11/27/2016 to 12/10/2016: Two Weeks Whatever

Well, first I recovered from my ankle sprain.  Then I recovered from my Achilles injury.  Now I'm recovering from a stomach virus.  This has been a frustrating past few weeks.  On the plus side, I was getting a little heavy, and could stand to lose those 7-10lbs...

RunLog:

27-Nov		Long Run		1:50:16		14.08		AM: Battle Road, Achilles got a little pinchy so I stopped instead of doing the normal 16.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
28-Nov		Easy		1:14:04		9.06		AM: 9+, Achilles got a little pinchy, but not worse.
		Moderate		1:30:17		10.01		PM: 10+ SLOW.  But Achilles was pretty good.
29-Nov		Easy		0:00:00		0.58		AM: 5m of walking.  WTF.  Achilles flare up.
		Workout		0:00:00		0		PM: Drove and dropped the Jeep off at the mechanic then walked home in the rain.
30-Nov		Easy		0:00:00		0		AM: Biked ~5m.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Biked ~5m.
1-Dec		Easy		0:42:00		5		AM: 5m easy.  Achilles felt fine during the heal drops last night and this morning, so I took very easy.  Stopped a few times to feel for any tender spots and it was all good.  Cautious.
		BU Track				12.5		PM: Commute home with a few pick ups to see how the Achilles felt, it was good.  Then I was cautious about the workout, but it went really well.  800x2/400x4/400x4/200x4.  5k/3k/mile pacing.  Pretty spot on pacing too.
2-Dec		Easy		0:34:13		4.06		AM: Had to drive the Jeep back to work, then did a very easy 4m to be safe about the Achilles.  Cautiously optimistic, but it's getting back…probably around 85% recovered.  Ankle still popping too though.
		Easy		0:52:36		6.24		PM: 6+ slow and easy.
3-Dec		BU Indoor Opener		0:35:59		4.48		AM: 4+ at around 8 per.  Kept it easy again.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: CSU party.  Good times.
4-Dec		Long Run		2:04:06		16.19		AM: Battle Road.  16+ at 7:40/mile.  Achilles held up well, but obviously concerned at times.  Body feels out of whack from the time off.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.  Did some exercising though.
5-Dec		Easy		1:06:35		8.01		AM: 8 at a very slow pace.  Still keeping it easy.
		Moderate		1:07:41		8.03		PM: 8+ at a still slow pace.  Not helped by the footing though.  Very slippery.
6-Dec		Easy		1:03:50		8.01		AM: 8+ at around 8 per.  Not bad.  Feeling better and better.
		Workout		1:12:19		10.18		PM: 10+ fartlek averaging about 7:0x.  Did a lot of 3/4 mile pick ups, but not that quick thanks to uneven footing.  Not bad, focused on good form and running quick and relaxed.
7-Dec		Easy		1:03:24		8.1		AM: 8+ at 7:50/mile.  Felt normal.
		Easy		1:18:53		10.08		PM: 10+ at 7:50/mile.
8-Dec		Easy		1:14:42		10.02		AM: 10m at 7:27/mile.  Had an episode of Bison's Revenge, but it's all good.
		BU Track/Pub Series Dinner		0:42:42		5.58		PM: 5+ at 7:39/mile.  Got bonkish on this run.
9-Dec		Easy		0:47:48		6.11		AM: 6+ at 7:50/mile.  Just taking it easy ahead of Mt. Hood.
		Easy		0:40:31		5		PM: 5m at 8/mile.
10-Dec		Assault on Mt. Hood		1:01:45		8.23		AM: Good warm up, then 3rd overall on an extremely challenging Mt. Hood course.  Good back and forth with two other guys too.
		Dinner Plans		0:00:00		0		PM: Stomach bug!?  WTF!  Good thing dinner plans were cancelled…UGH!

Splits:

800-2:40.09

800-2:39.74

400-1:15.81

400-1:16.51

400-1:15.01

400-1:15.73

400-1:11.22

400-1:11.68

400-1:11.93

400-1:10.63

200-35.80

200-35.39

200-35.42

200-34.09

Totals: 66 and 103.5

11/20/16 to 11/26/16: Injury NOOooooo!!!

By now, I'm sure just about everyone has seen the video below:

Make sure you have the sound on when you watch it.  Knowing that the runner is ok, it's alright to laugh.

