4/1/19 to 4/21/19: Taper & Recovery

I'm not really a big fan of tapering...I don't think anyone is.  Once you find the right groove in training, even though you are likely in a constant state of semi-exhaustion, you relish the opportunity for the next hard effort.  During a marathon build up you callous your muscles and your mind to the point that a scheduled long run at MP no longer looks unreasonable...it looks kind of fun!

So when most folks get a little antsy as they start a two to three week taper, I go in a slightly different direction.  I'll stick with a two week taper, but front load the week with decent mileage before cutting back.

As is normally the case the week prior to Boston, I'll race the Doyle's 5-Miler to start of the New England Runner Pub Series.  This year's race went poorly, but it wasn't a disaster.  It was mile slowest time since 2015 (had to look that up...that really sucks!).  But, with constant injuries this winter, I had no expectations except to race.  As I came down the final straight, I felt like I had the gas to go at least another mile, but at no point during the race did I feel like I had the legs to dial down the pace.  So...strength was there, but speed wasn't.

Often times the week prior to Boston, I'll still show up at the Harvard track for some type of shortened workout.  However, my piriformis continued to be an issue, so I elected to play it safe.  I ended the week at 50% of normal mileage.  And I had one injury scare when I biffed it 200 meters from home while doing a short 'test run.'  Yikes!

As far as recovery is concerned...I recovered quickly, however the piriformis is still a very legitimate injury and I can't sit down for more than 5 minutes with out the thumping pain returning.  Running feels fine though.

Boston Marathon Race Report to come tomorrowish...

THE stuff:

1-Apr		Raleigh & Commute		1:05:00		8.11		AM: Raleigh & Commute…says it all.
		Commute & Raleigh		0:56:52		7.03		PM: Commute at reasonable clip, slow with the dog.
2-Apr		Raleigh & Commute		1:05:00		8.17		AM: Same deal.
		Commute & Raleigh		1:00:00		7.52		PM: Commute at reasonable clip, slow with the dog.
3-Apr		Raleigh & Commute		1:09:00		8.12		AM: Same deal.
		Tempo & Track		1:24:00		12		PM: 1m warm up, 5m tempo at around 6/mile, 2 x mile at 5:55 ish into some crazy wind, then altered the workout and finished with 4 x 200 at just a smooth stride clip.
4-Apr		Easy		0:59:42		7.16		AM: 7+ easy easy.
		Easy		0:48:18		6.3		PM: 6+ at 7:39/mile.
5-Apr		Raleigh & Commute		1:04:00		8.17		AM: 8+ at a around 7:40s then added with Raleigh.
		Easy		0:50:00		6.76		PM: 6+ at 7:24/mile.
6-Apr		Easy		0:50:06		6.5		AM: 6+ at 7:42/mile.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
7-Apr		Doyle's 5 Miler PS		0:27:42		5		AM: Doyle's!  Pub Series!  27:42 or whatever for 5th place.  This was slow, but I felt pretty good.
		Warm up & Cool Down		0:35:00		4.81		AM: Warm up and cool down miles, whatever.
8-Apr		Raleigh & Commute		0:43:29		5.4		AM: Ran the pooch then the short route to work.  7:40s for me without the dog.
		Commute & Raleigh		0:48:19		6		PM: Commute plus the dog.  7:50ish without the dog.
9-Apr		Easy		0:38:34		5.16		AM: Short commute as usual this week. Averaged 7:28/mile.
		Easyish		0:40:16		5.64		PM: 5+ commute home and inadvertently ended up quickish.  ~7min average for the total with the last 2m at 6:40ish.
10-Apr		Raleigh & Commute		0:40:29		5.22		AM: Ran Raleigh then commute.  Again started to go slightly quicker, but held back this time to stay above 7/mile.
		Very Easy		0:27:28		3.16		PM: Drove, but still went to track for the warm ups, drills and strides.  Actually felt pretty out of whack, but I had to sit most of the day in meetings, so that didn't help.
11-Apr		Off		0:00:00		0		AM: Off.
		Easyish		0:36:35		5.17		PM: 5+ commute home and inadvertently ended up quick again.
12-Apr		Easyish		0:38:55		5.22		AM: 5+ keeping it real.  Averaged 7:27/mile.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM:  Off.
13-Apr				0:33:54		5		AM: 5m a bit quicker testing out the race day kit.  Averaged 6:46.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Carbo load!
14-Apr		Easy		0:36:06		4.48		AM: 4+ easy at 8per.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
15-Apr		Boston Marathon		2:48:18		26.38		AM: Not a bad result considering the uneven training.  It was also a sneaky warm and humid morning, and even warmer when the sun came out.
		Boston Marathon		0:05:00		0.53		Noon: Legal's was fun as always!  This mileage was the warm up.
16-Apr		Recovery		0:19:19		2.17		Noon: Very easy with the pooch at whatever.
		Recovery		0:41:38		5.07		PM: Neil requested double.  Not that slow actually.
17-Apr		Recovery		0:40:07		5.02		AM: Sub 8 already?  Ok.
		Recovery		0:40:46		5.17		PM: 5m recovery.
18-Apr		Rail Trail w/Eli		0:45:30		5.04		AM: 5m recovery.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
19-Apr		Truro Trails w/Eli and Raleigh		1:01:00		7.02		AM: 7m recovery on the Truro trails with Eli and Raleigh.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
20-Apr		Recovery		0:48:04		6.2		AM: 10k recovery.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
21-Apr		Aerobic		1:10:00		10.07		AM: 10m at kind of a tempo effort.  Just felt like going at a comfortably quick pace.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.

