I was running!

Friday, March 23, 2018

3/12/18 to 3/18/18: Training & New Bedford Half Marathon 2018 Race Report

As we turned along the coast we began to taste the salt water in the air;
And as we continued onward, a mighty wind rose up.
But so too did our spirits!
Running hellbent and hard into a blisteringly cold headwind must mean one thing;
It is March in New England
and here I am
Running in New Bedford!

The CSU crew met up at the gymnasium for bib pickup and a photo before heading out to warm up. And that caused things to be a little bit hectic. The warm up went fine, though it was a challenge to actually stay warm in the 20 degree temps. What caused some confusion though was getting to the line. Normally I would do strides off the front of the starting line then walk in, but the volunteers were telling everyone that had to run around the block and enter in from a side street. That caused a huge commotion and was a bad error on their part. I was stuck in the "8-min" corral with runners who were not even close to that pace, and I had no chance to push through the crowd. This resulted in a ~20s difference between my net time and my bib time. Worse though, is that I had to bob and weave for the first half of a mile. I'm surprised to look and find that my split was 5:35. Worth noting, I didn't look at my watch the entire race. I passed the 5k/10k/10m markers and that was the only feedback I had, and even then I knew that was inaccurate because it was based on gun time..

After that first mile, I was already feeling like I hadn't warmed up enough. I wasn't gassed, but the elevation changes made me more uncomfortable than they should have. I expected miles 2-4 to be a bit slower because of the elevation gain, but mile 3 in particular should have been 20 seconds faster.

Once turning into the neighborhoods, essentially every mile through mile 9, I was doing my best to stay running hard. I could tell that I was moving well, and I felt like I had settled in nicely as I continued to pass runners. There were two guys who passed me sometime around mile seven or eight, and I did what I could to hang with them and draft - though I knew they would pull away before the coast.

Once I hit the coast, I was happy to not be blown over by the wind. It was the standard tough, cold, bitter headwind - but nothing will compare to last year's brutality. Again, I was trying to cling to one group of runners or another and draft. I passed the 10 mile mark in ~56:40, which meant two things: 1.) a new 10m PR, and 2.) a HM PR was in the bag (I was hurting, but I knew that I'd be able to handle the final 5k).

After drafting for maybe a quarter mile off of a group of three, I thought they would perhaps drop me soon. So, I wanted to do my part and took my turn breaking the wind while I still could. And oddly enough, I started to feel good and the three other runners started to fade off the back...I don't think I was picking up the pace, but maybe I just do better at the front of the pack.

I continued to enter the hurt locker...but that is a familiar place, and I enjoy it! So after turning away from the water and into the city, I continued to pass people. I don't have splits for the final miles, but I'm pretty sure I was around 5:40/mile. I hammered the final hill, and started to pick people off as we descended towards the finish. With no one really in sight for the final straight, I picked it up a little, but didn't search for any higher gears (probably for the best with a tight left hamstring).

I finished in 1:15:02 (chip time), and a big PR.

Strava Data
Results
Scott Mason Photos

Weekly Stuff!

12-Mar	Easy	1:03:28	8.19	AM: 8m commute at around 7:45/mile. Pretty tired.
12-Mar	Easy w/Strides	0:58:35	7.11	PM: 7m with first 5 solo before meeting up with Eli and Raleigh. Finished with 4 strides.
13-Mar	Harvard Track	1:27:17	12	AM: Ran to Harvard in the storm, then skipped warm up and strides (bad idea). 3 x 2m at MP and it didn't feel as easy as it should have.
13-Mar	Easy	0:35:52	4.26	PM: 4+ in the snow. Pace whatever.
14-Mar	Easy	1:07:21	8.12	AM: 8m slow in poor traction.
14-Mar	MLR	1:17:02	10.14	PM: 10m at about 7:35/mile.
15-Mar	Easy	1:03:32	8.19	AM: 8m commute at 7:45/mile. Feeling tired, wiped, dead legged.
15-Mar	Easy	0:49:38	6.34	PM: Dang tired. 6+ at 7:50/mile.
16-Mar	Easy w/Pickups	1:00:45	8.1	AM: 8m at 7:31/mile w/15 short pickups. Legs feel a little better but still stiff and…spungy.
16-Mar	Easy	0:46:41	6.4	PM: 6+ at 7:18/mile. Just tried to get home quicker, nothing more than that.
17-Mar	Easy	1:02:12	8.2	AM: 8+ at an easy pace.
17-Mar	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: St. Patrick's Day Celtic Sojourn! Fun times w/Kevin & Mariani.
18-Mar	Warm Up	0:26:56	3.16	Warm up.
18-Mar	New Bedford Half GP	1:15:02	13.1	Ran a PR in less than ideal conditions, but not too bad relative to what New Bedford has been like the past few years.

