Boston: the blow by blow

This could be a long post.

OK, it's been a few days and I've had time to come down out of the clouds. I didn't set any smoking hot PR despite the almost perfect weather, but I did make the best out of a near blow up and salvaged a decent race and had a great time doing it. I'll try to put a few details around my race and some initial analysis of my results though there's sometimes no explanation for why we sometimes have good and sometimes not-so-good race days.Here's our arrival at the Athlete's village after a 1 hour+ bus ride! We didn't get lost but the traffic was heavy and there were some bottlenecks getting into Hopkinton. I might try getting on the buses a bit earlier next year to avoid the rush. We arrived here at 9am and they were already starting to call the 1st wave runners (lower numbers) to the corrals.

The long lines of yellow school buses at the Boston Common (remember to 'go' before you get on).
There are huge rows of port-o-potties at the village but the lines were 30-50 people long (you don't see the waiting customers to the right in this picture here). I did a quick walk around the village and then headed for my corral hoping to find shorter lines nearer the start. After ditching my extra warm gear and stripping down to the basic Canada outfit with one throw-away long sleeve pullover on top I was lucky to find short lines just before the corrals. At least I didn't have to go for Plan C which is the pee in the spare bottle trick. I was in my corral by 9:30 and got quite near the front and then started doing my regimen of stretches (despite not being able to warm up properly).

About this point the skies started to clear and I realized that I'd forgotten my sunscreen (damn) but it sure looked like we were going to have a perfect weather day. Little or no wind at the start 45-50F, couldn't ask for better. Soon enough the ropes are dropped and we squeeze together like cattle heading for the exit chute. Crowds cheering, cameras clicking, like a big party and we're off!
This is in the 1st mile looking down the road at the sea of people. With my #6812 I was close to dead center of the 1st wave which went to #13999. There were lots of different costumes around me and I focused on putting in a steady hard pace while keeping my breathing under control. The 1st mile went by in a surprising 7:18, followed by 7:08, 7:21, 7:16 and finally a 7:30 (target pace) in the 5th mile. These overly fast miles felt really out of my control, despite trying to hold back and take it easy. It didn't seem like my breathing was hard but it didn't seem easy either as I continued rolling along (to my doom ;-).
Seeing this guy made me think of Thomas but I know it is the wrong flag. The next five miles were in the 7:20-739 range and I was feeling better about these numbers but already the effort was starting to seem harder than I'd like so early in the race. When you're running a good marathon I like to feel like the 1st 13 miles is just a warmup with the real work beginning after that. By now I knew today was not going to be the day and the going was going to get tough sooner than later.

At least my hamstring (right leg mainly) behaved during today's race. It's been a big worry over the past few weeks and has bothered me during all my long runs since before Christmas. But maybe the icing, massage and physio did the trick and it stayed at bay for the entire run. My worry was that it was going to seize up and I'd not be able to even finish the race but my luck held. In fact my hams were as good as they've been all year and it was the rest of my leg (muscles) that didn't measure up .

The next five were more of a struggle with 7:40's and then 7:50's as the crowds were in full cheer mode especially near mile 13. With my pace now slowing and the effort increasing with each mile it now became a mental game for me. Mile 16 in 7:46 which would be the last sub 8 as the hills began with mile 17 in 8:24.

At this point I hooked up with Mike from Fredericton and we talked our way through the Newton Hills (including my stop for photo's with friends on Heartbreak. Splits now dropped more into 8's including a 9:05 and 9:22 on miles 19 and 21 (the hills). After that it was more or less downhill to the finish and I managed 8:20-8:35 to the finish by feeding off the energy from the crowds. My legs were hurting but not as badly as some years.
The CITGO sign and 1 mile to go is a welcome relief after all the hard miles and effort required to keep one on moving down the road. It's funny how you forget the hurt (already thinking of the next one) but what I remember in the last mile is the cheering roar and following a medical 4-wheeler with a runner on a stretcher. It was going just a bit faster than me and I couldn't catch it. I was also scanning the crowds faces looking for Andrew (but stuck on the left side while he turned out to be on the right) and missed him.
I snapped this one of the crowds and by accident got a sign cheering for Bruce (who drove me down and was the #2 New Brunswick runner).
I finished right behind the Hoyts who have been doing this marathon for years and years.
The scene at the end was one of shining rustling space blankets. The temperature was now in the 60's but we felt cool when in the shade or in the wind.
Some interesting analysis of my 5k split times in recent marathons compared with Lance's (yellow), the top woman Tune (pink) and top man Cheriyot (blue). Red line is the heat wave in 2004, black line is this year. Notice how my 5k splits get slower and slower as the race goes on while the elites tended to get faster as they go along. The top women's increase in pace is just mind boggling to me. I still have alot to learn about how to run this course.
Finally a plot of my average heartrate and the elevation profile of the course. I didn't really monitor heartrate during the race except when going up some of the hills and was surprised at maintaining such a high level for me for most of the race (over 150). The dips down here and there are slowdowns at water stops and I'm afraid the spike took place at the Wellesley scream tunnel (wonder why?). There is some decrease in heartrate near the end of the race but not much and I'm happy with the overall effort.

It's getting late now and it's time to do my stretches and get to bed. Maybe I'll have more thoughts on this race later on but I'm already thinking of looking ahead for what's next. Eager to get that 1st run in a day or so too! Have a great week!

Baaaston is AWESOME!!!

You'd think I'd get used to this race as old hat, 'been there, done that' but it simply gets better and better. What a great day, what unbelievable crowds, what an awesome good time I had! My finish time was only 3:28:59 after a too fast 1st 1/2 in 1:38 but it was sooo much fun (I'm still in post run high mode).

I'm just going to post a few fun pics for now. Full race report later when I have more time.

pre-race in the subwayIn my corral waiting

The people you meet while running. Pink dress and pink shoes too!

Friends from St. Andrews on Heartbreak Hill and I took a moment to rest! Ha!
Ahhh, now my clothes get a little rest and cleanup too. That coffee, doughnut, chocolate chip cookies and beer were soooo goood!

That's it for now. Time for more beer, steak, brownies and ice cream (nothing is off limits after a marathon)! See you later ;-)


Oh, yeah, I did a little video of the insane Wellesley Girls Scream zone!
;-)

Going through the motions

A pre-race picture from 2003.

