Off-Road Triathlon Report

WAVE 1 BIB 71 

WAVE TIME 1:03:56 

OVERALL PLC 49 

DIVISION PLC/TOT   6/17   

SWIM 

 RANK SPLIT

 55   8:19   

T1

RANK SPLIT

65   1:40 

BIKE 

RANK SPLIT   

59   35:28 

T2

RANK SPLIT 

123  1:11

RUN  

RANK SPLIT

31   17:18
 

The above is the tale of the tape from my first-ever triathlon. It was super fun and I had a blast. I'm sort of bummed that the tri season is winding down but training for this completely energized my training. Here's my breakdown.

Swim -- 400 yards
My split time above was pretty close to what I did Tuesday night thought it was not at all as smooth as my first go-round with group, open-water swimming. My flight was Men 44 and under -- it was a big group, much bigger than Tuesday night and much more hectic. A bunch of us hit the water and started trashing. People were bumping me and swimming over me. The water was murky as I mentioned, I was swimming with my head out of the water a bit (a la water polo) to see in front of me and there was a bit of chop on the pond and I drank more than a little water . . . I ended up breast stroking my way around and never got a good freestyle rhythm going. The crowd got my adrenaline up and while adrenaline can be your friend on dry land it made me feel a bit panicky and thrash-y in the water. All in all though I was happy with my time.

Bike -- 5.5 miles
This was the part where I figured I'd get most smoked but I think that I held my own on the course which got sort of crowded as I headed into the second phase of the ride (two concentric circles). I felt much more comfortable on the bike again and made up a bunch of time in the last third -- a good climb and descent on paved/semi paved road. I dumped twice within about 25 seconds of each other. I came around a corner into a hill and got going too slow because of traffic. I went over pretty easily to my right into some mossy ground. I picked myself up got one my bike missed my pedal and went over to my left, bounced off a guy who was struggling by and scuffed my back on his bike. No biggie, just what happens in a race. A little girl caused a big tie up in another part and she was really cute and flustered and apologetic. Again, it's what happens. There were lots of flats and dropped chains and some snapped chains and some dudes with serious road rash from some dumps. It was fun and I think my time was respectable.

Run -- 2.3 miles
Overall I'm happiest with my run though there was one section where I walked for about 60 seconds and I wish I hadn't. I reeled in like 5 guys who were ahead of me -- all but one my age or younger. I reeled in another 37 year old guy in the final 200 yards whom I'd been tracking for a while. I think I was a bit gassed after my bike ride and I caught all of the guys I caught heading uphills or just over the tops of hills. The section I walked was two steep little ups on wood chips and they happened just after I passed a couple who was walking along the trail we were running on. For some reason their idyllic stroll broke my concentration . . . I'm annoyed about the walk part but I still caught the guy I'd targeted even with it. I saved some energy (I rationalize) and made it happen. I didn't feel like the flailing geek kid for long on this run though the uphills were painful. Speaking of painful,I tweaked my ankle just after passing a Clydesdale but kept going. It's all fine now and it seems as if rubber ankle will be with me for years to come.

Overall
I really enjoyed this experience, I'm psyched that I did it and I want to do it again. I'm really into the idea of more off-road tris and want to find some more to do. I met two goals (do a tri, do some trail running), added some other workouts into my regimen (I'm considering joining the Y to keep swimming and looking forward to getting in a trail ride this weekend just because -- I hope I have the time). I made it onto the first page of results of a race for the first time, finished in the top third, or so of the entire field, the top half of my gender/age-group and was really only 4 minutes out of placing. I see some potential with more practice but also don't want to get hung up on numbers and stats because it was just super-fun to compete in the three disciplines, get dirty and spend some time in the woods. It rocked.

Finally, I also felt good enough that I went out and took both kids on a 34 minute run Monday morning. I rested today but am psyched to get back to it tomorrow.

Run 25

I got out last Thursday (run 24) and again tonight for run 25. I ran 5k in 30 minutes and 26 seconds. I ran the first 1.5 miles feeling strong, dragged a bit for the middle mile, and pushed on the last half mile. Two laps around the resevoir is 5k, almost on the nut. I did the first lap in 14.26, the last lap in an even 16 minutes. I feel pretty good about the time.

