3/20/16 to 3/26/16: More Mileage!

Last week's theme of 'so tired all the time' predictably continued this week - helped, no doubt, by my new weekly mileage high of 113.

Let's just get on with it and post the training:

20-Mar		New Bedford Half Marathon *GP		1:56:00		17.9		AM: New Bedford HM, 1;16:44 for a new PR.
		Off		0:18:20		2.3		PM: Just a really easy shakeout.
21-Mar		Easy		0:58:27		7.1		AM: 7+ commute
		Easy		1:20:29		10.07		PM: 10+ including a stop at Trader Joe's.
22-Mar		Easy		0:59:29		7.32		AM: 7+ commute.  Feeling really tired.
		Easy		1:21:08		10.1		PM: 10+, some with Eli and Raleigh, and also ran to Whole Foods to pick up fish for fish tacos.
23-Mar		Easy		0:57:26		7.1		AM: I'm tired.
		BU Track		2:00:00		16.1		PM: 10+ home and to the track.  800/1000/1200/1000/800/400x2.  5k/8k/5k/mile pacing.  Had some stomach issues during the second half that slowed me a bit.
24-Mar		Easy		0:42:29		5.2		AM: Nice shorter recovery run on the way into work today.
		Easy		0:48:44		6.2		PM: Pretty raw outside.  Colder, windy, and misting.  Another nice and easy run though.
25-Mar		Easy		0:39:25		5.21		AM: Again, nice shorter recovery run.  A bit quicker though, ~7:30/mile
		Easy		0:46:43		6.2		PM: 6+ home at 7:30/mile.
26-Mar		Workout		1:34:51		12.25		AM: Battle Road!  12+ at 7:45/mile.  This felt like a breeze.  So nice to do
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Rest

Splits:

800-2:38.9

1000-3:16.6

1200-4:08.7

1000-3:21.1

800-2:41.6

400-1:14.5

400-1:10.6

Total: 113.05

New Bedford Half Marathon 2016 Race Report

After driving two and a half hours home from the White Mountains on Saturday night, and getting home at ~11pm - I felt surprisingly ok on Sunday morning.  The start time of 11am certainly helped, and gave me a chance to get at least a little bit of rest.

Once we found a parking spot, I picked up my bib and started a longer warm up.  After about 3.5 miles, I stopped back at the car to remove some layers and though it was quite chilly it was warm in the sun - so I opted for singlet/gloves/LVL buff.  I brought three pairs of shoes as well, and I wore the same Takumi Sen that I wore for the 20k.  I've worn those multiple times since, with appropriate socks (ie, not the 'holy' kind...) with no blistering issues.  Still, I was nervous that I had made the wrong choice as I made my way to the starting line.  Long story short though, I had no issues other than the pre-race anxiety it caused.

On the starting line I saw a few familiar faces, but decided I would be running my own race.  I felt pretty good, but the previous week had me feeling pretty tired and I wasn't feeling great pop in my stride during warm-ups.  Still, I wasn't tired, and felt like a PR should be in the works.

Once the gun went off, I settled into a pace that felt like, "yeah, I could hold this for awhile."  I didn't want to force the issue and so as the first few miles clicked by, I felt smooth and sustainable.  I passed the 5k mark at around 18:20, and noticed that there were a lot of runners around me and ahead of me that I wanted to be ahead of, but again - running my own race.  I was only passed by one runner...a guy from GBTC who bolted from the starting line because he forgot something.  He passed me at probably the 5m mark, and after that I wasn't passed by anyone.

After the first couple of hills, we made our way to the solid stretch of road heading back towards the coast.  I felt comfortable as I clicked off miles five through seven in 5:44, 5:44, and 5:42 respectively.  From Cove Rd all the way along the coast, and back inland the wind was very steady.  Last year was brutal, but this year was persistent.

I continued to pass a lot of runners during this stretch before I found that there was a large gap between myself and Joe O'Leary.   After passing mile 10 in 58:38, I focused on closing the gap.  He seemed to be hopping on the pain train, and I ended up passing him just before mile twelve and the final big hill.  At this point there, I kept grinding and finding runners to pass.  I spotted two guys well ahead that seemed to be maybe out of reach, so I focused on them as my last semi-realistic targets.  Coming down towards the finishing straight I was making up ground well and I accelerated into the straight.  I timed everything right, and passed them both within a few meters of the finish line. Here's the video.