There's not alot to report this week except for the waiting. And the sitting and icing and waiting. The weather has been absolutely perfect for being outdoors and running all this week. Clear skies, light winds, warm temperatures, no rain or sleet or snow, perfect! The only problem is that my right hamstrings are still sore. The icing and stretching is helping but I don't find it's doing that much to make it go away like I'd prefer.

After Sunday's 13 miler the legs were quite sore requiring several applications of my handy ice bags.

Tues - physio in the morning and easy 6 mile run. As usual the legs were very stiff for the 1st mile but then loosened up nicely after some stretches. Unfortunately this won't be an option on Monday unless I want to get passed by 2000 runners.

Weds - 7 mi with 2 at MP run went nicely. Another great shorts & t-shirt days. I found myself running too fast with the 1st mile in 7:15 before dialing it back to a 7:26 for the 2nd mile almost on target. I don't have 'spring' in my legs that I'd like but at least they are freshening up a bit.

Thurs & Friday - just 5 mile easy runs where I debated not running but decided that I'd stiffen up less if I put in a short run. Sitting at a desk all day is not the best way to get ready for a marathon or to ease sore hamstrings. Total of 37 miles for the week and now 920 YTD.

So, I'm just sitting here waiting, writing this watching more hockey while sitting on my ice pack. The plan is to head out in the morning around noon with fellow Boston bound NB runner Bruce Rosval. It's a 6-7hr drive down and then we'll drive the course, get a meal and drop in our wonderful Boston hosts. On Sunday we'll take in the women's Olympic trials and pick up our race numbers.

Followed by more waiting...I can't wait! My bib #is 6812 and you can follow me at the Boston website on Monday. It will be all good no matter how things play out. Boston is the best! Have a great weekend, I know I will!

Sweet 13

Mmmm, sweet! These were our tasty treats at the end of our medium and/or long runs today. I've had cravings for chocolate in recent days and Jo was kind enough to whip up an old recipe from my Bathurst cookbook. She was reluctant to make it 'It's all sugar!' but in the end I got my hearts desire ;-)

The easy recipe for my treats which are named 'Dogfood' (or 'Moose Droppings' by Jon):
1c coconut, 2.5c oatmeal, 1/2c cocoa - mix in a bowl
1/2c milk, 2c sugar, 1/4c margarine/butter, 1/2tsp salt - mix in pot and bring to boil for 2 minutes. Combine mixtures, add droppings to pan, place to cool in fridge,

Today's run was an easy short loop of Boyden Lake where I met Andrew and Jon at our standard start spot but Andrew had already put in 7 miles by parking down the loop earlier and running to the start. It was a very easy paced fun run with various stops along the way, for stretching, for water and nature breaks and of course picture stops. We've seen these horses and dog all winter and this was the 1st time that I took a second to preserve the memory. The barn is just at the edge of the road and the dog only wagged his tail at me and tried to get closer.

A very quick feeling run that seemed to be over before it even got started. We just rolled along easily at about 8:30 pace in constant conversation and laughter. Plans were made for next weekends activities as I'll be meeting Andrew and Marc in Boston. Perhaps a nice pasta meal at La Cantina and then the Womens Olympic Trials on Sunday and of course the main event on Monday. And all along the way I kept teasing the boys about my promised 'treats', the only hint I gave was that all food groups were included. I think the pace picked up a bit as we neared the cars and the stomachs started to grumble.
The 'treats' went over very well but I couldn't wait to inhale mine. Also missing in the picture are some cans of sardines that I brought along to provide a protein supplement for my runners which are also very high in omega 3 fats!

And the final week of taper continues.

My cousin Garry has now finished his 2.4mi swim and is into the 112 mile bike ride at Ironman Arizona (bib#1635). Wish him well!

Have a great week!

Final preparations

I'm just going to make a few notes on my last few runs of substance before I get to go completely stir crazy on a diet of rest days and easy runs. Despite being called a taper there is still running involved which is either faster or longer than normal. What is a normal no-stress run for me? That would be typically anything less than an hour in length and usually slower than marathon pace. You might think that marathon pace might be a little fast but my usual easy pace tends to be only 30-45 sec/mile slower than MP and seems to be where I'll settle in on auto-pilot.

I've been following the Pfitzinger Advanced Marathon 70 mile/week or less, 18 week schedule and all his schedules has you doing the following workout at 10 days out from race day: VO2max, 8mi w/3x1600m @5k race pace, jog 2 min between. I've done this workout over many marathon buildups and it's never been much of a problem but you do wonder why you're running this fast so close to the end. Even Pfitz says in his book 'VO2 max sessions have their place in marathon preparation but they should be included sparingly'. My pet theory is that this is just a not so gentle reminder to my limited (lazy) fast twitch muscles to wake up and start producing mitochondria and glycogen or something like that'.

So... on Friday I tentatively headed out for my 8 miles with 3x1600. It was a lovely sunny day but there was a cool northerly wind so I dressed in shorts and a long sleeve shirt. After the 1st easy mile I stopped for about 5-10 minutes of stretching before continuing along. I used to do this warmup and stretch routine in the past but it gradually got lost in the shuffle mostly due to time constraints and not wanting to stop. However, the recent benefits have shown me the routine is well worth the extra time. I've found that my legs feel much better on restarting the run and there appears to be some improvement in range of motion and stride length.

After another mile of easy running I then eased into the heart of the workout as I did the 1 mile repeats back and forth on a fairly level stretch of road on the town Point. The only issue with this route was having the wind either at my back or in my face for about 1/2 of each interval. I imagine this must even out but it's never fun running hard into a tough headwind.
The first mile went by in 6:44 (avg hr 150) and felt like a controlled hard but not all out effort as I carefully monitored the hamstrings and breathing throughout. There were a few minor twinges but no pain or feeling of restriction from overly tight legs.

After a 2 minute walk/jog rest the second mile started out exceptionally well as I floated along (slightly downhill with the wind at my back) at under 6:30 pace for the 1st 1/2 but then reality set in as I slowed in the headwind with a 6:39 final split (avg hr 151).