The Komen 5k is Sunday. Please render your opinion on the plan: Wednesday I aim to run 4+ miles. I'm not going to focus on time, but want to know how it feels to run past the race distance. If I can leave the office early enough, I'll run the course on Friday. If I can't, I'll get in 5k closer to home. No running on Saturday. The race is 9:ooam Sunday. Planning to spend some time next week on the bike for a change of pace, then focus on the CCM.

Since the CCM requires that I get up to 10k in about five weeks, I'll look to the blog for advice, and inspiration.

VTRunner...still

I came within 5 minutes of changing my name to MA Runner last Friday, but things worked out on the job front. I am still a (transplanted) Vermonter and plan to be for a long time. I'd be happy to share details off-line, but I'll leave you with this -- if you ever need coffee from the Green Mountain state, give me a ring.


So, today I refocused on the running and got in a great 11 miles in about 1:40, minus a few minutes in the port-o-let (lifesaver). Not sure I've ever appreciated my loop more. Saw about a half dozen turkeys on the way and three cars along the way. I really do love this state.

Later boys.

Ice, Ice, Baby...

4x a day, I've been icing the hammy. Both ways on the commute, in bed, and at least one other time as convenient. I was able to walk yesterday with out a limp for the first time. I can also apply pressure to it without too much pain. It feels different now, almost as if its tight from lack of use rather than injury. I went to the golf range yesterday for an hour and played a few holes (in a cart) to see how it would hold up. This morning it felt better. I'm thinking the stretching and light activity helped. I think next week I'll hit the gym for stretching and upper body during my usual running window. If all goes well, I hope to hit the road again in a week. These are dangerous times. I feel better and need to stretch, but don't won't to overdue it and re-injure. I was talking to a guy at the course who has done multiple marathons (including a 3:10 at age 60!) He lost three years due to a hamstring injury a few years back. I was sufficiently frightened.

Foul

I intended to go running yesterday but I woke and everything huhrt -- my whole body ached.  It was like a delayed reaction from Tuesday night's endeavor.  It was a good ache and sort of cool though.

I got out this morning and the air was foul.  It wasn't too hot but it was super humid -- around 90%..  I had a weird dream about not being able to breathe and woke up feeling sort of congested, but I ran anyway.  I did my short route and kept off on the pace becuse of the humidity.  I didn't have my HR monitor on today.  I felt strong through the short distance -- sometimes you need short runs for confidence, I think --.I finished well and am glad that I got out.  I was making breakfast post-run and was leaving footprints all over the clean kitchen floor -- that's how much I was sweating. 

35.54

Got out for a quick run of 35.54 minutes. Strong pace and no injuries, aches or pains. Supposed to do a long run with an accomplished runner friend tomorrow, but had to bail due to other commitments. Bummer. Still hoping for (and looking forward to) a long one over the weekend.

Dress Rehearsal

I did the dress rehearsal for my tri last night.  It was a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed it -- I was totally amped when it was over.


Swim -- 400 yards
I'm not sure if the swim was really 400 yards or not because my workout swims were tougher.  There about 35 people in all and I came out of the water in the top 10.  I covered the distance in 8:17.00.  I had one small moment of panic when I thought "I'm swimming into the middle of a pond . . . "  I quickly put those thoughts aside and kept on going.  The pond water is a bit murky and it was hard to see people around me.  I knew I was gaining on someone because I could feel the turbulence of their wake as I approached from behind.  I was really happy with the swim, and more than a little surprised.

Transition 1
I learned a lot on this transition.  First, have your socks & shirt right side out.  Second, have Gatorade or whatever in a squirt bottle.  Third, use the box that I bought (and that I saw more experienced triathloners using) to keep my stuff in to actually hold water to facilitate de-sanding my feet.  Fourth, definitely bring the old floor-mat that I'd considered bringing to sit on to put on socks and shoes.  My time was an unimpressive  3:19.70.