I ended up splitting 35:56 for 10k, ~58:38 for 10 miles, and finished in 1:16:44 - all of which are PRs.  This result takes over two minutes off of my previous hm PR, but I still think there is room for improvement.  I'm still really pleased with the result though.

Splits:
5:49.98
5:58.83
5:59.44
5:59.54
5:44.65
5:44.13
5:42.77
5:53.72
5:50.51
5:54.23
5:51.91
5:45.49
5:47.48
42.44

Final Time: 1:16:44
Overall Results
Scott Mason Photos

3/13/16 to 3/19/16: So Tired All The Time!

This is what it means to be in the thick of marathon training for me though - to be really tired, all the time.  And me recently crappy sleeping patterns certainly don't help.

I seem to have a knack for self-sabotage, and this week started off similarly.  Kevin and Mariani came over for dinner Saturday night and somehow we had just a tiny bit too much fun (or, I did at least...).  I showed up to the Soup Run after having only slept for about 5 hours, and my head was in a heavy fog.  My original plan was to run ~16m at marathon pace, but I scrapped that and ran 10m moderate followed by 10m at roughly marathon pace.  Me, Tom, and Neil were together for the first 10, and were moving at a decent clip - I'd say we were averaging about 7:30/mile.  Tom was going to be running extra long for the day, so as we entered the second phase of the run Neil and I accelerated and found a nice rhythm in the low 6:20s.  I felt like crap after just 3m at this pace, with my hips and hamstrings feeling tight and fatigued.  I thought that I would need to cut the workout again, but I stuck with it and ended up emerging from the fog.  After turning onto Comm Ave at the firehouse, I started to focus on hitting MP and ended up a little quicker.  I covered the hills quite well, and finished the 10th mile (20th overall) in 6:01 at the Heartbreak Running Company, averaging ~6:15/mile for the second half.  Neil finished shortly thereafter, and we had a 3m cool down back to Pat's.  A total run of 23m with the overall average at 6:55/mile - not how I wrote it up, but it went well enough.  In the afternoon we drove down to Plympton for some great family time for Mama Bugbee's BDay.  Good times were had by all!

On Thursday Elizabeth and I drove down to Truro in the afternoon, then back in time to make the track workout, which went well considering I was in a car for just under 5 hours.

On Saturday, we woke up a bit before 6am to drive up to the White Mountains.  While Elizabeth was hitting the slopes with her coworkers at Bretton Woods, I was doing a poor job of trying to avoid injury on the trails.  I went with Raleigh to find something runnable, but the trails were very icy, and I biffed it hard less than a mile in.  Nothing was hurt badly, so I made my way to look for flatter trail.  I crossed over what seemed to be thick ice over a shallow brook and didn't get far before the trail once again became un-runnable.  On my second crossing of the ice bridge, the ice gave way and collapsed. I luckily only went knee deep in the ice cold water.  I've become used to my shoes being clogged with ice water, so I kept running...but I felt like I was having some bad luck out there.  After I finished up four+ miles, I parked near some running water and took a nap in the car.  After meeting up with Elizabeth and company, we made our way to the Mt Washington Resort and had a fantastic dinner with her co-workers.  If not for the New Bedford Half Marathon, I would've gladly stayed up there for the weekend.  However, with that race in mind, we left at around 9pm and got home at around 11:30.  I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

That's it!

13-Mar		Soup Run		2:40:25		23.14		AM: 23+ averaging 6:55/mile.  First 10 steady, next 10 at about 6:10ish/mile.  Then 3m steady back to Pat's.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Mom's bday!
14-Mar		Easy		0:47:39		6.1		AM: Slightly more recovery today with 6+ at 7:48/mile.
		Moderate		1:22:59		10.4		PM: 10+ and took Raleigh for a bit at the end. 8min per.
15-Mar		Easy		0:47:40		6.15		AM: 6+ easy. 7:45/mile.
		Workout		1:27:51		12.33		PM: 7+ before a 4.5m tempo around Fresh Pond with Terry.  Tempo was probably around 6:00/mile average.
16-Mar		Easy		0:38:43		5.14		AM: 5+ at 7:30/mile.  Early meeting means less miles and faster than I would prefer.
		Easy		0:55:52		7.21		PM: Commute home then a bit with Raleigh. 7+ at 7:45/mile.
17-Mar		Easy		1:01:08		8.24		AM: Longer commute.  8+ at 7:24/mile.
		BU Track		1:21:00		10.64		PM: Got back from Truro and jogged over to the track.  800x7 at 10k pace.
18-Mar		Easy		0:40:44		5.21		AM: 5+ at 7:50/mile.  Took it easy.
		Easy		0:48:31		6.2		PM: 6+ at whatever.
19-Mar		Workout		0:50:47		4.26		AM: Drove up to the White Mountains and did some trail running while Elizabeth hit the slopes.  Fell hard on a rock, and also fell through some ice…still fun.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: A long really tiring drive home.