Another easy 2 minutes and I was off on the final effort. This time it felt like more work and took concentration to not daydream and fall off the pace. The legs were still feeling fine and only slight twinges if anything as I struggled in with a 6:45 (avg hr 150). The rest of the run was just easy running to fill out the 8 miles and I've had no soreness or after effects since then.

Today, Saturday was just a 5 mile easy run around town. It started out in a light rain with a cold temperature of 3C. As usual I stopped and stretched under some convenient cover after the 1st mile before hurrying along to keep warm. No planned strides today as I wanted to get out of the cold in my light garb of shorts, shirt and rain jacket but still a nice finish to the week. Weekly total of 49 miles in 6hr 30min on the roads.

And that's all he wrote. Take care and have a nice weekend!

Taper madness

There is nothing quite like the Great Canadian Winter and we had our share these past few months. However, I'm thankful that we don't live in northern New Brunswick where this picture was taken this past weekend. It's hard to believe and we're seeing this after a significant melt! BTW it's still snowing.

A few hundred miles south and the crocuses are blooming in our backyard and I've been running in shorts all week. Awww, so nice and my pace has picked up on the easy runs as a result. I think the lack of extra clothing and layers can produce a 20-30 second per mile improvement with no training involved at all! At least that's what my watch has been telling me lately.

The leg is also getting better after over a week of treatments and multiple icings and stretching. It doesn't hurt to sit at my desk so much and there is less tightness and reduction in my stride but I'm still reluctant to push the pace. Actually, at this point the work is done and all I can do is hold back and try not to do any harm.

I had a nice visit up to Bathurst but it was a long drive over winding bumpy roads. We stayed for a couple of days and there was time for one easy 5 mile run in the snow and rain. The return drive on Sunday was a little better using some alternate roads but my ice packs were of limited help for the sore hamstrings. Immediately on arrival back home it was out the door for my last long run of the program. Despite starting out stiff and sore, things loosened up nicely after the 1st mile and it was hard to go slower than 8:00 pace during most of this run. I've found that the stretching after the 1st mile of running is helping more and more. It seems to lengthen the muscles and I feel alot smoother after a quick 5 minute session mid-run. The rest of the run went well, mostly in cruise mode trying to hold back the horses but towards the end things began to tighten up as the legs got sore again. 17 miles in 2:18 (8:06 pace).

Monday - very sore hams all day as I paid the price for the long car ride followed by a long run. Icing every hour or so helped but it was not the best way to be feeling so close to the end.

Tues - physiotherapy appointment thankfully was scheduled 1st thing today but the leg was feeling much better today. My easy 5 miler came back at 8:03 pace as the sunny 14C temperature made running a real joy today.

Weds - 8 miles with some so-called stride pickups but held back on the speed so as to not strain those hammies any more than necessary. Another shorts and t-shirt day made for a great run. Time to whip out some sunscreen!

Thurs - easy 5 miles today in 40:30. These short easy runs hardly seem worth doing but I guess we have to remind the body that there are no days off yet. I've got a harder 3x1600 workout scheduled this week but have been putting it off because of, well you know. Might try it on Friday but as I've said the work is done and there is no point in pushing it unless things feel right. We'll see.

Meanwhile, this weekend has the London marathon taking place and you can get it live at 5am eastern on WCSN. Even more exciting, my cousin Garry from Alberta is doing Ironman Arizona and you can track his number #1635 at the Ironman website starting at 7am on Sunday. Give him a shout out and wish him well. He'll need it, the bike course looks sick and the marathon route is hilly too. The things we athletes do for fun, eh?

Have a nice weekend!

It's all downhill isn't it?

It's taper time and I'm just putting my feet up and drinking beer and eating ice cream because all the training is done and it's all downhill from here right? ''Oh no! What about the downhills?".

Remember what the Boston course profile looks like?
The detailed profiles are here as well. There is a net elevation drop of about 450ft but those hills between mile 17 and 21 can do you in when you are tired. Experience has shown me that the downhills are murder on my quads, so much so, that by the time I reach mile 21 I'm usually hobbling in pain and can't take advantage despite the final easy downhills.

Thus Wednesday's 12 mile run looked something like this. The green line is elevation and the blue line is speed. The basic story was an easy warmup with some stretching after 1.5 miles, then easy running until about mile 6, followed by 4 miles of hill repeats where I ran hard 'down' the hills at close to 7:00 minute pace, easy up the 1/2 mile hill and repeat, easy run back to finish. I was beat after this workout but my quads will thank me in a few weeks time.
The rest of the week has been rather uneventful.

Monday - rest day but still very tired from Sunday and so I took the afternoon off work to rest. My legs were quite sore and finally made an appointment for physiotherapy.

Tues - got my physio today and after a complete workup she agreed I had a hamstring problem. The solution was to continue with my stretching program but to add to it and hold each stretch longer (15-30sec), repeating 3x. I'm also on a regimen of icing 10 minutes at a time 3-4x per day. I'm also stopping after a 1 mile warmup and stretching as well as after the run. Believe it or not but it's working! I can almost touch my toes again and can feel some improvement after only 3 days of self therapy! Tuesdays run was just an easy 8 miles with some pickups (not worthy of being called strides)

Weds - hill session above

Thurs - easy 6 miles in hurricane winds but mild temps

Friday - easy 5 planned then off to Bathurst to visit my Mom who is not doing too well.

Have a good weekend. A special good luck with to our Irish friend, Thomas, running the Connemara 39.3 mile ultramarathon. He will do awesome and have the stories to match!

Take care out there.

Cool running

After a 4 week lay off due to weather and various commitments I finally got back together for a great long run with the guys at Boyden Lake this morning. It was a lovely sunny day with starting temperature of -5C (23F) but a cool north wind of 10-20mph made us happy we had an extra layer on and warm headgear. It warmed up a bit during the almost 3 hour run as we covered 20 miles over hill and dale but not a whole lot, barely reaching the freezing point.
I'm amazed that this shot turned out as we roll along at full stride. Notice the shadow taking our picture for us! Maybe I can use this new technique come Boston in a few weeks?

Lot's of good conversation today with the topics of food and banking at the forefront. We did squeeze in a few funny stories about trunk monkeys (warning you may laugh until you cry) and 101 year old marathoners and of course Andrew's jokes (groan). But you have to take the good with the bad, I guess.

