Quest For Boston

8 miles at 8:20's

Nice and easy run today.  I had thought about taking the day off completely but changed my mind when I saw the weather.  Is it spring time already?  My running seems to be going really well right now.  I would have expected more of a hangover after the past months raqcing and mileage.  I guess I'm in better shape than I thought.  3:10 in Boston in April?  Starting to think maybe.

8 miles in 57 minutes  7:35 pace

8 miles with Dave today.  As usual we started out slowly and picked it up.  The final 5 miles were under 7:15's.  Good news is it didn't feel that fast at all.  I have to run with Dave more often- except on easy days.  I don't think he knows what easy miles are.

7.5 miles in just under 56 minutes. 7:56 pace

Windy and cool today.  I love these conditions. :)  It seems the worse the weather of late the more excited I am to get out there and run.  Go figure.

3.85 miles in 29:21  7:37 pace

With a long run tommorrow I wanted to stretch out my legs but save something for tommorrow.  Ran today pushing the pace slightly so that I was never completely comfortable but was still nice and relaxed.  16 tommorrow.

18.5 miles in 2:36:08  8:43 pace  LSD

Today was my first long run since my marathon.  It would have been sooner but running a half 3 weeks after the full delayed things a bit.  I probably shouldn't have done it but with the racing season almost over I figured it was my last chance to take advantage of my conditioning.  Plus I laid out the course and really wanted to take part in it. 

     The run went really well as I ran the first 15.5 with Dave and Blake.  I felt so good I decided to add on a short 3 mile loop.  I was definetly tired but felt that running under some duress would do me good.   They say you have to train to cope with race conditions and that's what I did today.   My hamstrings bothered me for about 2 hours after the run- very tight and achey.

3.75 miles in 30 minutes. 8:00 pace

Easy recovery run today.  The legs were heavy but responded well after a mile or so.  I need some new shoes.

6 miles in46:15 averaged 7:40

8 hours sleep last night. It's been a while.  Hated getting out of bed today.  Not sure why other than I obviously needed it.  My butt was dragging all day.  I still went out and did 6 when I got home from work.  Glad I did.  It felt great after the first 2 miles. Last 3 were 7:33, 7:07 and 7:03 without really pushing it. The beer tasted good afterwards also!!!

6 miles in 46:15   7:40 pace

Felt really comfortable.  Managed to get it in before the weather moved in.

1 mile warm up    

5 x 400 at 1:26 w/200 rest

1/2 mile jog

5 x 400 at 1:26 w/200 rest

1 mile cool down

Just finished reading  "Always a Runner" for the second time.  I highly recomend it to people who run.  It really brought me back to the old high school track days.  It also got me motivated to get out on the track and do a workout.  400's were not that intense but with only a 200 cool down they got harder and harder as I went along.  I'm sort of caught between what to do for training right now.  I want to do a ton of miles but also feel the need to throw in some speed work to keep my mind fresh.  I think I'll work on building up the miles and throw a workout like today in every 2 weeks or so just to stay sharp and feel the burn.  Boston is still a long way out but I'm feeling excited already.

5 miles in 39:47  7:58's

My goodness; winter is here.  A brisk 28 degrees when I left the house with 15-20 mile breezes.  The first mile was brutal with the wind directly into the face.  Not looking forwards to tommorrows run with temps expected to be below 20.  Hopefully there will be less wind. Todays run felt good.  I would have loved to keep going but need to save something for tommorrow.  Really trying to emphasise the long run over the next few months.  It would be nice to have a 20 miler become less daunting.  It sure would make a marathon a race instead of a run, sort of like a half has become.

15 miles in 1:59:27 7:57 pace

Weather was 24 degrees to start but warmed up nicely and finished up the run in 38 degree heat!!!  Run was great. The first 5 flew by before I even realized it. Went out and ran 3 progressives of 5 miles each with little effort.  The last three were the only miles I felt like I had to push.8:24 pace for the first 5; 7:56 for 6-10; 7:35 for final 5 miles.  A good start to the week.  Time to decorate the tree!!!