Splits:

11:53

11:50

11:49

Total: 103.31

Saturday, March 17, 2018

2/26/18 to 3/11/18: The Weight of Exhaustion

I had originally titled this post, "Soul Crushing Exhaustion," but that might be a little over the top. My soul is not crushed. However, I have officially entered the stage of marathon training where I can feel the accumulated fatigue mounting. For anyone who has or is training to race the marathon, there comes a point where being tired at all times seems normal. And during a build up to race Boston, March is the month where that exhaustion has a distinctive weight to it. Legs don't feel fresh. The soleus is tight every morning, causing me to walk like I'm made of cement. I don't feel warmed up for any run until I'm at least 6m in. At 2pm every day, I crave a nap...badly. But...this is normal! And once the time for tapering comes around, and the weight is lifted - there is a physical and mental rejuvenation, with energy levels seeming to exceed any previous levels that I can recall. Right now, however, it is March. And I'm tired.

Here it is:

26-Feb	MLR Progression	1:08:26	10.06	AM: 10m progression averaging 6:49/mile.
26-Feb	Easy	1:03:33	8	PM: 8m at 7:56/mile with the final couple with Eli and Raleigh.
27-Feb	MLR	1:28:21	12.05	AM: 12m at 7:19/mile with the route including my 4-hill route of old.
27-Feb	Easy	0:48:38	6.31	PM: Kind of quick before meeting up with Eli and Raleigh. Averaged 7:43/mile.
28-Feb	Easy	1:01:07	8.09	AM: 8m at 7:33/mile.
28-Feb	BU Track	1:33:00	14.59	PM: Ran home and to BU for 10m total before the workout. 1200x5 at about 10k pace. Felt pretty hard, and had shorter rest at about 90s.
1-Mar	Easy	1:04:42	8.37	AM: Ugh, this felt uncomfortable. 8m with the first half mile running Raleigh. Averaged 7:44/mile.
1-Mar	Easy	0:49:09	6.31	PM: 6+ at 7:47/mile. Bonked a bit.
2-Mar	Easyish	1:04:38	8.25	AM: 8+ in the cold pouring rain. Reaally uncomfortable for this, so not exactly 'easy'. Averaged 7:50/mile.
2-Mar	Easy	0:38:44	5.01	PM: 5m at 7:44/mile.
3-Mar	10m Tempo	1:16:13	12.14	AM: 10m tempo at around 6:0x pace in very windy conditions.
3-Mar	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.
4-Mar	CSU Long Run	2:33:20	20.89	AM: 20+ at probably 7:40ish. Pretty hilly, and a slow start with the CSU group after running over from home.
4-Mar	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.
5-Mar	Easyish	1:00:02	8.08	AM: 8m commute at 7:26/mile.
5-Mar	BU Track	1:50:00	15.52	PM: Commute home and to BU then 4xmile from half marathon to 10k pace with short rest. Not bad on very tired legs. 18m for the day prior to the repeats.
6-Mar	Easy	1:02:15	8.1	AM: 8m commute at 7:41/mile.
6-Mar	Easy	0:49:13	6.26	PM: 6+ commute at 7:52/mile. Really wiped out.
7-Mar	Easy	1:02:19	8.1	AM: 8m commute at 7:42/mile. Bah.
7-Mar	Easy	0:48:55	6.31	PM: 6+ commute at 7:45/mile. Again, really wiped.
8-Mar	Easy	1:09:48	8.45	AM: 8m commute in shit footing.
8-Mar	BU Track	1:41:00	7.37	PM: Final BU workout. 800x2/(1200/600/300)x2. 5k/8k/3k/mile pacing. Went ok since the paces were close, but still feeling wiped.
9-Mar	Easy	0:59:39	8.01	AM: Felt ok. 8m at 7:27/mile.
9-Mar	Easy	0:47:06	6.04	PM: 6m commute at 7:48/mile.
10-Mar	10m Tempo	1:15:57	12.2	AM: 10m tempo at 5:53ish per mile. Started off with the Fresh Pond race and there was a young fella who got me a little amped up to win. He surged a few times and I felt like I had to respond, so I dropped a 5:36 4th mile. Rest of the run felt challenging.
10-Mar	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.
11-Mar	Long Run w/Fast Finish	2:24:00	20.2	AM: 20+ at ~7:08/mile, with the final 7m along the Newton Hills averaging low 6s. Felt pretty tired, but this was a strong run.
11-Mar	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Chilling out.