Totals: 95.65, 50.45, 72.67

2/4/19 to 3/31/19: Turning Good Intentions into Action

I heard the phrase, 'turning good intentions into action,' in this interview, forwarded to me by Danny.   Since my last post, I had quite a good stretch of training before re-injuring my glute/hip/back.  And, as I inch closer to both the marathon and hopefully a full recovery from the injury - that phrase seems quite appropriate.  If you scroll through 'the stuff' below, you'll notice that training was going well up until February 20th.  There wasn't any specific event that seemed to trigger the setback, but a culmination of misfortune and stupidity no doubt played a role...a seemingly consistent combination for the long distance runner.  Or, for this one at least.

Upton 15k (what am I smelling?)
Photo Courtesy of  Tom Derderian

The time between then and now is where I had to turn the good intentions into action.  But, it's a funny thing trying to have good intentions while recovering from an injury, and balancing that with the good intentions of training for a marathon.  If you imagine a Venn diagram, some portion of the dueling intentions overlap, whereas others are at odds with each other.  I did my best to balance the two; running my easy runs as easy as possible, cross training and developing my own PT routine, getting good rest, etc.  As it currently stands, I may have been able to strike the right balance.

In other news....
- On March 9th, I tried to join Danny for a hard long run, and unfortunately my fitness just wasn't there.  It did not compare favorably to some pre-injury runs, but it was still a step.
- The following week was New Bedford HM...I won't be doing a write up, but the long and short of it is that I was an idiot the night prior and had a dog pooh race.  Again, I'll chalk it up to a hard training run that didn't go well.
- The following week DID go well, as Neil, Rahul, and I hit a groove during the Soup Run and I felt stronger as the run went on for a rock solid 24m training run.
- The following week once again went well at the Upton 15k.  On a very undulating course, I maintained a 5:51/mile pace that felt in control.  It's tough to gauge effort on a course like that, but I recovered well, which is a good indicator of both effort and overall fitness coming along.
That brings me to this coming weekend - the Pub Series opener at Doyle's.  Nothing like five weeks in a row of hard efforts leading into the Marathon.  Nothing could go wrong here...

The stuff:

4-Feb		MLR Moderate		1:10:22		10.1		AM: 10m commute at 6:58/mile.  Great weather.  Right glutius medius feels like a baseball sized knot is there, otherwise, felt alright.
		Easy		1:20:00		10.02		PM: 10+ home at 8:00/mile.  Ran most of it in the low 7s before meeting up with Eli and Raleigh for a river loop.
5-Feb		MLR Tempo		1:13:30		11.01		AM: 11+ w/8m at around 6:19/mile.  Couldn't get the legs moving and I'm tired so this is basically putting in the work.  Averaged 6:40 for the whole thing.
		5m Tempo		0:42:30		6.31		PM: 1m easy then 5 at about 6:20/mile.
6-Feb		MLR Easyish		1:15:00		10.04		AM: 10m at 7:30.  A little quicker than expected after yesterday.
		Easy		0:49:49		6.36		PM: 6+ at 7:50/mile.  Super tired.
7-Feb		Easy		1:03:00		8.08		AM: 8+ at 7:54/mile.  Still tired.
		Commute & BU Track		2:40:00		15.06		PM: Commute home then BU.  800, 600/200/600 x 2, 800, 400 x 2, 200 x 2.  HM, 5k, mile pacing. The 1400 slows to tempo pace for 200m before going back to 5k pace.
8-Feb		Easy		1:04:00		8.03		AM: 8+ at 7:59/mile.
		Easy		0:51:35		6.33		PM: 6+ at 8per.  Tired.
9-Feb		MLR w/2 Lap Tempo		1:11:00		10.03		AM: 2 lap tempo that was a bit slow.  Super windy though, so this gets a whatever.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
10-Feb		CSU Long Run		2:28:15		20.58		AM: Course preview run with Amory and Caroline, supported by David & the Salem kids.  This went great!!  Averaged 7:12/mile and conversational the whole time.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
11-Feb		MLR Moderate		1:31:00		12.03		AM: 12 at 7:36/mile.
		Easy		0:49:15		6.28		PM: Regular commute at 7:50/mile.
12-Feb		MLR Tempo		1:12:00		10.41		AM: 10+ w/8m tempo at around 6:35/mile.  Really wiped out and legs didn't want to turn over.
		Easyish		0:52:20		7.03		PM: 7m commute home at lunch before the storm, and finished with 6 strides.  Averaged 7:26/mile.
13-Feb		Easy		1:09:00		8.12		AM: 8+ at a super slow clip thanks to crappy conditions.
		Easy		1:00:00		7.02		PM: Easy commute plus some with Eli and Raleigh.
14-Feb		Easy		1:05:00		8.07		AM: 8+ easy on icy sidewalks.
		BU Track		1:58:00		13.32		PM: 800, 800/200/400 x 2, 1000, 600, 200x2 800@5K, 800/200/400@5K/Tempo/5K, 600@3K, 200@Mile pace.  Went well.
15-Feb		Easy		1:03:00		8.11		AM: 8+ easy at whatever.
		Easy		0:52:46		6.35		PM: 6+ easy at whatever.
16-Feb		Long Run Hard		2:17:00		20.23		AM: 20+ with a large chunk on the course.  Averaged 6:47/mile.  Good stuff!
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
17-Feb		Easy		0:33:58		4.44		AM: Easiest run in a while.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
18-Feb		Easy		1:03:00		8		AM: 8 easy at 8 per.
		Shakeout		0:19:56		2.35		PM: Run to Sam Peck's at whatever in the snow.  Biffed it.  Did core yoga in the evening with Eli.
19-Feb		Easyish		1:35:00		12.1		AM: 12+ MLR at 7:51/mile.  Good mid week MLR.
		Easy		0:51:14		6.37		PM: 6+ at about 8 per.  Back uncomfortable.
20-Feb		Ack		0:51:14		5.01		AM: Setback?  This was slow and really uncomfortable.  Not good.
		Why?		0:44:25		4.13		PM: This was dumb.  Definitely a setback.
21-Feb		Why?		0:32:32		2.5		AM:  Tried to just go really slow.  Another dumb idea.  Uber the rest of the way.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
22-Feb		Off		0:00:00		0		AM: Off.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
23-Feb		Walking		0:19:53		1.35		AM: This was walking, and I did feel better afterward.  Slightly improved range of motion.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
24-Feb		CSU Shakeout		0:29:46		3.04		AM: 3m very easy with Terry.  We hosted the CSU long run, so I suppose the injury worked out since it gave me plenty of time to cook.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
25-Feb		Off		0:00:00		0		AM: Off, early meeting and the injury was super tight when I woke up.
		Easy		0:53:00		6.22		PM: 6+ home, and kept it easy.  Feels like I'm moving in the right direction.
26-Feb		Easy		0:48:31		6.02		AM: 6+ in very cold headwinds.  Averaged about 8min per.  Encouraged by this - uncomfortable, but not painful.