With that video in mind...Sunday's long run at Battle Road started off great, as usual.  I ran along with Terry and Kevin, with Jon and Kevin easing into the run and trailing just a bit further back.  About 3.5 miles into the run, a huge buck came out of nowhere to run across our path maybe 10 meters ahead of us.  The three of us were all startled and mentioned that clip in particular, and how we were lucky not to get creamed by a buck with antlers....then, while distracted and somewhat out of nowhere my foot found the bottom of a leaf covered hole and my ankle went all rice krispes on me.  You know...snap crackle pop.  I hit the deck immediately, but the damage was done and my ankle was already looking grape fruitish.  Jon offered to jog back to his car and pick me up, but I've turned my ankle enough times to believe there is benefit in staying mobile (while being extremely careful not to re-turn the ankle).  The 3.5 miles back to the car were really uncomfortable though.  In retrospect, I would've preferred to hobble a lot less than 3.5 miles, primarily because the force of the limp over that distance caused my right quad to be really sore.  I was fairly pissed, but I've run on sprained ankles before.

On Monday I took two ibuprofen when I woke up to reduce the swelling (I only take ibu for sprains now), wrapped the ankle, then ran slowly to work.  I was feeling optimistic; the ankle felt ok by the end of the run.  The evening run was 11+ very slow, but once again, I was optimistic.  During that run I stopped at the new turf fields on Nonantum to add mileage because it's a nice predictable soft surface.  Someone had left a soccer ball on the field, and so I dribbled around for 2+ miles and things were looking good.

Tuesday was a 10/10 double, but looking back - taking the two ibuprofen before each run was a mistake.  On one hand, I believe it helps the sprain.  On the other hand, it covers up any other aches and pains that I should be aware of.  So, on Wednesday I went out to Battle Road to do an easy 12 when 4 miles in I noticed that more and more my left Achilles was feeling like bunk.  I once again had to stop and turn around, but I thought I was doing the right thing.  Unfortunately, that wasn't quite the case.

On Thanksgiving morning, my Achilles was somewhat tender, but I felt good enough to race.  I had to rush to the race in Marshfield, thanks to losing my GPS signal, and I showed up with 6 minutes to spare.  I should've just wore my trainers for the race, but I wasn't really giving it that much thought, and I put my flats on and did about 1 minute of light jogging.  One mile into the race, I could tell my Achilles was in rough shape.  By the third mile, it was in a vice grip and I had to stop three times.  The third time, I took my left shoe off and shoved one of my gloves in the heal to create a makeshift heal-lift, and ran a pretty solid 4th mile to over take a large group of runners.  I chose not to race the Plymouth 5k, but the damage was already done.

I took Friday and Saturday off and my streak of 362 days in a row running ended.  Freakin a, man!  So here is the bunk week:

20-Nov		Long Run		1:06:25		6.51		AM: Twisted my left ankle badly ~3.5m in.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off, just trying to rest the stupid ankle.
21-Nov		Easy		0:57:35		6.27		AM: 6+ very slow.  Had a noticeable limp, but the ankle did loosen up quite a bit by the end.  Still, all that hobbling and my right quad was sore.
		Moderate		1:34:49		11.32		PM: 11+ slow, with some tacked on mileage with Raleigh.  Stopped at the turf fields and jogged around there with the lights and even footing.
22-Nov		Easy		1:20:23		10.03		AM: 10+ at around 8 per.  Ankle still sprained, but improving.  Stopped at the turf fields again too.
		Workout		1:24:07		10.03		PM: 10+ at 8:24.  SLOW.
23-Nov		Easy		1:10:40		8.30		AM: 8+ slow at Battle Road.  Left Achiles started to act up so I slowed down and turned around.
		Easy				0		PM: Drive to the south shore.  Achilles meh.
24-Nov		Thanksgiving		0:27:00		4.39		AM: Barely got to Marshfield in time and my left Achilles was hurting.  Had to stop 3 times during the third mile.
		Thanksgiving		0:00:00		0		PM: Thanksgiving!
25-Nov		Easy		0:00:00		0		AM: No running.  Achilles super tender.  Kicked the soccer ball around and tossed the football though.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
26-Nov		Workout		0:00:00		0		AM: Off.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.

Total: 56.85

11/13/16 to 11/19/16: Decent Training

This week was probably closer to 'meh' than it was to decent in terms of training.  The track workout on Tuesday was done in awful conditions.  With heavy winds and a driving rain, I was soaked to the bone with probably 8-10lbs of wet clothes by the end.  The strong headwind on the back stretch had me feeling all over the place in terms of pacing, but since it was a solo effort - it kind of gets chalked up to an ok workout for developing mental toughness.