2/28 Splits:

1200-4:07.7

1200-4:08.2

1200-4:10.2

1200-4:12.4 WTF!

1200-4:07.8 Ok.

3/5 Splits:

5:38.0

5:38.3

5:36.2

5:27.6

averaged ~80s rest

3/8 Splits:

800-2:36.6

800-2:37.9

1200-4:05.9

600-1:52.9

300-53.5

1200-4:03.8

600-1:53.1

300-53.0

Totals: 120.07 & 114.64

Thursday, March 1, 2018

2/12/2018 to 2/25/2018: Consistently Consistent & BU Last Chance 1-Mile Race Report

A quick summary of the past two weeks is that I'm certainly feeling like I'm in the middle of marathon training. More detailed...

Tuesday (2/12), in particular, was interesting. I wouldn't call classify it as a special block, but it had that feel to it. I think that day may encapsulate my training philosophy - run often and take what my body gives me...and on that day I felt flat in the morning, but since I felt pretty good in the evening I said 'why not?' and followed that up with an unexpected 8m tempo on my way home from work.

My longer tempo on the 2/17 is also fairly notable. I've been taking a page out of Kevin's marathon training playbook and doing some long tempos on Saturday's prior to Sunday long runs. That's not new, but 10m at 5:58 is new territory. Hopefully it's not a fluke and I can continue to extend the distance while maintaining the pace. The rest of the training is fairly boiler plate, so...

BU Last Chance 1-Mile Race Report!!!!

Back in November, at the TRED weekend, a goal was set. During one of the many group runs, I voiced my intent of running under 4:40 for the mile. Danny mentioned that running under 70s per quarter sounded challenging. I agreed, and said that I wasn't sure I would hit that goal, but I didn't want to rule it out. Great times ensued that weekend, and my goal was officially out in the open.

Both Amory and I had been eyeing the indoor track schedule and had a few meets in mind, and so during those runs we talked about doing some faster running. So, the roughest of framework was put in place: do some a.m. workouts at the Harvard indoor track.

Those workouts and the back and forth emails with Jon & Amory were the foundation. Distance, pace, number of reps, etc...those didn't always line up, but the commitment did. And sending a post-workout summary had the effect of reinforcing the positive takeaways, which was important for both of us since neither of us usually had much pop at 7:30 am. So - a big thanks to Jon & Amory for the company, the feedback, the guidance, etc etc!

As for the race itself...after watching a total 14 runners break the four minute barrier (14!!!??!), I toed the line in the 7th and final heat. Knowing that there would still be some very fast runners in my heat, I went straight to the rail when the gun went off. The first 600 went by quickly, and I was under pace at that point. Shortly after passing the line, there was some carnage on the track as two runners got tripped up and hit the deck. They were courteous enough to fall onto the infield (part self-preservation I'm sure; you don't want to get spiked!), and I had a shot of adrenaline to keep me alert to my surroundings.

