun was going down and the wind picked up a bit but the nice sunset made up for any discomfort. It was a great day for a run and could have used a camera again.

Still trucking along

It's been a few days since the last post as I've been away from home and the office on a work trip down to lovely Boothbay Harbor, Maine. As is typical with a travelling schedule, it's always a challenge to get the required runs in when you're 'in training'. During the off-season, between marathons it's alot easier to just run whenever you can and short runs are simple to wedge in somewhere during the day. However, when you have a schedule with 10-15 mile runs every other day it can be harder to get creative.

Thus the week started off with a 6am, easy run on the dreadmill so the run could be in the bag before heading out on the 5hr drive down the coast to Boothbay. It was an ok run, with 1st 2 miles in a semi-awake state, followed by a sudden stop when I accidentally pulled the emergency stop cord. Finished feeling better with pace up to 7:30/mi for a few laps at the end.

Day 2 was another 6am run from the hotel in Boothbay (Andrew would be proud of me getting out so early). It was a mild day with temp just above freezing and there was little black ice to bother along the highway route that I ran. Did a 10 mile out and back run along the main drag into this small coastal town and was surprised by the amount of traffice so early in the morning. Started out nearly pitch black, just streetlights, and was blinded by headlights for much of the 1st 40 minutes before the turnaround. It was just as busy on the return leg, but at least the lights weren't as big a deal and picked up the pace at the end. Kicked myself for not bringing some water and a headlight to go with the reflective vest. I've also got a little blinking red light that would have helped make me more visible and more like Duncan, including the speeding trucks.

Day 3, today, had the unique plan of being dumped by my co-workers at a point about 9 miles out of town to start my 15 mi run. Began this run by stashing a drink, turning around and heading further away for the first 6 mi. This run was markedly different traffic wise from day 2 in that there was almost no cars in comparison; only counted about 10 cars over the 1st 4 miles. The peace and quiet was a relief after the roar of speeding suv's still in my head from 24 hours previous. But still, 15 miles is a long ways, even on a beautiful spring like day in January. Finished up in a little over 2hr and then back to work after a quick stop and shower at home.

It's hard to believe but I'm still on track for the week. Now just a 13, easy 6 and a 20 to complete it and the weather reports are looking off the charts great for running. We'll take it!

Wishin I'd had a camera

What a good run to end week 4 of the 18 week Boston plan! Don't know where to start or what to say but am sure to think of something, right? The quick recap is that I got to run with Andrew and Stephanie for a total of 19 miles in frosty weather with absolutely gorgeous views of the Passamaquoddy Bay that I've never seen before.

The run started early (for me) at 7am US time, which required some driving in the dark and worries about moose while getting to the meeting point in Perry, Maine. Have a look at what happened to EyeRun and her moose encounter just last week. Thank God everyone was OK! So it was a very cautious uneventful early morning drive. Even the border guard didn't want to talk to me, preferring to barely open his window to the cold and wave me on. Temps were -12C (or 10F) to start and didn't warm up much even with the clear sunny sky and virtual calm.

After dropping one bottle of gatorade at a strategic corner in a snowbank, which was actually warmer than the abient air, I met 'the kids' and we were off. BTW I believe it's appropriate to start calling them this because a) they are both younger than this old fogie and b) since those are the names of my 2 youngest children. We'll soon see what they think of that; now only if we would get Steph to stop lurking and start a blog of her own.

Today's run headed first back to the ocean and the bay, instead of inland and around Boyden Lake. We sometimes forget the beauty of nature around us and then there are days or moments and it's just WOW!! Some of the vistas we had along the shore road were just stunning in the crisp calm and bright early morning sun. One view at the crest of the many hills looking back to my hometown of St. Andrews was ... well 'I wished I'd had a camera today'. And then the reality that this is near the site of a proposed LNG terminal, which has huge local opposition on both sides of the border just makes you want to cry. Save Passamaquoddy Bay from LNG!

So the 1st hour of the run was one hill and another view after the other and would you believe we never saw a single car until we looped back to cross Route 1 to continue our run inland aroung the lake!? No cars for an hour, simply an amazing place to run on a Sunday morning! Another picture that I really wanted today was the frosty face of Andrew who looked more like Santa with a flourescent orange cap. Anyone who saw him would have had a chuckle or more likely wonder what that strange runner was doing to himself in the cold.

After a few miles inland we reached the turn where Andrew & I went left to go around the lake, while poor Steph cut across on Rotweiller Alley. We didn't want to leave her but she said in a brave voice 'I'll be fine but if my car is still there, can you come looking for me?' Poor thing ;-( but her car was gone when we finished the loop so it looks like she didn't get eaten! Our final miles were long and progressively tougher for me at the end of a long week. My water bottle was rescued after about 2hrs in the snowbank and was still unfrozen and very welcome. On reaching the cars we finished off the run with an extra loop to make up the planned distance of 19 miles in about 2:37. Thank you Andrew and Stephanie!!

Totals for the week was 67 miles, 6 runs, 9hr 43min or 8:40 pace with week 4 completed more or less on target.

Whew!