Ride -- 5.3 miles
I came into the ride with little confidence, to be honest and figured that I'd get smoked.  I headed out with about 5 other folks and two blew away from us and another guy dropped off.  I then proceeded to follow a woman in the group for the majority of the loop.  She offered to let me pass and I said no worries, this is only my fifth time on a bike in 10 years and my third with toe clips . . . She and I caught some guy on a nice bike who was struggling and we eventually picked up another guy with a nasty pedal gash puncture wound on his calf.  I had trouble through one section -- a really rocky old road -- and I hit a rock head-on that shot me over my handle bars that I somehow managed to clear and land basically unscathed.  I caught back up to my partners and proceeded on.  I dumped one other time when I got stuck in a sand pit near a beach but that fall was pretty minor and on sand -- better than landing on a boulder . . . The woman in the group was riding a hybrid with narrow tires, running shoes and no clips baskets or anything.  She was very quiet and still on the bike and I told that I was trying to absorb her Zen style.  She laughed.  It was funny, the three guys in the group, including me, were sort of all over the place and grinding gears etc.  She just trundled along.  It was a good lesson and my confidence and comfort grew and grew.  I eventually passed her and dropped my group on a paved road section of the course about a mile out. The guy on the nice bike was saying to me "there's a reason this bike is 12 years old, and my road bike is a year old . . . "  He was not comfortable on the bike last night.  I covered the distance in 37:49.4 -- this includes transition to the run as well.

Run -- 2.3 miles
The run was fun and fairly uneventful.  I entered the trail alone and saw nobody until the second half.  No one caught me either.  This was my first ever bike-run brick and it took nearly the first mile to feel like I knew how to run.  I felt as if I were that kid on the grammar school playground (there was one in each school) who ran all knock-kneed with his elbows locked at the waist and his forearms and wrists flapping at his sides . . . anyway, I just kept focusing on my stride and let myself breathe hard -- my HR went up very quickly and I was winded pretty quickly which I think is related to the transition from one discipline to the next and using new muscles.  I got myself together, saw a guy a few hundred yards ahead and then reeled him in.  I tweaked my ankle a bit but kept going.  I passed him in the final 200 yards, and asked him how he was doing as I passed.  I covered the distance in 17:15.9.

Total Time: 1:06:42

I had a great time in all three phases and am looking forward to Sunday!  I'll probably just take some light runs the rest of this week and maybe a light bike ride as well just to keep in form.

Final Leg for Komen

So the Komen to the Cure 5k is a week from Sunday. I ran last night for the first time since Mrs. FA and I ran in Jasper. That was nine days ago. Last night was tougher than I had hoped.

Still, I think this is going to be very doable. Last night I went out on my regular loop from the apartment, around the CP Resevoir, and back to the apartment. I ran the 1.58 mile lap around the resevoir track in 15.20 minutes. After a short walk I ran the half mile before arriving at home in 4.38 minutes.

So, I am aiming to put on a bunch of miles between now and next week, and am aiming to run the course before the race. On race day, Mrs. FA and I are going to subway to 86th Street, then warm-up run to the starting line at 77th.

I'm amending my goal of a sub-30 minute 5k to sub 32 minutes.

30 minutes

I had my August lull, so now I'm trying to get back on track. Did a "fast" 30 minutes today. 10 miles on tap tomorrow, and I have a plan for somewhere in the neighborhood of 17 miles set up on Friday.

Time to get to business.

Board Shorts

I got out to the pond for an end of summer swim and did my customary 450 yards.  It had been about a week since I last swam so I don't know whether or not to attribute the labor involved in this 15 minute swim to that or to the fact that I was wearing board shorts.  I'm going to go with the latter and make a note to myself no to wear board shorts this coming Sunday.

I'm going to a workout this evening in which we string all three disciplines together . . . wish I'd done that bike- run brick this weekend so I know what to expect . . . oh well, let it fly!