Post run pose after Jon was finally able to pick up his hat off the ground.

It was 'A beautiful 20 miles'. Great fun guys!

My official taper now begins. Have a nice week all.

Sweet and not so 'sweet'

Thursday was a perfect day for a run as the weather has finally moderated a bit. The temperatures this week have been close to or just above the freezing point on most days with a substantial warming from morning to afternoon. It made it all the way to +5C on this day and I nearly broke out the shorts but had forgot to pack them.
A day later... and not so perfect. A view from the historic blockhouse in St. Andrews looking towards the town wharf. Today it was just around the freezing point all day with white 'rain' falling gently and melting on impact for the most part. Eventually the temperature dropped and we got a bit of accumulation.
Running this week has been more on track and will be giving myself an 8 out of 10 for workouts completed vs the actual plan. I did everything as scheduled except for missing a 4 mile recovery run and not being able to hit my paces during the interval workout on Tues. I got bonus points for some extra repeat hills on my medium long run and for maintaining the regimen of stretching and Trigger Point self massage. Total of 63 miles in 6 runs and now at 777 miles YTD ( a nice lucky number).

Sunday - 18 miles in 2:39, sore tight legs, breaking in new shoes reserved for the big day

Monday - rest, feeling ok

Tues - slept in and skipped 4mi pre work run (sleep was deemed better training than running). Then ran 6 easy miles at lunchtime and felt almost good with no leg issues.

Weds - 11 miles with 6x1200m in 5:10 to 5:40 on the roads. The goal was closer to 5:00 but the hills, wind and tight hams conspired to make it less. Overall it was a good tough run but felt a little unpleasantly tired afterwards.

Thurs - the glorious sun and warm temps as shown above. Ran a slightly up-tempo pace 9 miles including 6 with a co-worker. I was trying to take it easy but the pace crept up a bit as we jabbered away. If you can still talk while running up hills it must be slow enough, right?

Friday - 14 miles in 2:00 (see snow scene above) nice and easy, feeling decent and being very gentle on the legs while listening to some good music and podcasts. Finished off with 3 x 0.5 mile downhill repeats at marathon pace on the Bunny Hill to begin to remind the legs of the downhill punishment that will be coming soon. Log says 'Decent run for a change!'

Sat- very very easy 5 mile loop around town feeling stiff around the hip joints

I keep looking at my training numbers over the past few years and was trying to find some 'predictor' for success at Boston besides the weather. You might be interested in this plot of average monthly mileage for the 4 lead-up months (December-March) versus my finish time. The 2004 heatwave year with a 3:48 finish from 235 mi/month average was excluded. I'd say the relationship of More Miles = Better Finish Time seems to hold up for me. March is now almost done and so I was able to plot out the current year average of 260 mi/month and it's resulting prediction. It's lower than I'd like but you can't argue with hard numbers, now can you? At least it will give me a goal to shoot for in the realm of the possible. Just about 3 weeks left to go now and I'm still hoping to stick in a race of some kind to give a better indicator of fitness than just overall volume of work. I've got a few possible options but will have to wait and see what is feasible to do with the travel involved. Have a nice week out there, spring is in the air!

Death of Smoochie and Friend

It's a sad story. While doing some pond repairs to the light box that keeps an open air hole for the goldfish we made the unfortunate discovery of two little ice encrusted fish.
Poor guys, they were only about 1 year old and didn't have official 'names' but will now be known as Smoochy and Friend. Only a few weeks to go and they'd be happily chewing away on mosquito larvae and the latest crop of baby fish. It's a cruel world.
But the world is not all bad if you like chocolate, ice cream and beer (all at once too). This was my dessert at the pub last week and no I didn't deserve it and my doctor would freak at the cholesterol and calories but I like to live by the 'furnace burns hot' theory when it comes to running and eating. Mmmmm! Note, this was preceded by a Guinness or two (remember it was dessert).

Seriously, the running is going fairly well for Boston. This past week I was able to get in a total of 54 miles for which I get a 7 out of 10 for effort. Missed my speed workout, dropped one day of running due to travel and work and no 8-15k race available to run and so the lower grade. I got extra points for the good marathon paced effort last Sunday with 14 miles right on pace as part of the long run.

The bib numbers are now up for Boston and I scored #6812 this year. Remember that all numbers (except for the elites who get assigned numbers below 100) are based on each runners qualifying time and are assigned starting at 1000. You then are allowed entry in your starting corral of 1000 runners and placed with runners of similar Q times. Just before the start they remove the barriers between corrals and then there's lots of squeezing around to get near the front.
Since I like numbers I decided to show this plot of bib number for my 8 Boston's along with the resulting finish time compared to qualifying time. The goal has been to run at least as fast as my entry time but you can see this does not happen much. I was only able to do it once in 2002 when we had a perfect overcast, cool, calm day and everything worked out. Other than that, you can see some of my excuses like heat waves and nor'easters and the fact that I just can't seem to produce results on the big day.

The goal this year is to again try for my BQ time of 3:15 but I'll call success anything close to average (see green bar). Finishing is also success and running this race is always worth the effort. Still, we work so hard to qualify and get invited, then have to suffer through the winter training only to meet the unpredictable conditions on the day of the race. We like to run well at Boston and all you can do is prepare as best you can and hope for a good day.

Enough whining but I wasn't really complaining. I'll take what comes and make the best of it. Have a great week all!

Moncton travels

Busy busy but always can find time to run and stop for a picture or two. This is in Moncton, NB.
And this is besides the Petitcodiac River. You are looking at ice walls and a tidal stream that runs up from the Bay of Fundy.

And then I ran across the strangest sights I've seen in many runs... I heard this quack, quack noise in the middle of suburban Moncton and looked up to see a parking lot full of Mallard ducks!!! I'm not sure if they were being fed or not but I ended up taking pictures on 2 passes but the location. Easily several hundred ducks crammed in a small area. Very strange.
Running log notes
Sunday - 17 miles with 14 miles in 1:45:03 or 7:30 pace (+3sec) Tough love but felt good after.
Monday - day off but work day meetings from hell (survived). St. Paddies Day and visited 2 pubs that evening ;-)
Tues - 9 miles in 1:19 on very hard slippery sidewalks of Moncton (sore legs after). Also a very nice meal with filet mignon.
Weds - just 5 quick miles followed by another nice meal at the same Irish pub. Guinness is so smooth after a nice run.