I came through 809 meters in something like 2:18/2:19 and I was working hard, but staying fairly even. I was on the heels of another runner and thinking of passing when one of the tripped-up runners came around me. I stuck to him for as long as possible, and started to turn the screws with 400 to go. I think I was almost exactly on pace at that point, if not slightly above, and I didn't want to need a 32 or 33 second final 200. I think I saw 4:05 on the clock as the bell was sounding and I opened up my stride, while holding my final gear in my back pocket. With 100 to go, I imagined Danny on my shoulder on the final rep of a workout (as is so often the case) and went into lane 2 to pass two runners - crossing the line in 4:38.59.

Now...time for 100% focus on the marathon.

The Numbers:

12-Feb	MLR Moderate	1:12:36	10.16	AM: 10+ at 7:09/mile.
12-Feb	Moderate	0:57:42	8.13	PM: 8+ at 7:06/mile.
13-Feb	Harvard Track	1:16:25	9.78	AM: Ran to Harvard for a solo workout. 800x4/200x4. Felt flat the whole time, but stuck it out. Mostly meh, but a solid grinder workout.
13-Feb	Longer Tempo	0:52:51	8.14	PM: Felt not too bad so I went a little quicker for a longer tempo. 8+ at 6:29/mile.
14-Feb	Easy	1:02:15	8.14	AM: 8+ at 7:39/mile.
14-Feb	Easyish	0:38:10	5.22	PM: 5+ at 7:19/mile to go pick up the Jeep.
15-Feb	Moderate	0:56:26	8.01	AM: A bit quicker for this 8m. Averaged 7:03/mile to get the run in before driving the Jeep back to work.
15-Feb	BU Track	1:30:00	11.8	PM: 6m home then to BU. 800, 1000x3, 600x3. Not bad.
16-Feb	MLR Easy	1:15:57	10.09	AM: 10m at 7:32/mile.
16-Feb	Easy	0:39:12	5.07	PM: 5m at 7:44/mile.
17-Feb	Long Tempo	1:03:00	10.46	AM: 10m at 5:58/mile. A very good workout. Very short warm up and cool down.
17-Feb	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.
18-Feb	MLR	1:57:37	13.14	AM: CSU Long run slow.
18-Feb	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.
19-Feb	Long Run Hard	2:22:38	20.01	AM: Harder long run. 20m tot averaging 7:08/mile. First 17 were quicker and included some good hills. Final 3m were with Eli and Raleigh.
19-Feb	Shakeout	0:00:00	2.25	PM: 2m shakeout at whatever.
20-Feb	Easyish	1:00:42	8.07	AM: 8m at 7:31/mile.
20-Feb	Easy	0:55:30	6.65	PM: 6+ at normal pace then some slower with Eli and Raleigh.
21-Feb	Easy	0:46:43	6.14	AM: 6+ at 7:36/mile. Early morning meeting and had to squeeze this in.
21-Feb	BU Track	1:20:00	11.43	PM: 6m home then to BU. 800/1200/1600/1200/400x2. Felt really tired. Very happy with the final 400 - the last 200 split was ~30s.
22-Feb	MLR	1:14:14	10.07	AM: 10m at 7:22/mile.
22-Feb	Easy	0:48:37	6.32	PM: 6+ at 7:41/mile.
23-Feb	MLR	1:16:14	10.11	AM: 10+ at 7:32/mile.
23-Feb	Easyish	0:45:31	6.29	PM: 6+ at 7:14/mile. A bit quicker, eh?
24-Feb	Fresh Pond Short Tempo	0:42:02	6.0	AM: 6m at 7/mile. Ran Fresh Pond harder than I should have, but I stayed with the leader for the first mile before I felt like I needed to represent the Pond.
24-Feb	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.
25-Feb	CSU Long Run Shakeout	1:16:02	8.0	AM: 8m slow with Eli, at 9:30/mile. Nice nap afterward.
25-Feb	BU Last Chance	0:26:00	3.75	PM: 4:38.59!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2/13 Splits:

800-2:31.4

800-2:31.9

800-2:31.8

800-2:32.3

200-32.4

200-33.5

200-32.9

200-31.5

2/15 Splits:

800-2:39.2

1000-3:18.8

1000-3:17.5

1000-3:17.6

600-1:52.6

600-1:52.3

600-1:50.1

2/21 Splits:

800-2:38.3

1200-4:01.2

1600-5:23.5

1200-3:58.3

400-1:09.2

400-1:04.7

Totals: 108.14 & 105.09

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

2/5/2018 to 2/11/2018: Training & 2018 BU Valentine 1-Mile Race Report

The BU Valentine Invitational is pretty dang hectic. Same as every year, I showed up early in order to wait around 2+ hours for my heat. Not a huge deal except my ~4m run to the track serves as a probably-a-little-early warm up. But, at least I was rewarded with watching an entertaining heat 1, where Craig Engels ran 3:53.

After watching heat after heat after heat of the mile, I started to feel the adrenaline pumping and decided to do an hour+ warm up. I bumped into Andrew Holmes, an old HFC rival, and we did some outdoor miles in the unusually nice outdoor temps. With time to spare, I was able to get inside, spike up, and do some strides in the outside lanes. Once on the line, I was hoping for a fast opening lap...

I struggled to find room on the rail, and didn't feel that bounce in my legs that said, "lead it!"...so I impatiently looked for an opening, which wouldn't reveal itself until just after 600 meters. Once on the rail, I didn't feel very comfortable. I wasn't gassed, which is encouraging, but I felt tight. After re-watching some of the race I can tell I'm not running relaxed - especially through the shoulders.

The lead runner was leaving a small gap along the rail, and I was tempted to squeeze through but it was early and that could lead to some unnecessary carnage. Coming around the turn at the half mile mark, a BU runner looked to squeeze in, but I wasn't about to give up my spot on the rail and gave him a friendly "no-room" forearm. He actually responded right away by staying on the outside and not forcing himself in...so instead he hammered it to the front and dropped the field!

I stayed the course and tried to press just a bit with 400 to go, and again at the bell. There was not much pop though. In the end I finished 5th in my heat in a time of 4:40.59. A PR by something like 4 seconds, but not quite satisfying...

Splits, roughly:

35.92

33.99

34.85

35.54

35.59

35.47

1:08.76 (didn't catch the 7th lap split)

Training Data:

5-Feb	MLR Moderate	1:12:52	10.11	AM: 10m commute at 7:13/mile.
5-Feb	Easy	1:03:21	8.22	PM: 8+ home at 7:42/mile. Ran most of it in the low 7s before meeting up with Eli and Raleigh for the final 2m.
6-Feb	Harvard Track	1:24:52	10.53	AM: Harvard Track. 200x2/(400x4)x2/200x2. 1min rest between reps, 2min between sets. 400s alternating a little slower and a little faster than mile pace. Workout didn't go great.
6-Feb	Easy	0:48:35	6.44	PM: 6+ at 7:33/mile. Tried to nap, but couldn't. Pretty tired for this one.
7-Feb	Easy	1:03:18	8.17	AM: 8m commute at 7:45/mile. A bit sluggish.
7-Feb	Easy	0:55:28	6.31	PM: 6+ commute home in freezing rain & slush, no traction, bonked. Generally no fun. Went to LYMBR in Newton at 7pm for a free stretch session though, that was good.
8-Feb	Easy	1:04:52	8.05	AM: 8+ at around 8 flat. Felt alright, just all ice and slow going even with the yaktrax.
8-Feb	BU Track	1:00:00	10.16	PM: Commute home then BU. 200/600x3/200x2. Felt pretty dang solid.
9-Feb	Easy	1:03:36	8.17	AM: 8+ at 7:47/mile.
9-Feb	Easy	0:46:48	6.16	PM: 6+ at 7:36/mile.
10-Feb	Valentine Invite	1:00:00	8	AM: Ran to BU, checked in, waited, warmed up. Then ran to TJs after the race.
10-Feb	Valentine Invite	0:04:40	1	PM: 4:40.59
11-Feb	CSU Long Run	2:34:21	20.18	AM: 20+ at 7:39/mile with the CSU crew followed up by awesome breakfast made by me.
11-Feb	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Worked on the hallway.