Done

I'm done for a while. 48 hours later I still have significant pain, not to be confused with soreness, in the hamstring. I've been icing it 3-4 times a day and taking Naprosyn (prescription Alleve, technically for my wrist). What I find strange is that nothing else is sore. If I was pushing too hard, I would have thought I'd be sore in other places. I figure I'll give it a week and then evaluate whether I should get the referral for PT.

Labor Day Weekend '08

So my plans to get in two rides, a swim and a run have devolved into a good run on Friday, a good run yesterday and a decent ride in the afternoon.  I didn't get my swim in yesterday even though I was at the pond.  flying solo with even one kid negates the ability to swim for even 15 minutes.

I went out Sunday morning and ripped a 26:02 for 3.3 miles.  I think that's my best at that distance by about a second and I felt pretty good.  It was a good run because I didn't give to fatigue and I didn't get lazy -- I kept pounding it out and just let myself run and breathe. I've had this weird head thing where I keep telling myself you shouldn't be winded, you shouldn't be tired and that's been impinging on my running. Just run and breathe, baby.

I went out in the late afternoon on my bike and went to a pond and trail near my house.  I did a loop around the pond, saw some sick hills into which other mtn. bikers have carved some gnarly, steep tracks.  Needless to say, Mr. Timid here didn't tackle those.  I did tackle some interesting single track along the Charles river and through some interesting marsh land.  There were some parts of the trail that were very challenging due to rocks and some really intense root systems that made the going tricky.  I passed between 8-10 fot marsh grasses on wooden boardwalks and even through a creepy tunnel under a Commuter Rail track. It was cool and I started to feel more comfortable on the bike but not completely yet.  I kept repeating the mantra keep you feet moving, keep pedaling, keep moving.  Much of the single track was fairly rock/root free.   There is one sort of steep section that was covered in roots that now that I've seen it once and walked my bike up it I think I'll try and tackle another day.  I did fall once, into some bushes, no biggy. One final thing about the ride -- I was on the bike for about 50 minutes and it did not add that much to my workout score on my HRM -- if I'd run it it would have been an out of control workout.  Bikes are different.

Did it

I got in my long run this morning. 2 hours 21 minutes. It had the normal ups and downs, but it was pain free (very important) and relatively uneventful. Good brain space on this run, which I enjoy. Also, lots of "team in training" runners on the route. It was good to see so many into the sport. Passed a cyclist (albeit an old one) at about 40 minutes in, and he didn't pass me back. That always feels good.

Enjoy the day.

Hammy!!!

So works been cutting into my running time for the past week. I needed to run 3 today to keep up my 10 miles for the week. I went to the local H.S. track to calibrate the HRM for distance, get the miles in and get in some speed (relative) work. All was going to plan until my 4th 100m stride. I was starting to feel real good on the speed as I loosened up. Unfortunately, with 20m to go, I popped my hamstring...badly. I was able to walk, with a significant limp, back to my car and get home within 15 minutes. Iced it for 30 minutes. It still hurts. I'm supposed to play in a 9 hole golf tournament in 3 hours with Bee. Its not looking good. Tomorrow morning should be interesting. Injuries suck.

Run Ready?

I went out for 31.14 on Friday. Felt good. Nothing else to report on that one, just posting to keep up to date.

Gearing up for a longish run this morning. Halfway through my coffee and contemplating eggs. Will that help me run or is it just procrastination? Jury's still out. Back's a little tight, but I think the run will help there. Somehow got a dab of poison ivy on the top of my foot. Hope it doesn't itch during the run. (OK, now I'm procrastinating.)

Have a great Labor Day Weekend boys.

Two for One

I set my alarm this morning and rolled out of bed around 6:25 AM.  Both kids were up and starting to goof around so I joined in as well for a few minutes then rousted them outside and threw them in the stroller.
We went out for my usual stroller-run out and back through the center of town covering about 4.5 miles.  It was fun and both kids were chattering and singing with only minimal violence directed towards one another.  I came back faster than I went out and covered the distance in 39:26.  It was a lot of fun.