And that's all she wrote! See you later!

By the numbers

Work is crazy but still getting most of the runs in.
Sunday - 18 miles on a grey windy day (see above)
Monday- rest
Tues - 11 miles with 6x1000 in about 4:15 each; Trigger Point arrived to work on legs
Weds- tired and sore; 6 miles only
Thurs- 12 miles
Friday - 5 easy
Sat - 8 miles easy

Total of 60 for the week, 660 YTD, 5 weeks to go.

Off to Moncton for meetings all week. After that I get a break. Have a great week!

Another week gone by

Is it really only a bit more than 6 weeks to go? That seems like so little time to do the final bits of preparation for Boston. I can't imagine that spring will finally be here and all the hard work will be ready to be tested on one of the toughest courses going. The past week has gone reasonably well (now that it's over) as I dodged a couple of winter storms and juggled runs to suit. The picture is from one of the better days, on Friday, looking over towards Pleasant Point and Eastport across the Bay.

Monday - after Sunday's disaster, this was a welcome break from running. I was extremely sore just sitting at my desk and finally broke down and ordered some massage tools from Trigger Point.

Tues - 9 miles with a modified workout doing 600m bursts at 5k speed after an easy 2 mile warmup. Instead of doing them continuously with 90sec jog breaks, my body convinced me to do them with 1000m breaks, starting at each mile marker. The workout was more of a fartlek than VO2 max but it did get the legs moving faster at least. It was a nice day with temps at +5C and light winds.

Weds - a nasty day with sleet, snow, rain, freezing rain and repeat. The roads were very treacherous and I delayed my mid-week run opting for 5 easy miles on the treadmill instead. It was nice to be dry and warm inside while watching the freezing rain slowly bend the trees further and further. Thankfully it turned to rain soon enough and there was little damage and no power outages.

Thurs - time for my least favorite run from the Pfitz training schedule but the medium long 14 miler went much better than usual. Despite starting late, feeling tired and rundown and running home after a long day at from work, this run was a surprise. It started out slow and the legs were still very tight and stiff but after a few miles I was able to roll a bit better. The pace wasn't great except for a few downhill miles close to 8:00 but the heartrate was low and the weather was nice today (+1C , calm and sunny). I was late for supper but my understanding better half didn't give me any grief over it.

Friday - just an easy 6 mile loop around town with a couple of photo op stops (see above). It was +4C, sunny and calm and might have got away with shorts but didn't (wimp).

Sat - the schedule calls for a 8-15k race and there's nothing like that for hundreds of miles. Plan B was simply to run a tempo/race effort for the given distance and see what I could make of it. I believe that the lack of race efforts before Boston has compromised my performances in the past and hope to fix that this year in two ways. First is to actually do a couple of short races (there are some 5-8k runs coming up locally for RunNB) and second is to really work at pushing the pace on my tempo runs where the workout calls for it. It's much harder to turn it on when running alone as compared to being in a race and getting pushed along by your fellow competitors but that's what you get for living in the boonies.

So, after a 2 mile warmup I walked up to the imaginary start line on Cedar Lane and proceeded run as fast as possible for the next 5 miles. I'm not sure if the Garmin misfired or what, but the 1st mile was in 6:32. I'll take it and then made my way down the Bar Road before heading for the hotel and around the Point. Next mile at 7 flat seemed more reasonable and was followed by several more very close to it. Five miles in 34:37 with avg heartrate of 155 was a satisfactory result. Then finished off the run with a couple of easy miles to get a total of 9 for the workout. It was a nice morning in the lull between storms and the leg/butt felt fine. Tonite is calling for a messy storm and so we've called off the long run in Boyden.

Another week is in the books. Total of 60 miles in 8.5 hours of roadwork. I also did a resting heart rate test this morning and it's down to 40 from 42 the last time it was checked. It gives me a base for watching for an elevation indicating something coming on or over-training. So far so good have a great week.

Failed Run

It looked pretty today...
And I found a new angle for the hotel
But the conditions were really on the nasty side today. The road was snow covered, slippery and slushy and the wind was blowing a gale, almost stopping me in my tracks in places. The run started out alright as I spent some time running slowly around some of the back streets of town but there was very little spring in my tired legs. The slipping backwards with every step didn't help much either despite using Yaktrax for extra grip. These are fine on ice but don't do alot in slush and light snow cover.

Today's schedule called for 22 miles but I found myself back home for a gatorade refill after 11 miles. It was with great difficulty that I headed out for another loop of the town at an even slower pace than ever. This time around the wind stopped me in my tracks several times and I found myself walking but still miles from home. Then decided to pack it in and headed back home with the intention of finishing off the run on the treadmill. Arrived back home with 17 miles in the bank but after walking for 10 minutes on the mill I finally threw in the towel and hit the showers. It was a tough day at the races. Time to recuperate...

I hope your day went better than mine. Have a good week.

Stormy weather

An ocean view this morning as the strong southeast winds announced the coming snowstorm. When the east wind blows here it invariably means nasty will follow very shortly. Forecast is for heavy wet snow overnight and into midday Sunday which will put the kibosh on my long run with the Boyden gang.

This mornings windswept run was a very easy 5 mile of recovery at 9:00+ minute pace after Friday's very tough run (more on that later). It took about 2 miles to just get loosened and warmed up as I felt aches and pains in new places today. Instead of the butt and hams, my hips were very tight, a feeling very similar to what I'd get after a hard race. A good sign that a decent effort was delivered the day before as the body was pushed and is now recovering. A nice bonus on todays run was the addition of my new Ipod Shuffle and the latest episode of the podcast Phedippidations. You should check out Steve Runner and his rambling diatribes for good company on your long runs. I'll be taking better care of this new ipod after ruining my last one in a rainy stormy long run last fall.