After Tuesday night I was having some pretty rough aches and pains on my left side.  My knee was feeling tight, and I developed a tender spot on my shin as well.  I once again had to skip the track on Thursday to keep both of those issues at bay, but I did a solid "workout" of 30 x 100 meters starting on the minute.  I say, "workout," because it's not super exhausting.  I pulled this idea from Nate Jenkins' blog, and he summarized the workout as follows:

Generally speaking the key to 100's for me is time, they are about 15 seconds long. That means they are alactic. Ie no lactic acid is produced. This means the whole focus of your bodies energy systems is different. Now after 30 of these you will certainly hit a point where some lactic acid is produced in the muscle even with the long rests but the key is very very little is produced. The session is about running quickly with good form to build muscular strength and endurance. Now I will extend this session to 150's on 90s then 200's on 2mins, 300s on 3mins and perhaps 400's on 4mins. Keeping the global volume the same at around 3000m to 2miles. Notice the rest stay very long and the effort would stay very light. This is not a hard workout. This is not a session to work hard in. This is a session to focus on relaxation at speed. A session to float through. As such even as I increase as I have described on alternate weeks I will go back to the 100's and frankly I have in the past and likely will in the future have long stretches where I don't do anything but the 100's because it is the easiest way to build the desired strength without straining and by avoiding that I can do the best job of teaching myself to run fast smoothly and efficiently. 

So, after reading that comment I decided to throw that in there for Thursday night.  It felt like another slow step towards mile training.

Here is the data:

13-Nov		Long Run		2:04:17		16.2		AM: Battle Road, 16+ at 7:40/mile.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
14-Nov		Moderate		1:15:56		10.03		AM: 10+ commute at 7:34/mile.
		Easy		1:17:12		10.08		PM: 10+ at 7:40/mile.
15-Nov		Easy		0:49:48		6.18		AM: 6+ at around 8 per.  Shorter run due to an 8am meeting.  What a slog though anyways.
		Harvard Track		1:47:14		13.56		PM: Commute home and to track.  Pouring rain and driving winds.  (1000/600/400x2/200x2)x2.  5k and mile pacing, but it was all over the place.  Had probably 8lbs of wet clothing on, and the headwind was brutal.  Good character builder, but bad habit builder as my form was shit on the backstretch.
16-Nov		Easy		1:16:45		10.03		AM: 10+ at 7:39/mile.  Left knee a bit sore.  Shins are both tender.  Need new shoes.
		Easy		1:10:12		8.72		PM: 6m very easy home, then 2m around Fresh Pond with Eli.  Left shin was pretty sore on the commute, didn't feel it at all around Fresh Pond.  Iced it though.
17-Nov		Easy		1:12:36		9.08		AM: 9+ at 8:00/mile.  Left shin didn't get worse, but it was tender.  Iced it at work.
		30x100m (15seconds)		0:50:21		6.28		PM: 6+ at 8:00/mile.  Mixed in 30x 15s starting on the minute.  Aiming for fast and relaxed w/full recovery.
18-Nov		Easy		0:49:46		6.08		AM: 6+ at 8:11/mile.  Mixed in some drills.  Left shin was meh.
		Easy		0:37:42		4.73		PM: 4+ easy, then drive to Plympton.
19-Nov		Kingston Turkey Trot		0:52:00		7.2		AM: Kingston Turkey Trot, 2nd place.  Long course, and once again they need to put out some cones or something.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.

1000-3:30.5

600-2:00.24

400-1:16.43

400-1:18.00

200-36.01

200-36.28

1000-3:29.1

600-2:01.35

400-1:16.82

400-1:13.83

200-36.06

200-33.15

Total: 108.17

11/6/16 to 11/12/16: Slow Transition to Mile Training

I had written out a training schedule that would have had me well into some mile specific training by this point, but for some reason I haven't been able to make the transition.  Part of it has to do with my schedule and other things getting in the way, and part of it probably has to do with my level of energy.  I would love to be able to squeeze in some work on a Thursday morning, but I'm not sure my legs are even capable of running 70 second 400s at 7:30am.  Nonetheless, I think that may happen soon.

Terry's workouts have been a big boost in keeping the transition moving in the right direction though.  The workout three weeks ago that included 400x6 at 3k pace starting every 2min was tough, but fantastic timing in the schedule.  This week's workout included 200x7 starting every 60 seconds, and once again fit very nicely in the transition.  So, while I'd love to have a full session of mile specific stuff on Thursday's, it's not to my benefit to force the issue.  Maybe this slow transition is the best transition.