I've got to go swimming this wekeend and plan on taking my bike into the woods for a couple fo rides to get more comfortable on the new pedals.  One thing that I was thinking about my last ride was that with the exception of one decent sized climb I was never gassed on the ride.  My CV fitness is good right now and even after that climb I recuperated quickly.  I was mainly slow because I was tentative.  My crash tri-training has broght some fun and variety into my regimen and it's much appreciated.

Necessary

I went out for 1:09 today. It was necessary because I've been slacking on the running lately and, more importantly today, I have some important decisions of the life/career variety to make over the next two weeks.

The run was an out and back at a reasonable pace. After some time off, my legs felt rested and great. I had no set distance in mind when I started out, which was cool. Just ran until I felt like turning back. A luxury given my injury-riddled spring/early summer.

Evening Session

SO, I went out and did my evening session.  I feel pretty good from a workout perspective but got pretty banged up on the ride . . .

I swam 450 yards -- over-distancing again -- and then got on my bike.  I went with a group that was going quicker because they were covering more of the race course.  I was not terribly comfortable on the bike and should have gone with the slow-pokes.  The leader of my group circled back and was giving me some advice, some of which was to bail on the last mile or so of the ride (chagrin, kind of).  I went down hard in one spot, landed square on a boulder got a beautiful abrasion and charlie horse on my left upper thigh, tweaked my ankle and because of the wierd wrenching motion of the fall got a horrible cramp in my calf.

The ankle is sort of swollen -- an hour of icing between 3 AM and 4 AM helped -- in an area near the where the leg joins the ankle, so it's just on one connector, but it doesn't really hurt, just sort of feels aggravated; the thigh and calf are sore.  I'm not terribly hobbled, though a bit humbled, however I must say that I did OK for not having ridden off-road for nearly a decade.  Mrs. Agricola and I are both wondering about the wisdom of adopting toe clips at this time and I'm wondering if maybe I should I have started my tri-life with a road-tri rather than an off-road-tri.  A bit of practice this weekend should help me get more comfortable on the bike though I predict getting smoked on the bike, and none of my bumps and bruises are so bad as to keep me off the road tomorrow, I don't think, though I'll play it be ear.

Morning Session

Today is a cool day for working out -- literally and figuratively.  I actually wore a long sleeve running shirt today to fight the chill a bit.  Of course, I was the only runner in long sleeves but I was happy for them as there was a little bit of that late summer chill in the air.  I had told Child One & Two that I would take them both with me but Child One was sleeping so soundly that I didn't have the heart to wake her up.  Child Two and I headed out and he chattered and sang the whole way.  He asked to have the sun roof unfurled on the Chariot and I complied even though I find it a huge impediment to conversation.  We saw a neighbor on a constitutional and other runners, one with a stroller and child that was in front of us and elicited many questions about the age, gender and name of the child -- all of which were impossible to answer because the we saw them from a distance, and only from behind.

We only went out for 30 minutes this morning, and not our usual 40 and this is where the figurative coolness of the day comes in.  I'm bailing from work on the 4:40 PM train and then heading to the pond for a swim and trail ride workout.  I got new tires and toe clips/biking shoes for my ancient mountain bike.  I'm really looking forward to the swim/bike brick and will attempt a ride/run brick sometime this week as well.  Next Tuesday we put all three disciplines together at the workout so I want to do some practice this week and weekend.  I practiced on the toe clips last night and only fell once, on the pavement.  I think I've got them down and am pumped for the workout -- I'll post about it tonight.

Lube

Forgot about this necessary step prior to longer runs. Hit the 1.5 mile mark today when I realized yesterdays run did leave a mark. Cut the run off at 2 miles before I did significant damage. Ouch. On a positive note, I felt pretty good muscle wise today. I thought I'd be a little sore having run more yesterday than in 2005-7 combined.

Runs 21, 22

Ms. FA and I got out to Banff and Jasper National Parks for about eights days, just back last night. We left the little FAs home with grandparents, so had the time and the space to run together, which we did last Sunday (Aug 17) in Banff, about 3.5 miles along the Bow River from downtown Banff towards the Banff Springs Hotel. This included some moderate trail running, which was a thrill and I'd like to do it again. We got out again on Friday (Aug 22) in Jasper, which was worthwhile but poorly executed as we selected a trail used frequently by groups on horseback and, well, as you might expect the trail itself was sub-optimal for running.