Yesterday, Friday was my key workout for the week with the scheduled 'Lactate Threshold: 12mi w/7mi @ 1/2 marathon race pace'. Just slightly harder than the 11 w/6mi @1/2 from 3 weeks ago and a chance to compare results. I ran this from work, leaving early after working through lunch. The 1st 2 miles were just a slow jog to gradually loosen my tight legs up. They've been exceptionally tight and sore lately and it was even bugging me to sit at my chair. It's now officially time to order my runner repair kit from Trigger Point. This comes highly recommended by my much faster (and slightly younger ;-) Tri-cousin, Garry from Alberta, who swears by it. He calls it a 'good hurt'.

Back to the run, not feeling too badly really, just a little tired and not too keen on doing the next 7 miles. 1st mile: slightly down and then up in 7:14 while feeling comfortable and in control. Next mile: mostly downhill/flat in 7:02 while trying to hold back and conserve energy for later. Mile 3: flat but into slight wind (-8C or 15F) working it a bit in 7:15. Next miles were more and more work just focusing on the effort with occasional glances at the watch in lap mode showing average lap pace for each mile. Splits of 7:18, 7:11, 7:16 and final one of 7:19 as I was able to count past 5 this time. Average pace of 7:13 and heartrate of 152 compares poorly with the last time of 7:10/148. I'd like to blame it on accumulated stress on sore/tired legs, continuous 7 miles, extra layers for the cold but it still was an acceptable effort. Finished off 3 miles at slow recovery pace to a warm home, toasty fireplace and a lovely glass of Castel del Papa homemade wine. Perfect!

Another good week completed with 65 miles logged. I'm trying to follow the schedule to the letter to get the desired benefit of both the hard and easy efforts and it seems to be working. Have a nice weekend and keep warm by the fire!

Blowing in the wind

It's hard to tell which way the wind is blowing lately and this photo is a case in point.

I've been a busy guy but still finding time to run as per the master plan and occasionally have enough energy to blab a little bit about it during the quiet winter evenings. We've had 2 snowfalls already this week and a couple more are forecast for the weekend. Hopefully it won't mess up my plans for the longer long run on Sunday. The old hams are still bugging me as I continue to try ignoring the messages being received by the dull brain. If I'm still able to run it must not be a real problem/injury, right? Maybe I'll call for an appointment (next week...) when I have more time.

Monday - glorious rest day after my 15+2 medium long run with the Boys of Boyden

Tues - more easy running with 10 miles split up into a 4 mile early morning treadmill and 6 mile outdoor run at lunch. Not feeling too inspired but got the runs in with some sub 8 miles thrown in by accident.

Weds - the dreaded mid-week medium long run and this time I didn't go play volleyball instead of running. We had a good dumping of snow overnight with local schools again canceled and so I thought the chances of getting a 15 miler in today would be slim to none except on a treadmill. But surprise, the mild temperatures cleared the roads off and all that was needed was a bit of persistence or maybe just dumb bullheadedness. After the 1st 6 mile loop of our local township I was severely tempted to call it a day but instead just kept on trudging along. The legs felt good for the most part and only 'pinged' a bit at the end of the ordeal. Avg pace of 8:23 and hr 129.

Thurs - today was just an easy 6 miles and it went very slowly as I allowed myself to hide the watch and run just for recovery. Avg pace of 8:42 and hr 125. It was a nice clear day and got yet another angle on our local landmark Algonquin Hotel. Bet you can't wait for some summer shots of the tourists in the pool!

Not looking forward to Friday's torture session but the anticipation is always worse than the deed itself. Happy running!

Sunday Sunday

It was a beautiful morning for a run; calm, clear and only a little on the cold side at -18C (1F) at the start. It warmed up considerably during our run and we were thankful there was no wind at all.
We do have a bit of snow still in the fields but the roads were clear and dry. I met the gang at our usual spot for the Boyden Lake loop. As usual Ozzie was there early, followed by Jon and of course Andrew bringing up the rear (as well as the coffee). It was a fairly quiet easy run for all of us, covering the 17 miles in 2:24, traffic was almost non-existent but the chatter of runner conversation echoed through the wilderness waking up all the dogs for miles. None were brave enough to challenge a pack of 4 runners though.

At the end of the loop Andrew & I pulled over for coffee and Tim Horton's chocolate balls while Oz and Jon put in a few extra miles. My 'plan' only called for 15 today and this was plenty for me with the continuing soreness in my hamstrings. This has bugged me for quite a while now and it doesn't seem to be getting any better or worse despite daily stretching. It might be time to visit the massage therapist or physiotherapist and get it sorted out.

Nothing too much else to say. The next few weeks are going to be extremely busy with both intense training weeks and work going crazy as I prepare for meetings in mid-March. Wish me luck and have a good week!

More of the same

My sister's little dog, also known as Binx who makes both a good lap dog but also has very sharp ears and works a 2nd job as an alarm clock and watch dog.
These deer (7 in a row) wandered through our back yard last night taking their good old time and waiting their turn to use Jo's well maintained garden path. They then jumped the fence and had a little party in our enclosed yard (former dog run area) before being shooed off by me in my slippers.

Besides all the animal activity things have been fairly quiet around here lately. The weather has been half decent, warmer for a few days (above 0C) and then on the cool side but no winter storms to add to the accumulation of snow and ice on the roads. This has been a scheduled recovery week but so far it hasn't felt much like that as the effects of the hard marathon pace run on Sunday lingered into the midweek. Instead of feeling easy and refreshed the feeling is more like tired and worn down...

Monday - rest day, ahhh, a bit tired and slightly sore

Tues - 10 miles in 1:24 in the nice mild temperature of +4C. The heartrate was a little elevated and the legs were feeling tired and lazy. I probably should have broken this run into 2 shorter runs but the plan said... x so I did x.

Weds - still feeling low so I switched workouts around and did just an easy 6 today at an easy 8:30 pace and lower hr of 130. The right hammie was tight and sore so I gave it extra attention during my post run stretching. That night I also took in 2 hours of volleyball and we had fun winning the 1st and last games while playing 4 on 5 (sorry Thomas but a man's gotta do what he has to do).

Thurs - 9 miles with 6x600m at 5k effort said 'the plan', yuck said I. After a 3k warmup I attempted to run this on the roads during an out and back run. After determining that my 5k pace for 600m should be about 2:24, the only other variable was the rest interval and I decided to go with a distance of 400m instead of time so each interval started at the kilometer mark. It's always easier said than done as I could only 'hit' my theoretical time on 3 out of the 6 attempts. I'll blame the failures on the hills, wind and -8C temps. Decent run but not up to par.