The stuff:

6-Nov		Long Run		2:05:06		16.18		AM: Battle Road, 16 at 7:43/mile.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Got in a nice nap. No double.
7-Nov		Moderate		1:16:15		10.06		AM: 10+ at 7:35/mile.  Mild headache, but legs felt good.
		Easy		1:19:06		10.04		PM: 10+ at 7:53/mile.
8-Nov		Easy		1:12:00		9.22		AM: 9+ at 7:50ish/mile.  Bumped into Julia and ran for a bit with company.
		Harvard Track		2:10:32		15.85		PM: Commute home and to track.  800/1200/1000/800/400/200x7.  5k/8k/mile pacing.  200s started every 60s.  So an average of about 25s rest.  Really good workout and very challenging.  A great primer for mile/3k stuff.
9-Nov		Easy		1:11:00		9.12		AM: 9+ 7:45/mile.
		Easy		0:58:00		7.16		PM: 7+ at around 8 per, some with Raleigh.  Dark and was slow on purpose.
10-Nov		Easy		1:18:01		10.01		AM: 10+ at 7:48/mile.
		Easy		0:45:53		6.21		PM: 6+ at 7:23/mile.
11-Nov		Very Easy		0:59:04		6.81		AM: 6+ at 8:40/mile.  Me and Eli had Raleigh off leash in the marshes.  Fun and relaxing run.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off, dinner in Ptown.
12-Nov		Off		0:00		0		AM: Off, closing up and driving.
		Easy		0:31:54		4.07		PM: 4+ at 7:50/mile.  Diverted onto the Fresh Pond golf course since it was pitch black with no headlamp.  Fun running by moonlight and saw a fox on the course as well.

Splits:

800-2:45.18

1200-4:12.15

1000-3:21.05

800-2:43.53

400-1:11.62

200-36.46

200-36.12

200-36.15

200-36.19

200-35.78

200-35.70

200-34.05

Total: 104.73

10/30/16 to 11/5/16: Tired!

Too tired to write more...Yeah, sure, whatever:

30-Oct		Long Run		2:00:33		16.15		AM: Battle Road!! 16+ at 7:27/mile.  Finished strong too.  Good stuff.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Lots of lounging and stretching and whatever.
31-Oct		Easy		1:16:34		10.04		AM: 10+ at 7:37/mile.
		Moderate		1:17:36		10.09		PM: 10+ at 7:42/mile with 6 strides.
1-Nov		Easy		1:06:39		8.59		AM: 8+ at 7:45/mile.
		Harvard Track		1:30:50		11.62		PM: Commute home then drive to Harvard.  (1000,800,200)x2, 800, 600, 200.  5k for 1k and 8, 3k for 6, mile for 2s.  Pacing was slow.  Might've been a tad too chilly for shorts, but I felt good.  John Harvard's afterward.  Good time.
2-Nov		Easy		1:04:50		8.04		AM: 8+ at 8:04/mile.  Really tired.  Reeaaally tired.
		Easy		0:59:00		7.34		PM: 6+ at 7:56/mile.  Right shin was bothersome.  Celtics game in the evening and did a light jog of 1m to shake out the residual tightness.
3-Nov		Easy		1:06:10		8.1		AM: 8+ at 8:11/mile.  Right shin didn't get any worse, but I'll be keeping an eye on it.
		Easy		0:50:35		6.34		PM: 6+ at 7:58/mile.
4-Nov		Easy		1:01:04		8.03		AM: 8+ at 7:37/mile.
		Easy		0:47:18		6.38		PM: 6+ at 7:24/mile.
5-Nov		Workout		0:42:00		6.56		AM: Fresh Pond 2-lapper solo.  Won in 28:55 negative split, ~5m at 5:50/mile.  Exact same splits as last Saturday, but felt a little tougher.  Still a good tempo.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Raked the yard, that was my shakeout.

Splits:

1000-3:25.14

800-2:43.31

200-35.77

1000-3:20.74

800-2:40.62

200-35.24

800-2:39.56

600-1:54.43

200-32.15

Total: 107.28

10/16/16 to 10/29/16: Last Two Weeks

The first annual TREAD Project (Truro Running Eating and Drinking) went well, but oddly I ran less than I otherwise would have!  That worked out fine though; I think my legs appreciated a bit more easy singles to end the week.  That Sunday long run on the 23rd was fun as well.  I'm sure that not everyone enjoy it (Kevin! cough cough...), but sometimes it's good to get lost and run a bit on some trails!!