		Moderate		0:50:51		7.03		PM: Encouraging run.  Averaged about 7:10/mile.  Stride feels off, but still no pain.  Not exactly a true 'moderate' run, but this oddly left my legs feeling like they did some work.
27-Feb		Easy		0:50:48		6.14		AM: 6+ at 8:16/mile.  No ibuprofen this morning and the back/hip/glute was uncomfortable and awkward, but not painful.  Stopped a few times to do the hip raise/pull movements.
		Easy		0:56:24		7.14		PM: 7+ at 7:53/mile…getting below 8 is good, I guess.
28-Feb		Easy		0:52:01		6.02		AM: 6 at 8:38/mile.
		BU Track		2:03:00		13.37		PM: Commute home then track.  800/1000/2000/1000/400x2/200x2.  Very surprised to get this done.  Back and glute were uncomfortable all day, and I took 2 ibu at 3pm and 1 at 6pm.  Not sure if that worked or if I loosened up on the commute.
1-Mar		Easy		0:53:05		6.4		AM: Shorter route for the commute, taking it easy.
		Easy		0:39:40		4.73		PM: Commute home, took the short route to be conservative with the injury.
2-Mar		Easy		0:38:03		4.1		AM: Did the Fresh Pond race timing, then my own bit slowly in the cold with bad footing.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
3-Mar		CSU MLR		1:48:00		14.3		AM: CSU long run.  Happy to do a MLR, but not quite where I want to be.  I'll take what I can get though - 14+ at 7:37/mile.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
4-Mar		Easyish		0:55:07		6.03		AM: Commute in a snowstorm!
		BU Track		1:06:00		8.25		PM: Commute plus hill bounding and downhills x 6.
5-Mar		Easy		1:05:00		8.09		AM: Normal commute!  8+ at 8:07/mile.  Slower due to footing.
		Easy		1:01:00		7.38		PM: Commute home and to Whole Foods for some fish.  A bit slow, and legs felt really tired when I finished.
6-Mar		Easy		1:04:00		8.07		AM: Normal commute again! 8+ at 7:56/mile.  Footing a little better.  Sub 8 is good?  Ugh.
		Easy		0:50:55		6.31		PM: 6+ commute at 8:04/mile.  A little slower due specifically to a few bad spots.
7-Mar		Easy		0:41:41		5.48		AM: 5m easy commute.
		Tempo + Track		1:45:00		11		PM: 5m tempo on the way to the track at probably 6:30-40 pace.  Then an aborted track workout.  1000x3/800/1000/200.  Supposed to be (1000x3,800)x3 with 1min rest on reps 2min on sets. Right side got crazy tight during the second set so I called it off.
8-Mar		Easy		0:49:27		6.22		AM: Bald Eagle run!!  Averaged an easy 7:57/mile.
		Easy		0:50:54		6.34		PM: 6m easy at 8min per.
9-Mar		10m Tempo		2:20:00		20.21		AM: 20m with 15m averaging 6:45.  Couldn't hang today.  Legs felt absolutely trashed - hamstrings and calves.  Back, hip, and glute weren't an issue.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Alden & Harlow!
10-Mar		CSU MLR Easy		1:25:00		10.18		AM: 10+ very easy in the snow.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
11-Mar		Easy		0:52:28		6.02		AM: 6m commute on sheets of ice.  Slow going.
		Easy		1:10:00		8.69		PM: 8+ with a quick stop at Marathon Sports to pick up the Pub Series New Balance shoes.
12-Mar		Easy		0:55:49		7.04		AM: 7+ at 7:56/mile.
		Tempo + Hills		1:01:00		8.89		PM: 1m warm up, 5m tempo at around 6:20/mile, 6 up/down repeats on Appleton, 2 10sec hard repeats.  Easy cooldown back home with Eli.  Thought this would be higher volume…
13-Mar		Easy		0:57:33		7.05		AM: 7+ at around 8per.  Legs are beat.
		Easy		1:09:24		8.07		PM: 8+ very easy.  Commute home, then picked up Raleigh to run and meet Elizabeth as she was running home for the first time in a while.
14-Mar		Easy		0:56:47		7.21		AM: 7+ at around 7:50/mile with the legs feeling like shit the whole time.  This buildup sucks.
		BU Track		1:45:00		11.7		PM: (1200, 1200, 800) x 2.  Felt like I was just muscling through every lap...still...eh...not bad I guess.
15-Mar		Shakeout		0:41:50		5.02		AM: Easy easy at 8:20/mile.
		Easy		0:54:27		6.88		PM: 6+ easy + Raleigh averaging 7:55/mile.
16-Mar		Easy		0:47:22		6.07		AM: 6m at 7:48/mile.  This is the best I've felt in a while.  Glute was fine after 1m.