Fri - 11 miles in 1:34. Guess who was tired and lethargic today? wonder why... Light winds, temps -5C, on slow tight legs once again. It was one of those put your head down and run sort of days that your glad just to finish. There were one or two brights spots as the sun was out for awhile and my stride actually smoothed out a bit after 4-5 miles, but only for a bit. The sun then went back behind the clouds and the hammie tightened up to finish the run.

Tonite, relaxing on the couch and then on the floor doing some extra stretching while watching a few sports programs. I've got a short easy 7-8 miler planned for the morning to top off the week at 59 miles. And then I'll be taking it easy again as I rest up for Sunday's long run with Andrew around Boyden Lake once again. Have a great weekend!

Anticipation

Why can't we just live in the moment? It seems we (me in particular) are always looking ahead to the next turn in the road or obstacle in the path to whatever goals or plans we have in life. We will just finish one thing, say a big project or even a marathon or hard workout and rather than saying good work and enjoying your success (or criticizing the mistakes) we are more likely to say what's next?

The past week has been hectic, busy with work and into the heavy workload of week 9 of 18 in Pfitz's training schedule. It's been work, run, eat, sleep and more of the same with little time for anything else (like blogging). But it's now the weekend, the long hard run is done and I've got a bit of time to recap the week.

Monday - rest and relaxation after digging out from the storm. Our local schools were closed both today and Tues due to road conditions. No ill effects from the long run.

Tues - 15 mile medium long run in 2:05 (8:21 pace) It was a good run during the doing of it but afterwards I felt very tired and not the 'pleasantly tired' variety. This program can slowly accumulate stress on you. While no particular workout is overly hard, put together one after another they will wear you down if you aren't careful. I was feeling the effects that night and spent it mostly on the couch.

Weds - a welcome easy day of just 6 miles which was done on the treadmill while it poured rain outside. Ran at a nice easy pace between 8:30 and 8:00 in my warm dry basement.

Thurs - another easy day with an easy 4 miles in the morning on the mill before going to work and then an easy 6 mile loop around town at lunch. Felt OK for the first few miles on the 2nd run but struggled in at the end as I continue to wear down despite taking it slow.

Friday - 13 miles in 1:50 (8:28 pace) and was able to hook up with one of my co-workers who also goes by the name of Andrew. We cruised around town on this rather mild day (-2C and light winds) while chatting away a mile a minute about running and work. After 7 miles Andrew peeled off while I continued with another loop around town to make up my mileage needs. It was a good run but my hammies were complaining at the end. Similar to Tues, after this run I was absolutely wasted and even more non-pleasantly tired than before.
Sat - no sleeping in this weekend; up at 5:45 to get a short 4 mile treadmill run which completed a tough week with a total of 69 miles in the bank. It was a very slow run and it took 2 miles to just get the kinks out and feel even 1/2 way smooth. Then it was a 3 hour drive to Moncton for a Run New Brunswick race director's workshop. I was there to represent our local St. Andrews Father's Day race which will have it's 30th running this year.

On the way back we stopped by in Saint John to see my Mom who was staying with my sister before heading back home in northern NB. It also happened to be the perfect time for a birthday celebration for my nephew who turns 14 in a few days. The ice cream cake was very good too!
Sunday - did I mention that I'd been trying not to think about (anticipate) this workout?

Yea olde plan said "Marathon specific 15 mi w/12 mi @ marathon race pace".

'Oh, goodie! I can't wait to knock that one off'. Maybe I'll call in sick or perhaps "My dog is sick". Have you seen this Utube video? No Excuses! it's great with lots of good ideas for excuses!

After delaying as long as possible, waiting for the temperature to warm from -13C at 8am to almost -2C by noon it was off to my funeral. But it's never as bad as anticipated... easy 2 mile warm up, then BAM! 1st mile in 7:24, no problem, 6 seconds in the bank on 7:30 goal pace. Next mile 7:20, now 16 sec up, mile 3 in 7:29 and so it went. Watching each mile split, losing seconds on the big hills, then gaining then it back on the next flat or downhill as I focused on only one mile at a time. Final result was 12 miles at MP in 1:29:40 or 20 seconds under goal and average heartate of 146 which is also under goal or at least in the manageable range. The run was 2 big loops of the town mostly along our 5 mile road race course with some added distance on the Bar Road. Finished with an easy easy jog home and crashed out for the rest of the afternoon. Feeling more pleasantly tired tonite, rather than the 'other' dead tired variety.

I'm now looking forward to Chocolate Fudge Crackle ice cream and a 'recovery week' according to Pfitz (only 59 miles). Have a nice week all!

Let it Snow!

I almost didn't run yesterday morning...

The forecast the night before called for some significant snowfall overnight and into Sunday morning but I still made all my preparations for the trip to Boyden to meet Andrew and friends. Needed to set out my breakfast, get the coffee ready to go, pack a lunch for after the run, mix gatorade, set out my clothes and don't forget the alarm clock! Not that I needed it, waking up about 10 minutes early despite only 6 hours of sleep.

Peered out the window into the dark and nothing much yet, just a few flakes. Email to A who's only about 8 miles away as the crow flies across the bay 'What's it like over there?'. "Snowing here" was the reply. It's settled, we're off on a mission to run.

45 minutes later I'm standing at our meeting point talking to Ozzie who's raring to go but no sign of sleepy head. A few minutes later he shows up and we're off again under a slight dusting of snow flurries (no accumulation yet).
Cruising along about mile 8-9 as the flurries got a bit more serious.

All we saw on the road today was sand trucks and snow plows which were out in force making sure that we had a good experience in the backwoods of Maine. We all agreed that the conditions were near perfect with temps just below freezing, and fairly good footing for the most part as the snow was a perfect non-slip consistency. The only problem I had was some balling up of snow on the soles of my shoes which forced me to 'scuff' my feet along to clear the accumulations. We had a lovely quiet run, at least in quiet surroundings, as our constant chatter likely woke every dog within 20 miles.