The following week went unexpectedly well, hitting 111 total for the week.  Most encouraging was the workout.  Terry drew up an interesting session that involved 6x400 starting the rep every two minutes.  I averaged 1:16 per 400 and obviously 44 seconds for the rest as well.  I never felt like I was pressing, so I'm hoping this is a good sign of being ready to start mile/3k training in earnest.  That may have to wait a bit though as I want my shins and calves to be as close to 100% before I start hammering out fast reps.

Here:

16-Oct		Paddy's Shuffle 3m *Pub		1:05:00		8		AM: 5th place in 16:03.  Went out with the intent to hang tough, then they pulled away at the start of the second mile.  Next year the Shelleleigh will be mine.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Got in a great nap.
17-Oct		Easy		1:01:59		8.32		AM: 8+ at 7:27/mile.  Good pace.
		Moderate		1:37:00		12.12		PM: 12+ at 8/mile w/four Poplar strides.  Quicker than that for the first 10, then around Fresh Pond super slow with Raleigh who was being a pain in the ass.
18-Oct		Easy		1:18:56		10.06		AM: 10+ at 7:52/mile.
		Harvard Track		1:59:16		15.04		PM: Commute home and to track. (600x3)x2, (400x3), (200x3), 600 @5-3K, 400 @3K-Mile, 200 @Mile pace, 1min rest, 200m between sets.  Started the workout really low on energy, but hit the splits pretty well.
19-Oct		Easy		0:42:29		5.07		AM: 5+ at 8:22/mile.  Man, my legs were not warming up this morning and the 8am meeting really screws up my routine.  Very tired.
		Easy		1:05:38		8.26		PM: 8+ at a still slow pace.
20-Oct		Easy		1:11:43		9.13		AM: 9+ at just above 7:50/mile.
		Tempo/Hills		0:57:55		7.89		PM: Commute home then an easier tempo with Terry.  1-lap averaging probably 6:20.
21-Oct		Easy		0:58:03		7.07		AM: 7+ with Tom, Eli, Kristi and Raleigh for the first run of TREAD.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: It was raining pretty good and we decided against everyone coming back with drenched clothes.  Did some random exercises then had beer and tacos!
22-Oct		Workout		1:20:00		10.01		AM: Drove to Jonathan's for an interesting trail run. Tom and I tacked on an extra 4 at a pretty solid clip on hilly roads.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Folks arrived and we had a fun time between Jonathan's and pizza at our place.
23-Oct		Long Run		2:09:11		16.01		AM: Got a little bit lost, but this was a fun trail run with the group.  Those of us running extra mileage dialed it in pretty good after beating up our legs on the hilly trails/dunes.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Did a lot of cleaning then drove home to Cambridge.
24-Oct		Easy		1:14:36		10.08		AM: First mile slow, then felt pretty good and averaged around 7:15/mile for the remaining nine.
		Moderate		1:11:01		10.03		PM: 10+ at 7:05/mile.
25-Oct		Easy		1:03:10		8.23		AM: 8+ at 7:40/mile.
		Harvard Track		2:06:07		15.55		PM: Commute home then to track. 800/1000/1200/400x6/200.  5k, 8k, 3k, mile pacing with the 400s starting every 2min - so basically 42 seconds rest.  Everything was slow due to the wind, but the 400s averaged around 1:16 - pleased with that considering the effort felt totally relaxed.
26-Oct		Easy		1:06:53		8.29		AM: 8+ at 8 per.  Really tired.
		Easy		0:51:02		6.39		PM: 6+ at 8:00/mile.
27-Oct		Easy		1:09:31		9.03		AM: 9+ at 7:42/mile.
		Easy + 10x35s		1:05:57		8.44		PM: 8+ at 7:49/mile.
28-Oct		Easy		0:47:00		6.09		AM: 6+ at 7:43/mile.
		Easy		0:46:19		6.09		PM: 6+ at 7:37/mile
29-Oct		Workout		0:44:00		6.79		AM: Fresh Pond 2-lapper solo.  Won in 28:55 negative split, ~5m at 5:50/mile.  That was a good tempo.  Went well.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Rest.

10/18 Splits:

600-2:00

600-1:56

600-1:54

600-2:01

600-1:56

600-1:55

400-1:14

400-1:12

400-1:11

200-35

200-34

200-29

10/25 Splits:

800-2:48

1000-3:31

1200-4:16

400-1:18

400-1:18

400-1:18

400-1:16

400-1:16

400-1:13

200-35.44

10/16 - 10/22 Total: 100.97

10/23 - 10/29 Total: 111.02

Paddy's Shillelagh Shuffle - 2016 Race Report

In the 2nd week of September, I was very optimistic about how I would run at Paddy's.  And to be honest, I remained optimistic during the week leading up to the race as well.  I still think that my optimism was warranted, but on race day, it didn't quite pan out.