We spent the intervening days in the backcountry and put on several 10+ mile hikes with some significant elevation change, and so had some great cross training with the benefit of truly extraordinary scenery. We also ate and drank as befit a 10th anniversary getaway, so we're feeling strong, but rounder than we'd like.

Peace,

Staycation Week

I'm psyched to see so much activity on the blog in my off-week.  I completely unplugged starting on 8/15 and didn't log-in again/open a computer until this morning with the exception of 15 mintes to pay some bills last Wednesday.  That said, I had a pretty good week of exercise.  I'm doing a mini-tri (400 yard swim, 5.3 mile mountain bike trail ride and a 2.3 mile trail run) on 9/7 so you'll notice some more activities creeping into my regimen.

Sunday 8/17
This day marked a big shift for me -- I left New Balance and purchased a pair of Mizuno running shoes.  I'd not been psyched with my NB 1222s (they've been replaced in the NB lineup by the 1223s) but I ran on them a long time and ran them into the ground.  I'd loved the 1221 but felt it was time a for a change so I didn't just make the jump to the 1223.  I purchased the Wave Inspire 4 They are light and fit great and offer moderate support.  My older sneakers had been giving more support but my visit to Marathon Sports and a gait assessment revealed that the mechanics of my footfall are solid.  My over-pronation is only moderate and the fact that my shins are slightly bowed outward helps to  minimize the pronation.  I'm happy with the shoes.

I did a short swim of about 110 yards to test out the muscles and see how it would feel to swim a bunch.  Cardio-vascularly speaking it was fine, but my muscles -- esp. the deltoids -- were screaming.

Monday 8/18
I tested out my new shoes and took a 36 minute run.  The shoes felt good and I felt good.

Tuesday 8/19
We belong to a pond about 15 minutes from home and there is a triathlon training group meeting there prior to the tri which will take place on the pond and in the reserve.  We started with a 400 hundred yard swim (the tri distance) and then transitioned to a 30 minute trail run.  The swim was hard on the muscles but I never felt in danger of drowning.  I threw in a couple laps of breast stroke to rest the afflicted freestyle muscles.

I thoroughly enjoyed the run.  I went with a group of folks who were going for 3+ miles and we kept a nice pace.  I was near the front of my group and loving the trail run -- it's so much more vivid than the roads because you've got to be really aware of the ground etc.  It was fun and I felt good.

Wednesday  8/20
Rest Day

Thursday 8/21
I ran by myself for 31 minutes on the trails.  My pace was problematic and my HR monitor wasn't working great -- it wasn't recording my date for nearly half the run, though it was on.  Anyway, the run, alone in the woods, was cool but I was lucky to make it back and not get lost.  I'm not actually sure how I actually navigated my way back to the return trail but I did.  I mention my pace because on the group run I felt good and felt like I was back to my old self.  This run made me question my fitness level again and I'm not sure what's up.

After returning from my run I did a 450 yard swim.  I did only two lengths of of breat stroke and 8 of freestlye.  I felt stronger and tighter in the shoulders and chest and feel good about the swimming.  I added in an extra length for good measure -- just to over-distance a bit so on the day of the tri I won't be crying at 375 yards . . .

Friday 8/22
Museum of Science butterfly room and dinner with friends.  I managed to undo some of my good work during the week with Dark and Stormies and a cigar!

Saturday 8/23
I did a 450 yard swim again.  I felt even stronger and more confident after this one -- it took about 17 minutes.  I'll not be setting any world records but I'm enjoying the swimming.