Glad that's over with! Over the past several marathon training cycles it's always been the midweek long-er run that has given me the most trouble. With the Pfitzinger based plan that I'm using it builds up to a maximum of 15 miles which are often tough to fit in with a busy family and work schedule. Add to that the fact that they are just plain hard to do on often tired legs and well you know...whew!

It was a relatively nice day for running here in January with our unpredictable Maritime weather on the balmy side. We had a light scatter of snow and freezing rain last night that was melting by the morning but the temperature stayed right around 1C (33F) making for slushy conditions and wet shoes. It was tough to get my butt in gear and out the door again but somehow I was able to shut up the negative voices and get under way shortly after noon. The run went fairly well, just felt slow and tired but on checking a few mile splits was actually managing about 8:00/mi pace. Also managed to avoid cutting the run short at several key turnoffs and ended up with 14 mi in just under 2 hrs.

So I'm still more or less still on track for the week and have confirmed another long run with Andrew on Sunday. It's always a treat to have company and really look forward to these runs.

Speaking of things to look forward to, there is also the Cabot Trail Relay race in May with the Aliant High Speed team. Really we're not fast, it's just a cool name but nothing as creative as some of the other names in the team list at the CTR website. Some of the legs on this hilly 24 hour relay are rather imposing but this year I've lucked out with an easier but still challenging final leg of the race. It'll be a nice change of pace after the marathon in April.

blah blah blah

After several weeks of good motivation and running at or exceeding the plan of attack the pendulum has swung in the other direction. It's been tough to get out and get the required miles in this week. This is due to several factors but mostly in the energy motivation department and also because it's been hard to get back in a work/run routine. With the days getting longer now I may be able to start doing my longer runs at the end of the day from work since getting up at 5 or 6am and running long just doesn't work (for me). Don't know what happened to the keen appetite for running, just feel blah and its a struggle to get out the door lately.

On this theme Weds was re-arranged to an easy day instead of 14 with hills. Today I managed to get only 11 miles over an extended lunch. Once I got going it was actually a decent run with good pace and effort. The intention was to do 12 but ran out of time and needed to be back for another stupid meeting. Much prefer to do real work than debate hypotheticals and go round and round in circles. Perhaps a good sleep and weekend will perk me up, but still have miles to go...

Careful beginning

Careful now... hold back... easy boy... careful!

That's what I'm trying hard to do this week, just run according to the plan and not overstep or do any more than scheduled and keep count! Have a fairly heavy plan with more mileage than usual and so after a slow buildup now need to stay within limits and avoid injury so that the end is reached successfully.

Had a nice rest day on Monday, feeling a bit tired from Sunday's run with Andrew and so just laid around the house for the last day of holidays. Of course still did running related things like the reading running books from Christmas including the classic 'Once a Runner' and 'The Greatest - The Haile Gebrselassie Story' :-)

Today was back to the grind (work) with a 10 mile run fitted in over lunch. Needed to drop the van off at home and starting from home spotted a lone runner heading over the hill. Decided to to catch up but they had a big headstart and it took most of a mile and 1/2 to do so. JR was doing the triangle loop and never heard me until I was right beside her due to the music she was listening to (that's not recommended is it?) We ran together for only a few minutes before turning in different directions but it was nice to say hello. With my catch up effort the 1st 4 miles of the run were quicker than planned in 32:00 followed by a 4 mile return leg in 33:00. Finished off with 10x100 strides where focus was mainly on fast turnover to complete the run in 83:00.

Good run but not quite holding back much yet.

wishin to count better in 2006

Dang Andrew! Thought we were going to do 16 miles today!! That's what my training log said to do, so where did I get 17? Must have had a senior moment or something like that. Like I said towards the end of our run "at time like this I can only count to 10 anyway". Thus my first priority in 2006 is to learn to count all the way to 100 (just like A) while in extreme stages of duress due to self inflicted abuse, that is long distance running!

As you might have guessed, Andrew and I got together for a post-holiday long run. It was at the same location as 3 weeks ago near Perry, Me. in the backroads around Boyden Lake. S was not available and a few other invited guests also did not show but we had a great run anyway. It was a nice moderate paced run (~8:30 or so pace) with temps around 20F (-7C) with a light NE wind. We both tried to sync heart rate monitors to that elusive 70-80% effort adjusted for age and max HR of course.

The run was fairly uneventful except for continually waking up to dogs along the route and probably also their unfortunate owners trying to get some sleep after partying away for 1/2 the night (btw Happy New Years everyone!). One house had a pair of very large/fat Rotweilers on the loose in their driveway which made us nervous for a minute. We stopped our yacking, and tiptoed carefully past their mailbox, avoiding eye contact but still facing them. The dogs looked as nervous as we did and we both backed away from each other and were on our way...whew! The rest of the run was good but I don't remember so many hills the last time we did this run (must be the mileage thing and tired legs). Again we had a great gab and the run was over before it barely got going in about 2:20. Oh, and btw we also decided that this 13.5 mile loop would make a great 1/2 marathon race course. All we need is a race director and some volunteers ;-)

Today's long run completed week 3 of the 18 week Boston plan as previously posted. The week's total was up to 71 from the planned 64, due to cheating on the plan and not being able to count properly. Next week is supposed to be a build up to 67 miles but will now be a cutback instead ;-) So far so good and just need to keep the enthusiasm for running from getting in the way!