2/6 Splits:

200-35.0

200-35.2

400-1:13.6

400-1:10.4

400-1:11.7

400-1:10.6

400-1:11.2

400-1:09.0

400-1:12.4

400-1:09.6

200-32.3

200-31.2

2/8 Splits:

200-33.7

600-1:45.3

600-1:45.2

600-1:43.2

200-33.4

Total: 111.5

Friday, February 9, 2018

1/29/2018 to 2/4/2018: Training & Bamboozled IPA 5k Race Report

Lucky number 13. That's where the streak of a weekly 20 miler has ended. It started way back on November 5th with the TRED weekend with Neil, and ended this week with the Bamboozled IPA 5k falling on a Sunday.

The race was fun, and I'm glad that they held it prior to it being a Pub Series race in June. When the gun went off, we took a left on a relatively busy road. I was following the lead cop car closely, and they ended up having me cross the road, then cross once more when we took a left into the neighborhood section of the course. I hope they put cones down or simply have the cop car stay in the breakdown lane for that short section.

Anyways, I was running solo for the entirety of the race, and I'm happy with how it went. The first mile was a little slow in 5:32, but part of that can be attributed to the cold and confusingly crossing the street. There's also a small hill during that first mile, but that wasn't too bad. Mile two I was able to dial it in just a bit and run 5:16, and the final mile was the fastest split in 5:10. Since this was the inaugural race, I'm now the course record holder in 16:35!! They had some good beer and good food afterward, so I'll be looking forward to this one come June.

Training wise...t'was a good week.

STuff:

29-Jan	Moderate	0:58:47	8.06	AM: 8m at 7:18/mile. Oddly quick.
29-Jan	Easy	1:00:00	8.1	PM: Flippin Garmin. 8m at around 7:30/mile.
30-Jan	Harvard Track	1:17:45	9	AM: (600/300/200)x3 at Harvard wAmory. 1min rest between reps, full rest between sets. All at mile pace. I was slow and this was tough.
30-Jan	Easy	0:51:42	6.3	PM: 6+ at 8:12/mile. Slow in the snow.
31-Jan	Easy	1:09:12	9.06	AM: 9m commute at 7:39/mile. Left calf non-issue. Right Achilles had a moment, but not really.
31-Jan	Easy	0:49:46	6.29	PM: Commute home and met up with Eli and Raleigh.
1-Feb	Easy	1:09:05	9.02	AM: 9m commute at 7:40/mile.
1-Feb	BU Track	0:48:42	13	PM: Commute home then BU. 800/1200/200/1000/200/800/200/600/200/400. If not for acid reflux this would've been great. Splits were still pretty damn great.
2-Feb	Easy	1:06:15	8.17	AM: 8m at 8+.
2-Feb	Easy	1:03:32	8.05	PM: 8m at 7:53/mile.
3-Feb	MLR Moderate	1:14:53	10.16	AM: 10m at 7:22/mile. Felt tougher than it should have. A bit windy.
3-Feb	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.
4-Feb	Bamboozled 5k	1:00:00	9.01	AM: Bamboozled IPA Pre-Game 5k. 1st place in 16:35. Running solo most of the way, and happy with the splits.
4-Feb	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off. Patriots lost.

1/30 Splits:

600-1:48.7

300-53.2

200-34.3

600-1:48.1

300-52.8

200-34.3

600-1:46.1

300-52.8

200-31.9

2/1 Splits:

800-2:40.2

1200-4:00.3

200-35.5

1000-3:14.5

200-35.6

800-2:35.6

200-35.9

600-1:49.1

200-34.6

400-1:05.4

Total: 104.22

Thursday, February 1, 2018

1/22/2018 to 1/28/2018: Time Trial & Training

I'm still not sure how I feel about this whole Mon-Sun schedule, but I started it so I can't stop now.