Splits:

800-2:43.96

800-2:44.39

800-2:44.23

800-2:43.21

800-2:42.58

800-2:42.41

800-2:35.79

Total: 105.02

3/6/16 to 3/12/16: Great Week of Training

This week started off very well with the big PR at An Ras Mor.  I was able to squeeze in a second run on Sunday to get in ample mileage as well, which helped to work off some of the post race beers!

On Tuesday I did a bit of a mini 'special block.'  I didn't have anything planned until Monday night when I came up with the bones of what I would do.  The plan was to run to work and get in 10k of hard running.  Taking into account the headwind, back pack, and general tiredness that I have in the morning - the ~6:30/mile pace felt a lot harder than it would have if I took the day off to do a true special block.  During the day I came up with the second part of the workout, which would be another 10k hard followed by up&down hill repeats where I run hard up and hard down to give the quads a pretty tough stimulus.  I sent out an email to the CSU group to see if anyone wanted to join for the hills, but I didn't have any luck.  The 10k was still pretty tough with no warm up, and I averaged about 6:10/mile, and then made my way to Appleton Street and ran eight repeats.  All in all, this was a pretty tough day, but my legs felt surprisingly spry during my recovery runs on Wednesday.

Thursday's workout on the track was one of the more challenging efforts I've had in a while.  My legs felt good, but they just didn't have much pop.  Looking back, I had both mileage and quality the previous few days so it should have been expected.  I'm still pretty happy to have been just about right on the pacing, and I think there is some benefit to be had by gutting through a workout when you don't feel 100%.

The stuff!!!:

6-Mar		An Ras Mor 5k		1:28:56		11.83		AM: Long warm up then came in 62nd place with a big PR of 16:14.  Held off Pickleman for the final half mile plus.  Good stuff.
		Shakeout		0:43:16		5.28		PM: Nice and easy shakeout after waking up from my nap.  Had Raleigh with me for a bit.
7-Mar		Easy		0:53:00		7.05		AM: 7+ commute at 7:30/mile.
		Moderate		1:19:43		10.02		PM: 10+ w/final 1.5m with Raleigh.
8-Mar		10k at 95% MP		0:48:43		7.33		AM: 1m easy, then 10k+ at 95% MP.
		10k at MP + 8 x Up&Down Hill Repeats		1:08:12		10.3		PM: 10k+ at MP followed by an easy jog to Appleton, then eight Up&Down repeats.  All told, it was about 10m of good work.
9-Mar		Easy		0:54:35		7.1		AM: 7+ at about 7:40/mile.
		Easy		1:21:06		10		PM: 10+ at about 8per.  Final three were with Raleigh.
10-Mar		Easy		0:53:51		7.1		AM: 7+ commute at whatever.
		BU Track		2:03:58		15.75		PM: 10+ home and to the track.  Workout was (1200, 1000, 400, 200) x 2 1200 & 1000 @ 5K, 400 & 200 @ Mile pace 200m rest between reps.  I felt like I was struggling to hold form the whole time.  Meh.  Very meh.
11-Mar		Easy		0:41:24		5.25		AM: 5+ commute.  Felt alright.  5m is the perfect distance for me, right now, to get the legs nice and loose.
		Easy		0:47:56		6.15		PM: 6+ pretty easy home.
12-Mar		Easy		0:48:07		5.61		AM: Late morning running with Eli and Raleigh.  Beautiful day outside.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Fun and delicious dinner with the Delaney's.

Splits:

1200-4:00.56

1000-3:20.26

400-1:11.80

200-34.93

1200-3:57.77

1000-3:20.06

400-1:13.12

200-31.89

Total: 108.77

An Ras Mor: 2016 Race Report

I had been looking forward to running An Ras Mor for quite some time.  After my mile and 3k PRs on the track this winter, I was looking forward to hitting the roads and testing my fitness against a larger group of runners.  For my indoor season, I think I would have benefited from getting into a fast heat and holding on, but that situation never presented itself.  Fortunately, that isn't an issue at the USATF-NE Grand Prix series.