I had planned on 8-10 but once I got out there I realized I couldn't run the route I wanted, as it's deer hunting season.  With 2 people being shot so far this season out here on the island I decided to let discretion be the better part of valor and changed my course.  The last 2 miles were a struggle but I maintained form and finished up without stopping early.  Hoping for 60+ this week so the extra miles should help if it doesn't come back and bite me later in the week.

7.5 miles in 1:01:55 8:25 pace

Run felt good until about 1.5 to go when the outside of my right knee started to tighten up.  I immediately stopped and did some stretching befor finishing the run.  Picking up the pace seemed to help.  Maybe running slowly is causing bad form.  Have to keep an eye on this.

6.75 in 57:52  8:34 pace

Felt quicker than it was. Probably because with the cold I'm wearing more layers.  Other than pace the run felt good.

6.3 in 53:14  8:25 pace

Lunch time run in 12 degree weather. BRRR.  Doesn't look like temps will be rising for a while. This week the pace seems to keep going from slow to slower.  I don't mind to much as I hope to hit 60+ for the first time ever. The build up for Boston has begun.

7.5 miles in 1:01:18  8:10 pace

Ran alone today after 2 straight days with Dave.  Not talking through the whole run may have had more to do with speed than anything.  Felt like I was dragging the first 4 miles today and ran quicker than the last 2 days.  Considering the mileage I would have thought I'd be suffering more than I am.  It felt like just another run.  Good news.  I may be a distance runner after all.  Build that BASE!!!!!!

7.5 miles in 1:04:39  8:33 pace

Cold and windy today.  Last 3 miles were directly into the wind.  Definetely feeling the effects of a long week.  Tonight calls for 12+ inches of snow so I'm up in the air about what to run tommorrow.  We'll see in the morning.

15 miles in 2 hours on the treadmill.  Talk about torture.  Hopefully they plow the bike paths soon and I can get back outside.  Other than the boredom the run felt good.  I put the incline at 6.5 and just let her rip.

12 slow miles today.  Took me 1:45 to run it with Blake.  The first 5 were right into the teeth of a 25 mph wind.  Wasn't the most comfortable section but at least it didn't start raining till we turned the corner and headed for home.  Cold windy and rainy;  that's what I call winter weather on the Vineyard!!!!  It sure beat the blizzard we had last Sunday.  Last week was supposed to be a cut back week but with the weather and holiday it got a little ridiculous.  Hopefully I'm back on track.  Tommorrow starts the first day of my official 16 week Boston schedule.  I can't believe that time is going by so quickly.

3.5 miles in 25:28  7:15 pace.

Trying to work on less garbage miles and more purposeful miles.  Tried to run with the feel of pushing the pace with just the slightest effort for the whole run.  I'm very happy with the results.  Maybe if I can keep this up my speed can increase over the next couple months.

7 total miles  in 59:31  8:33 pace

1 mile warm up  followed by 2 sets of 4x800 at 10k pace with 90 seconds between 800's. 5 minute jog between sets; 1 mile cool down.  Was looking to run around 6:10 pace for the 800's but the first 4 were run right into the face of 30 mph winds with gusts of even higher.  Ended up running those first 4 averageing 3:15 or 6:30 pace.  On the return trip the 4 splits were at 2:55  or 5:50 pace with the same effort.  Right knee is feeling a little achey so I'll ice tonight and keep an eye on it. Tough conditions with the wind and 18 degree temps.

6.2 miles in 47:43  7:40 pace

My knee felt fine today with no carry over from yesterday.  The only problem I experienced was the right calf was tight and my foot  kept going numb.  Not sure what's up with that.. It went away almost immediately after I was finished with the run so I'm not overly concerned at this point.

Today the schedule called for a tempo run but I really didn't feel like doing it.  I still strapped on the sneakers and got out there.  A mile warm up followed by a 3 mile tempo run at 7:15's that was a real struggle.  Finished up with a 1 mile cool down. I would have loved to have extended the tempo but just had no energy today.  Easy day tommorrow.