		Off		0:00		0		PM: Off.
17-Mar		Wup Cdown		0:40:00		5.04		AM: 4m warm up and 1m cool down.  Pace whatever.
		New Bedford Half GP		1:19:40		13.15		AM: I stink.  Legs felt trashed 5m into the race and thought about cutting it short.  Stuck with trying to average sub 6 through 10m, then plodded the remaining 5k like a chump.
18-Mar		Easy (normal commute!)		1:03:00		8.03		AM: 8m commute at 7:55/mile.  Didn't feel easy, but the back and glute weren't really a thought.
		Easy		1:05:00		8.24		PM: Pretty sore.  Normal commute plus some with Eil and Raleigh.
19-Mar		Easy		1:03:00		8.03		AM: 8m commute partway with Alex.
		Easy		0:59:07		7.53		PM: 7+ commute, some with Raleigh to meet Eli.
20-Mar		Moderate		0:58:56		8.19		AM: 8m commute, with 7m a bit quicker at around 7per.
		Easy		0:55:46		7		PM: Commute home plus a bit with Eli and Raleigh.
21-Mar		Easyish		0:45:18		6.02		AM: 6+ at around 7:30/mile.  Early a.m. meeting screwed up a potential special block, but I'm still sore muscularly so probably for the best.  Glute/hip/back are improving rapidly this week.
				2:16:00		16		PM: 10k tempo at 6:08/mile followed up by 3 x 2m between 5:50 and 6min per.  Tough day, but a very good sign to check this box.
22-Mar		Ski Trip		0:34:35		4.09		AM: Falling many times on the slopes followed by an uncomfortable 4m on the treadmill at the hotel.  Roads too narrow and drivers suck in NH.
		Ski Trip		0:00:00		0		PM: Good dinner good times, outdoor pool in a blizzard!
23-Mar		Travel to Plympton		0:44:08		5.42		AM: 5+ with Eli.  Nice and easy.
		Travel to Plympton		0:00:00		0		PM: Solstice!
24-Mar		Soup Run		2:44:00		24.16		AM: Behaved well last night so that this could go well today.  Can slice it as 6:39 for 18, 6:36 for 16…or 6:51/mile for the whole bopper.  Very happy with this.  24m long run is no joke.
		Off/Nap		0:00:00		0		PM: Lots of air relax, and a great nap!
25-Mar		Easyish		1:02:00		8.18		AM: Legs feel pretty solid actually.  8m commute at 7:39/mile.
		Easy		0:54:26		7.01		PM: A little tired, and added on with Raleigh.  Averaged 7:45/mile (including slow Raleigh).
26-Mar		Easyish		1:03:00		8.18		AM: 8m commute at 7:44/mile.  Feel some DOMS, but still not bad.
		10k Tempo + Hilly 1m Repeats (x4.6)		1:37:00		14.15		PM: 10k tempo in 39:45 (6:25/mile), followed by hilly neighborhood 1m loop with Amory, Rahul, and Tom.  Did 4.6 reps averageing 6:17/mile.  Fractional rep was because Amory didn't want to be finished!  This was a great night of quality and quantity.  Three out of the past six days have been big.  Need to recover now.
27-Mar		Easy		1:05:00		8.19		AM: Easy at 7:59/mile.
		Easy Easy		0:53:07		6.37		PM: Easy easy at 8:20/mile.
28-Mar		Easy Easy		1:07:00		8.21		AM: Another easy easy at 8:09/mile.
		Progression Sorta		0:51:13		7.2		PM: First mile easy, then the next 10k at a moderate progression.  Still tired, so this was half assed.
29-Mar		Easyish		1:02:00		8.12		AM: 8m commute at whatever.
		Easy		0:40:16		5.01		PM: 5m easy.
30-Mar		Frank Nealon 15k GP		0:54:48		9.35		AM: Averaged 5:51/mile.  A little quicker than last year, and I felt pretty comfortable…though certainly not 'easy' on a hard course.
		Warm up & Cool Down		0:45:00		5.37		AM: Just the warm up and cool down mileage.
31-Mar		CSU Long Run		1:56:00		16.01		AM: Solid long run in very warm temps.  Averaged 7:18/mile on the hilly Weston loop.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.

2/7 Splits:

mile - 5:41 

mile - 5:39 

800 - 2:40 

1400 - 4:50 

1400 - 4:48 

800 - 2:39 

400 - 1:14 

400 - 1:12 

200 - 34 

200 - 31

2/14 Splits:

800-2:36 

1400-4:42

1400-4:41 

1000-3:12 

600-1:51 

200-35 

200-30

2/28 Splits:

2:40 

3:17 

6:59 

3:18 

1:12 

1:13 

34 

35

3/7 Splits:

1000-3:40

1000-3:41

1000-3:40

800-2:51

1000-3:39

200-40s

Totals:

Week Ending 2/10 - 121.95

Week Ending 2/17 - 111.41

Week Ending 2/24 - 44.85

Week Ending 3/3 - 81.47

Week Ending 3/10 - 103.56

Week Ending 3/17 - 100.83

Week Ending 3/24 - 102.71

Week Ending 3/31 - 111.35