I entered the race in 2nd place in the Pub Series standings, only two points behind TJ.  I knew my only hope would be if he had a rough day, and I was firing on all cylinders - so my plan was to go out pretty hard and see what happened.  My spot in the standings was relatively secure, and with all of the mileage recently I felt that even if I went out too hard that I'd be able to survive off of strength.

Photo Courtesy of Scott Mason

I started the race by, surprisingly, shooting out to the lead.  This isn't exactly what was planned, but I wasn't concerned that I was out too hard.  I held a quick pace for 10-15 seconds, then settled in and found myself next to TJ and the eventual winner.  As TJ settled in next to me, I did my best to stay on his hip.  I did not want to lead, and I didn't want to draft, so we ran side by side for roughly 3/4 of the first mile.  As the three of us approached the mile marker, I slowed backed off slightly and they opened up a 2s gap.  My time in the lead pack was short lived.

Photo Courtesy of Scott Mason

For most of the second mile, I was in no man's land working against a decent head wind.  At one point, someone strode up beside me and stuck with me, and passed me for a few brief moments.  Shortly after passing a cop directing traffic (who happened to ask us if there would be more runners behind us...the answer was yes) I passed him back.

As soon as the runner had arrived, he was gone out the back.  Only a few seconds later I heard footsteps and assumed he was drafting, but instead it was Danforth and another runner.  I had no chance of catching the leaders at this point, and I really should've slowed and tucked in with Danforth and the other guy rather than serving as a wind barrier.  Instead I tried to maintain my position and they hung back for a few minutes before passing me and breaking away.

Knowing that a large handful of runners would need to pass me in order to have an impact on the Pub Series standings likely got into my head as I entered the third mile.  I was surging here and there, and keeping the gap was manageable.  As we turned onto the straight before the home straight, I heard someone say, "man, he just looks fast!"...that was a nice ego boost!

I surged hard here and was closing the gap, but it put my stomach into knots.  I backed off a little hoping that they still might come back, but I'm well aware of Danforth's kick and if I put in the effort necessary to close that distance, I would've taken the sting out of my own kick.  Pickleman wasn't far behind me, and he was working hard to close the gap on me.  So as we turned towards the home straight, I slowed, looked back, and readied myself in case Pickleman made a furious push to the line.

In the end I was able to hold a pace and keep my place in 5th overall for the race.  I would say that it was a very mediocre race.  Based on what I was trying to do though, it was going to be all or nothing anyways.  And I was able to maintain my 2nd place position in the men's standings.  Elizabeth had a great race, finishing with a net time of 19:39 and 7th in the Pub Series.

10/9/16 to 10/15/16: Fall Running

This basically felt like a standard week of training.  One funny thing that happened is I ran into a street sign.  There is a spot on Fresh Pond Parkway where my ocd requires that I go around the pole and on this run there were two cylcists coming toward me on the sidewalk.  I still had to try and sneak around the sign though, and whammo.  Bruised shoulder with a small gash.  Good job by me!

here:

9-Oct		Long Run		2:02:30		16		AM: 16+ at around 7:39/mile.  Slower 1st and 16th miles.  Rainy and lots of chafing, wtf.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM:  Pretty sore, and the weather still sucked.
10-Oct		Easy		1:24:08		10.01		AM: 10m at 8:30ish, with the first few slower waiting for Eli, then the last 4 with Eli and Raleigh.
		Moderate		0:29:52		4.07		PM: 4+ a little quicker before dinner.  I took today off and actually squeezed in a nap!  It was great!
11-Oct		Easy		1:16:36		10.01		AM: 10+ at 7:39.  First mile slow, remainder of run closer to 7:30 avg.
		Harvard Track		1:47:38		13.79		PM: Commute home then 1000x5/400/200.  5k and mile pacing.  Got a pounding heading during the 4th k.  Had to take some gu before the 400 hoping it was caffeine related, and ran slow for that.  Finished though.
12-Oct		Easy		0:56:57		7.04		AM: 7+ commute at 8+/mile.  Legs sore, and took it easy on purpose.  Really want to recover for Sunday.
		Easy		1:16:31		9.01		PM: 9+ commute home then final 2m very easy with Eli & Raleigh.  Mixed in some drills while running.
13-Oct		Easy		0:50:11		6.2		AM: 10k at 8min per.
		Tempo/Hills		1:27:14		11.07		PM: 11+ at 7:53/mile.  Roughly 3m tempo with Terry.  Legs felt shot.
14-Oct		Easy		0:40:18		5.16		AM: 5+ at 7:48/mile.
		Easy		0:35:46		4.64		PM: Shorter run home then a drive to the Cape.
15-Oct		Easy		0:33:42		4.14		AM: 4+ very easy.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.  Dinner at Solstice with Dave & Kathy and Mom & Dad.  Great time, as always.