Our pace was very, very relaxed and barely broke 9 min. miles for the most part as we covered the 20.3 miles in 3:03 and my average heartrate barely reached 130. This was perfectly fine with me after the long week I'd just completed. I had been worried that Ozzie a sub 3hr runner in my age group ace would want to cruise along a bit faster. However he was fine with it saying it was his 1st 20 miler this year. I didn't say it was my 7th 20 miler since early December as I'm sure he knows what he's doing and will take me to the cleaners in any race we do together. So we just cruised along avoiding the minimal traffic and occasional snow plows and had a fine time of it.

A great way to spend a Sunday morning I'd say. Have a nice week all!

Fear of the unknown

After a couple of easy days to start the week off, the plan was to bear down with a couple of more significant efforts. It didn't happen right away as everything seemed to conspire against anything to do with running.

Weds - First there was more snow and slush to contend with, and there's the ever present work monster, closely followed by general lethargy and fear of the big workouts. It's harder for me to get in the mid-week medium long distances than it is for any weekend long run. So what did I do? Jumped on the treadmill for 5 easy miles ( including one at MP just for fun) and then went and played 'volleyball' for 2 hours. I can hear Andrew complaining loudly already... "you did what?". I was bored, I was lazy, I was trying to avoid the big workout.

Thurs - went much better because it was finally time for the rubber to meet the road as I worked through lunch and came home early to do my 14 miler mid-week run. I'm not sure where the energy came from because I was very tired all day at work and barely functioning without extra strength coffee. However, once things were finally at the point of no return and the Gatorade started to kick in the run went very well. Total time of 1:58 and heartrate at 130 and the legs were good except for some hamstring soreness in the last mile. 'Decent run' says the log.

Friday - more energy in the tank today and pulled the same trick, working through lunch again and getting 'out' early. Finally the run that I'd been dreading all week, by the book it says "Lactate Threshold, 11 mi w/6mi @15k to 1/2 marathon pace". After just doing the 14 miler, I wasn't even sure this was in the realm of possibility on tired legs. But after 3 easy miles of warm-up there was still something to give as the splits went by nicely in 712, 705, 711, 707, 714 and then I stopped! "What's the matter? Can't you count, Power?". Feeling a bit stupid I took an easy midrun 3/4 mile break and then worked the last mile in 714 to average out at 710 and heartrate of 148. Finished the run with an easy 1.5mi for a total of 11 in 1:28.

Sat - I've got 6 miles planned which will put me down at 64 for the week. What started out as a mediocre or even almost failed plan all came together in the end. Persistence wins again. Have a nice weekend!

A beautiful day

For running that is or at least it was a nice Sunday morning to get outdoors for a few hours. The rest of the day didn't go so well but more about that later.

My long run schedule was for 21 miles and since I'm 'usually' one to stick to the plan I just headed out the door and down the road to see what would unfold. Due to my planned trip to Halifax later in the day and problems in Boyden Lake Country the run was at home alone with not even an Ipod for company. It was a perfect calm day with little or no wind and temperatures warming from -6 to -2C over the 3+ hours (sad and slow). I believe the effects of my '2-for-1' run were still having their impact on my body. There's not too much to say about the run, slow going, zigged and zagged around town, occasional photo breaks and one water stop at home before finishing off with an out and back to make the required distance. The body felt decent for most of the way but there was no desire or ability to go any faster today.

After the run, I just wanted to take in fluid, food and pass out on the couch for the rest of the day watching the unending pre-game build up for the Stupid Bowl. But no, I had to hop into a little car with a co-worker and drive 5 hours for an early Monday meeting in Nova Scotia. We shared the driving and J was kind enough to do most of it but by the end my legs were absolutely killing me. It's hard to describe; the legs were not cramping but the general pain and soreness was very intense and not being able to stretch of move in the tight quarters made it even worse. But we made it, ordered pizza and settled down with a few beers to enjoy the game.... Stupid Bowl! At least the pizza and beer were good. Lying out on the bed was nice too.

Monday - rest day (thank God) and another long drive home. I was not as sore but we made several stops which helped relieve the tightness from sitting too long in one position. And at least we beat the snow.
Tues - today's schedule called for 2 short runs but I blew off the early one before work. I awoke (before the alarm) reset the clock and napped for an extra hour. Boy, I needed that! At lunch it was an easy 6 miles in a light snow and ice pellet mixture and felt fairly decent for a change. I'm pacing myself for the rest of the week and that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Two for one

I finally bit the $150 bullet and signed up for the big race and now have my confirmation. There are only 11 weeks left to go and I can't wait. I'm also looking forward to watching US womens Olympic trials taking place the day before using parts of the Boston course. This should provide some exciting viewing as we mere mortals mill around counting down the hours.

The past week didn't quite go as planned as I only managed a total of 55 miles in 6 runs. My busy work schedule kept interfering as meetings went later than planned leaving options of either running in the dark or doing it on the treadmill late in the evening.

Weds - 5 miles on the mill with an easy 2 mile w/up then 2 miles at MP+ (faster than 7:30) which felt fine for a few miles but I worry about stringing 26.2 of them together

Thurs- 8 miles at lunch (work be dammed) because the meeting crowd takes long lunches in any case. It was a nice steady run in a cool NW wind and I experienced some cramping in my quads and hams at the end which was likely due to too much coffee and not enough fluids before the run.

Friday - meetings over so I took off an hour early to get my '2 for 1' combination medium long/tempo run. After a 2 mile warm up I was able to almost get up to speed with 5 miles at about 7:15-7:20 pace and heartrate around 148-150. Because I had resisted the urge to turn around early on this out and back run this put me 7 miles out from home base. Surprisingly the return trip was very pleasant as I had the feeling of just riding a bicyle in the easy gear. This was nice until the wind started to pick up. Total of 14 miles in 1:53. That night the couch was my buddy and the tired feeling I had was not of the 'pleasant' variety, more of the exhausted 'woe is me' type.

Sat - 6 very very easy miles on the treadmill and felt better after the jog than before it. Spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house as more rain and freezing rain was falling outdoors.

January is now finally behind with a total of 263 miles in 25 days of running and 27 runs. It was a good month for miles but had very little in the way of any speed or tempo. Let's hope I can stick to the plan better in the coming weeks and hit those key workouts as they come up. Have a good week!