I'm missing some of these mid-week 10+ milers, but with two track sessions a week I'm erring on the side of caution. I suppose I'm sort of getting it with a 10m tot run on Saturdays, but that's due to the warm up and cool down after my tempos. It works for now. Only one week to go before the Valentine meet at BU, and my final (and only) attempt at the mile this season.

The tempo is worth mentioning briefly...this is the third week in a row I've done an 8m tempo, and each one has been a little bit better than the last. I haven't quite decided yet how I want these to evolve, but I'd like to attempt to extend this to 14m. Whether that remains part of a Saturday workout, or is integrated into a long run remains to be seen. It's also a tall order for a workout.

The workout on Tuesday morning was fairly terrible, but I reached a certain level of discomfort and that was the primary goal. I'd love to smash every workout with perfect paces, but sometimes getting familiar with the feeling of racing a mile is enough.

Thursday night was particularly interesting. I haven't had the chance to enter a mile race, and so I decided that I'd do a time trial so that the Valentine meet isn't my first and only attempt at the mile. So Danny and Kevin were kind enough to join me, and I'd say it went well. I had one lap where Stephen gave me my split at 37s, but I look at that as a learning opportunity. It's easy to think, "stay smooth, stay comfortable" for a race - but sometimes that's not quite what needs to happen in a mile race. With a goal time in mind, I need to burn it into my brain that at some point I'm going to be extremely uncomfortable and when I turn the screws - it may simply result in maintaining the same pace. On this night, I heard the 37s and immediately adjusted, getting back into the 35-36s range. From 600 out, I made the effort to start accelerating, and I could sense Danny falling back a little bit. With 200 to go, I also heard him ask, "how many laps are left!!!" How can you talk in a mile race!? In any case, I started to move a bit quicker before putting in my kick with only about 30 meters left. I finished in 4:47 and change and was very satisfied. I felt like I had a lot left in the tank, and whether that means I have 7s remains to be seen, but it was a great time trial and Danny ended up PRing by about 6 seconds!

We also lined up for a 200 meter time trial, in which Danny smoked me in 25 seconds and change to my 27 seconds and change. I'll take it though. That's the fastest recorded 200 meters I've ever run, so I've knocked off my first PR of 2018.

Ok, that was long winded. Here it is!

22-Jan	Easyish	1:01:05	8.09	AM: 8m commute at 7:30ish.
22-Jan	Easyish	1:01:40	8.19	PM: 8m commute at 7:30ish.
23-Jan	Harvard Track	1:16:00	9.19	AM: 200/400/600/200/800/600/400/200. Mildly disappointing, but a crowded track and finished well on the 800. Cutting some slack due to the previous few days volume and quality.
23-Jan	Easy	1:03:13	8.11	PM: 8+ at 7:48/mile.
24-Jan	Easy	1:05:29	8.17	AM: 8+ at 8:01/mile.
24-Jan	Easy	1:05:45	8.06	PM: Commute plus some with Raleigh for 8m tot at 8:09/mile.
25-Jan	Easy	1:01:55	8.08	AM: 8m commute at 7:40/mile.
25-Jan	BU Track	1:35:00	12.13	PM: Commute home the BU. 1m time trial, 200 meter time trial, 1000x4. Solid mile, and PR in the 200. Ks were pretty solid too!
26-Jan	Easy	1:01:10	8.09	AM: What's that like 7:30 something?
26-Jan	Easy	0:38:22	5.03	PM: 7:37/mile.
27-Jan	Long Tempo	1:02:49	10.06	AM: 8m tempo averaging just under 6/mile. 10tot.
27-Jan	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.
28-Jan	CSU Long Run	2:35:41	20.03	AM: ANOTHER 20 miler. Averaged 7:40ish. Slow middle miles on the trails then opened it up a tad for the last stretch. Need to monitor my right Achilles.
28-Jan	Off	0:00:00	0	PM: Off.

Tuesday Splits w/Rest:

200-35.69