Splits:
1000-3:17
1000-3:19
1000-3:19
1000-3:21
1000-3:23
400-1:14
200-32

Total: 101.14

Warner Fall Foliage Five Miler - 2016 Race Report

With Uncle Arthur on the mend  (and I'm glad to say, making a stubbornly excellent recovery), Elizabeth and I decided that - even though Family Farm Day was on hiatus, we'd still make the trip to Warner for a quick visit and for Elizabeth to defend last years title at the 5-miler.

When the gun went off, I was at the front with one other runner.  We quickly separated ourselves, and were feeling each other out as to what pace the other would settle into.  Knowing how I have run in previous years, I expected the first two miles to be fast.  Instead, I simply couldn't get good leg turnover.  My lungs were fine, but I felt weak on the push off and any increase in turnover took far too much effort.

By the time I reached the bottom of the downhill on the main road, I was gapped by about 10 to 15 seconds.  The guy in front of me had been warming up with a high schooler before the race, and I mistakenly thought the high school kid would be giving me a run for my money.  Instead the coach had the easy stride of someone who had circled the track on more than a few occasions.  Still, I knew the course, and felt I had a chance to close the gap.

The third mile is the dreaded Bean Hill Rd.  I kept my head down and tried to keep the gap where it was.  In years past, it has always been a big challenge for me to get the pace back down after cresting the hill.  I hoped that would be a challenge for the guy ahead of me, and so I forced myself into what felt like a sprint for 10s at a time.  It ended up working and I was able to fall back into rhythm.

I continued to close push, but it was looking like a tough challenge.  After the long downhill towards the finish, I could tell I wasn't closing the gap fast enough.  I got a little false hope nearing the finish though.  He slowed just a bit on the uphill and I went hard for another 10s to see where that would take me, but he was too close to the top of the hill.  I took the foot off the gas, and coasted in.  I probably closed the distance to about 5-8 seconds, but ended up giving it back by not kicking it in.

Splits:
5:33
5:45
6:42
5:39
5:12

The guy ahead of me, Sandu Rebnciuc, is no slouch.  So, I'm not too bummed about losing to someone with that kind of pedigree.  We did a cool down together along with the gentlemen from Utah who came in 3rd and 4th - all in all a good race.

Elizabeth, by the way, easily defended her title, coming in as the first woman and 10th overall in a time of 36:43.

Garmin Recap
Results

10/2/16 to 10/8/16: Big Mileage!

The mileage lately has been inching up, but this week I entered entirely new territory.  Something strange that I've noticed with the higher mileage is that when I look back on the week, my Sunday long run seems like it happened ages ago.  I imagine it has to do with the number of runs during the week all kind of blurring together, but I don't know.

For the long run, Elizabeth and I were away again, and we ran together for the first four miles, then after she peeled off I ran the final 12 miles at around 6:45/mile.  Not a crazy pace, but that's quicker than my normal long run pace.  So, this week had both quantity (a new 'high mileage pr') and a fairly substantial amount of quality.  As for the quantity...130+ miles for the week....that's new territory.

The week was capped with the Warner Fall Foliage 5 Miler, but I'll find some time to give that a quick race report.  Long story short, 2nd place to some fast old guy.

Here:

2-Oct		Long Run w/12 Hard		1:54:05		16.03		AM: First 4 with Eli, final 12 averaging about 6:45/mile.
		Shakeout		0:37:21		4.23		PM: Easy shakeout with Eli and Raleigh.
3-Oct		Moderate		1:17:32		10.12		AM: 10+ at 7:40/mile.
		Moderate		1:18:18		10.14		PM: 10+ at 7:43/mile.  Right foot really achy for like 3 miles of this run.
4-Oct		Easy		1:20:39		10.09		AM: 10m at 8min per.  Really eased into this run.  Running 7:30 by the end.
		Harvard Track		2:01:42		15.07		PM: Commute home and to track.  800/1200/1000/800/600/400/300/200x2.  1k and 1200 at 8k pace, 8 & 6 at 5k, 4 and under at mile pace.  It was great temps, but windy.  I ended up slow on just about everything.
5-Oct		Easy		1:19:31		10.01		AM: 10+ at 7:56/mile.
		Easy		1:19:07		10.03		PM: 10+ at 7:53/mile.  Why is everything averaging 7:53?
6-Oct		Easy		1:13:41		9.15		AM:9+ commute at 8/mile.  Tired.
		Moderate		1:16:40		9.07		PM: Commute home then lap around Fresh Pond with Eli and Raleigh.  Did 6 ~150 meter pick ups trying for 50m at 80%, 50m at 90%, and the final  50 all out.
7-Oct		Easy		1:04:37		8.2		AM: Felt pretty darn good considering I'm already at a new mileage high.  8+ at 7:53/mile.  Again with that 7:53…
		Easy		0:59:23		7.37		PM: 7+ commute
8-Oct		Warner 5 Miler		1:24:00		11.25		AM: 4+ warm up then the Warner 5m in 28:56 for 2nd overall.  Pleased with the result considering all the miles in my legs.  Couldn't get the necessary turnover for the first 2m, but that makes sense.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Drive home then relaxed.  Temptation was minimal…

Splits:

800-2:43.7

1200-4:15.7 SLOW!

1000-3:27.3

800-2:39.1

600-1:59.7

400-1:12.7

300-54.3

200-34.6

200-32.0

Total: 130.76

9/25/16 to 10/1/16: Marathon Training Without The Marathon

This week certainly started well with the Lone Gull 10k, and I'd say overall it was a fantastic week of running.  I'm bumping up the mileage just a bit, and while I'm healthy, I am incredibly tired.  This feels like the meat of marathon training, only I'm not running a marathon.  I need to keep a close eye on the little aches and pains that pop up though, with the additional mileage, I'm at a greater risk of injury and/or sickness.

Still, the 10k seemed to lineup with all the PRs I set much earlier in 2016, and I want to try and break into new territory.  Hopefully by not actually racing a fall marathon, I can reap the benefits without the necessary long recovery typically involved with the marathon.  I'm confident, but we'll see.

Here's the stuff!

25-Sep		Lone Gull 10k *GP		1:13:00		11.89		AM: Early morning drive to Gloucester for the Lone Gull 10k.  Very solid PR of 34:09.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Took an afternoon nap, and didn't have the energy to go for a shakeout.  I should've sucked it up though.
26-Sep		Easy		1:16:45		10.04		AM: 10+ commute at 7:39/mile.  First mile slow, the remainder was hovering at about 7:30.
		Moderate		1:14:12		10.08		PM: 10+ at 7:21/mile.
27-Sep		Easy		1:03:55		8.18		AM: Rainy 8+ commute at 7:48/mile.
		Harvard Track		1:58:00		14.7		PM: Commute home and to track. (800/600/400)x3, 200x2.  1min rest within the set, 2min rest between sets and 200s.  I felt really tired to start.  And my reps on the 8s got slower each time going from 2:37 to 2:41.  Finished the 200s well though.
28-Sep		Easy		1:10:04		8.87		AM: 8+ commute at around 8min per.  I hate not getting to even numbers, but my stomach was meh.
		Easy		1:15:12		9.21		PM: 9+ at 8+.  Met up with old man Luke on the Charles and ran a bit with him.
29-Sep		Easy		1:13:57		9.2		AM: 9+ at 8ish.  First mile slow with Raleigh, then commute to work at a normal easy clip.
		Tempo/Hills		0:59:43		8.03		PM: Commute home with 5m progression thrown in.  In trainers with backpack, started easy at 7:30 and finished at 6:20.  Went over to Fresh Pond with Raleigh and did 6 strides as well.
30-Sep		Easy		1:03:26		8.1		AM: 8+ commute at 7:50/mile.
		Easy		0:46:13		6.32		PM: 6+ at 7:19/mile.
1-Oct		Easy		0:31:57		4.2		AM: 4+ at 7:37 on the Truro loop.  Felt kind of meh, not helped by the driving wind and rain.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Plenty of cleaning and whatever.

Splits:

800-2:37.3

600-1:59.4

400-1:17.6

800-2:41.0

600-1:58.3

400-1:15.9

800-2:41.6

600-1:57.6

400-1:14.7

200-34.3

200-30.6

Total: 108.82 (why didn't I just run another .18!?)