The race was also exciting since it would be the largest contingent of CSUers racing since I've been a member.  This time last year, the weather was brutally cold and windy, but fortunately this year the club lucked out with an incredibly mild and comfortable day.

I had limited my runs the previous few days to get my legs out of the 'walk like an old man getting out of bed' zone.  On the morning of the race, the easy miles did the job and I felt good.
I ran along the river from home, getting in a sufficiently long warm up (~10k+) and a few strides.  I was able to get to Central Square at basically the same time Elizabeth was parking, and I was able to drop some things off at the car and head to the starting line feeling fresh and free of any nerves.

The starting line was extremely crowded, and I didn't see any familiar faces or teammates.  When the gun fired, I stuck to the left side of the road in order to stay tight on the left turn onto Mass Ave.  The first mile plus is a very gradual uphill, and I passed the first marker in 5:15.  I was expecting to get out quick, but I was still a little nervous as this was totally uncharted territory for me.

About a tenth of a mile after that marker, we took a sharp left downhill onto Linden follwed by another quick left onto Mt. Auburn.  I wasn't paying attention to anyone around me still, and I used the downhill to keep the legs moving quick and also take a few deep breaths.  I had a bit of nerves after the mile marker and that downhill came at the right time.  I refocused and made sure I wasn't slowing down too much (something that frequently occurs during the middle miles for me).

Once we took a right onto Putnam, I knew there was still plenty of race left, but it felt a bit like the home stretch.  I've run this road many times before and it has the perfect elevation profile for this spot in the race.  It's mostly level to slightly downhill, and it's a great spot to find a smooth stride.  Just before the two mile mark, I was passed by two familiar faces - Jose Ortiz and Jake Barnett.  Both of these guys have always been far ahead of me in any race that I'm running.  So when they passed me with just over a mile to go, I had a nice boost of confidence.

I stuck on Ortiz' shoulder for maybe a quarter mile before letting him go.  He wasn't totally hammering it, but the pace felt just a touch too hot for me and I made the choice to stick to my own plan.

I had uneventfully passed the second mile marker in 5:17.  I was zoned in, but I made a mental note that I was pleased to have only slowed down by 2 seconds.  For the next half mile or so, I felt like I was both chasing down and being chased down.  For the most part though, I wasn't passed - I just felt like someone was aiming for me.  And it turns out I was right!

Shortly after turning onto Brookline, I saw the black and yellow colors of the Somerville Road Runners.  I took a peak and noticed that it was the Pickleman!  I've never beaten Pickleseimer, and frankly he's dusted me at every single Pub Series race.  Once he got on my shoulder I put in a pretty good surge.  I was surprised to see him there and I wanted to give myself just a bit of room to breath and try and think.  This was the final throws of the race though, and I didn't have much oxygen going to my brain so my strategy was simply, "don't let him pass you!"  In the end, and to my surprise, it was a good strategy and it worked!

Mile 1 - 5:15.04
Mile 2 - 5:17.34
Mile 3 - 5:17.36
Mile .1 - 25.23
Final Time: 16:14

Here is video of the finish.

Results
Jim Rhodes Photos
Scott Mason Photos

2/28/16 to 3/5/16: Feeling Good

This was a good week of training.  Nothing spectacular, but this is basically marathon training - a lot of miles and just continuing to maintain the routine.  The 10+ on Monday was a good effort.  I was once again contemplating going a bit further, but the shin is nearly 100% and an extra mile or two didn't seem worth the risk.

I took it mostly easy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday leading up to An Ras Mor.  Friday night I did a few quarter mile and half mile pickups, but that wasn't anything too strenuous.  I wanted to prime the system, and make sure everything felt good - which it did.  Though, trying to run fast with a backback is no fun.  I felt fine on Saturday and the legs were in good shape.  It's funny that running ~5m instead of 7m thanks to the 5m instead of the normal 7+ really did feel like a taper...

Anyways, THE data:

28-Feb		Long Run		2:43:52		20.67		AM: Ran to the Back Bay, just under 21 at 7:56/mile on a nice and hilly route.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Did some rolling and stretching
29-Feb		Easy		0:52:28		7.1		AM: 7+ at 7:20/mile
		Moderate		1:10:01		10.12		PM: 10+ at 6:55/mile
1-Mar		Easy		0:54:00		7.1		AM: 7+ at 7:35/mile
		Workout		1:02:23		8.00		PM: 8+ at 7:45/mile.
2-Mar		Easy		0:54:38		7.1		AM: 7+ at 7:40/mile.
		BU Track		1:55:37		15.75		PM: 10+ home and to BU.  600/1200x3/600/400/200x2 w/the six at 3k pace, the twelve at 5k, the four at mile, and the two quicker.
3-Mar		Easy		0:54:44		7.1		AM: 7+ at 7:45/mile.
		Workout		0:43:39		5.38		PM: 5+ at around 8/mile.
4-Mar		Easy		0:39:32		5.25		AM: 5+ at around 7:30/mile.
		Easy		0:35:10		5.1		PM: Commute home at about 6:55/mile.  Did a few pickups, nothing crazy.
5-Mar		Workout		0:31:06		4.01		AM: 4m at whatever.  Woke up early to get in some easy miles before heading to the Cape.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Did some stretching.  Got to bed pretty early too, which was nice.

Splits:

600-1:53.63

1200-3:55.80

1200-3:56.68

1200-3:55.83

600-1:54.70

400-1:10.84

200-32.93

200-30.23

200-40.86(w/Eli)

Total: 102.20

2/21/16 to 2/27/16: Not Enough Medium Long Runs?

The shin remained a bit of an issue this week, but it only prevented one workout.  In the grand scheme of things, that won't be a big deal.  I've been taking a calcium/vit D supplement, and this is the first time I've ever thought a supplement was useful.  Based on a little online digging, the body won't use more than 500mg at a time, so I've been cutting the Trader Joe's tablets in half and taking them whenever I can remember.  I'm glad that's mostly in the rear view; a small bump in the road.

In reviewing my training up to this point, I've noticed something lacking in my running the past few weeks.  Although I'm getting in good total volume, I'm worried that I'm not running enough medium long runs (12-14 miles).   In the past, I've felt that a mid week MLR has been a big boost to my training.  Combining marathon and mile training has made getting those runs in a little bit difficult.  I think I'm in new fitness territory though, so time will tell if I'm actually missing out.

Moving forward though, I think that ~10m at marathon pace is a more beneficial workout than a 12-14 miler at aerobic effort.  Those were tough to fit in during the past 10 days though due to the shin.  As it is, March is going to an important month to 'get it right'...let's get to it!

Thdataizhere!

Sunday		21-Feb		Long Run		2:29:00		20.03		AM: CSU long run 20+ at 7:26/mile.  Once again, Kevin and I finished up running 6mid.
				Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Got in a great nap.
Monday		22-Feb		Easy		0:55:50		7.1		AM: 7+ at 7:50/mile.
				Easy		0:44:00		5.5		PM: Short commute.  Effn shin.
Tuesday		23-Feb		Easy		0:55:00		7.14		AM: No ibu, shin was ok, not great
				Easy		0:51:08		6.02		PM: No ibu, shin was still ok, but not well enough for a workout.
Wednesday		24-Feb		Easy		0:48:47		6.09		AM: No ibu, shin again ok.  Felt ok by the end, but I don't like wearing these big trainers.
				Easy		0:49:59		6.2		PM: 6+ home at whatever.  Really rainy, and I felt alright.  Tempted to go for a bit more, but I think I'm thisclose to being recovered so I took it easy.
Thursday		25-Feb		Easy		1:04:10		8.2		AM: 8+ at whatever.  No issues with the shin, but I'm sick of these clunky trainers.
				BU Track		2:00:53		16.26		PM: ~10m run home and to BU.  800/1000/1200/1400/(400x3), 5k/8k/mile paces with 200 rest and 400 rest after the 1400.  Hit the paces, but felt like I was pressing a bit.
Friday		26-Feb		Easy		0:55:52		7.1		AM: 7+ at about 7:50/mile.  Pretty dang tired and sore.
				Easy		0:48:51		6.2		PM: 6+ home at around 7:50.  Not really in the mood today.
Saturday		27-Feb		10m+ at MP		0:39:40		6.36		AM: Limited warm up.  Won the Fresh Pond 2-lapper in 28:29ish.  Averaged 5:45.  Would've preferred to add another lap, but I felt kind of crappy.  Shin is still a minor concern, but zero issues today after 1 ibu (for my headache…).
				Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Took it easy, tried to nap unsuccesfully.

Splits:

800-2:37.31

1000-3:19.05

1200-4:06.20

1400-4:46.43

400-1:12.48

400-1:11.21

400-1:07.90

Total: 102.20