Sunday 8/24
I headed out Sunday AM and did a 40:47 minute road run.  I'm not sure of the distance, it's somewhere in the range of 5 miles.  I did my out and back on which I usually take Child Two but I ended up going further.  I got to my normal turning point at 18:50 and so went a bit further out.  I went out in 20:43 and back in 20:04.  This is where the pacing thing got weird.  In the middle of the out-leg I focused on my stride and my push-off.  I felt as if I were gliding.  On the way back I felt slow and gassed.  I don't know what's up.  I feel as if I'm trying to bite off more than I can chew right now and putting pressure on each run to get back in better form even though I know that I can't do that.  It's odd, running is sort of up and down for me right now and that may be why I'm enjoying the swimming so much. 

Tomorrow, 8/26 I'm doing a swim bike workout at the pond and am psyched -- I got new off-road tires and invested in toe clips.  I'll be outside tonight and practicing on those.

5 @ 10

Started a little earlier today (still very dark) and set out to run 4 or 5 today depending on how I felt. Tried a new route from my office out to Castle Island through South Boston. Its basically a 4 mi out and back run with a 1 mile loop around Fort Independence. I almost bailed out at the 2 mi mark as I was getting tired and didn't want to start cramping at the furthest point in the run. After a brief conversation with myself, I continued on. At one point, I could see my office across the bay. It looked VERY far away. So I stayed focused on the path ahead and tried to zone out for a mile. Once I reached the 4 mile mark, the anxiety was gone and I cruised in the last mile (9:42). Covered the 5.0 in exactly 50 minutes. No aches or pains either. Good start to the week.

(I run at the office to beat the traffic and to utilize safer routes. I'm questioning the latter as I passed my second active murder scene this morning on consecutive runs. Not good.)

10 miles...

..for the week. This is actually an accomplishment for me as I haven't run 10 in a week since I last ran Falmouth ('00?). Ran three miles yesterday. While the run felt good and the pace was decent, I felt like crap in the afternoon. Legs sore, lower back sore and very low energy. Probably has more to do with the 4 hours of sleep I've been averaging this week than the run. (I love the Olympics but can't wait for them to be over.) I would have skipped today's 2 miles if it were not for the 10 mile week goal, new shoes and a new HRM. (I also had 6 hours of sleep.) I feel much better today. I suspect/hope the back problems are partially do to the old shoes. Next week I'm going to focus more on distance (12-15) than pace. I have a busy work week but I'm starting to get used to the 5:30 AM runs.

Question for you all. Do you keep training logs? If so, what information do you record?

40 minutes, clear head

Damn, I just lost this post as I was about to hit publish. Here's the brief version:
- Crisp, clear day, perfect for running
- Had trouble motivating, but glad I got out for 40 minutes
- Still love how the creative, productive thinking kicks in after about 20 minutes on the road
- Need to kick up the pace, but I figure my body needs the rest for now, so I'm taking it. The mileage will come.

Later boys.

Still going...

Yesterday's run was the first I didn't time. I needed to get out for an easy run as I planned on running longer today. Its was great to just run and not focus on time at all. Finally ran 3 miles today at around 10 minute pace. Lungs felt great at the end, legs were a bit tired (probably has something to do with the 20 lbs I need to lose). I was also passed, for the first time, by a woman who looked in no better shape than I. With my new zen attitude, it didn't bother me at all. I've come to grips with the fact that until I can run under 8 min. pace, I've got no business being competitive. Tomorrow is day off.

Stress Fracture

We've been feeling a bit of stress up here due to job searching stuff and the usual end of the summer exhale. We always need some downtime to regroup after a summer of charging around trying to take advantage of the good weather. As a result, I've taken a break from the running this week. Really, this is when I should be running more to help deal with the stress, but it's easier said than done.

I got in a 30 minute run on Saturday, but skipped both long runs that were scheduled for the weekend. Looking to get back on track this week, maybe even today since temps are in the 60's. Still feeling healthy, so it's just a matter of doing it. We'll see how that goes....

Run 20

Run 20 was Wednesday night and well, was not what I'd hoped. I was tired and still trying to kick my head cold, and despite great weather just not into the run at all. I slogged through my loop and walked more that I have since Runs 1 - 6. I'm not feeling like the retropsective post I had planned. You'll see me drop off the blog for about eight days, while Mrs. FA and I get away for a while. We'll be running during that time, so I'm aiming to get my groove back, such as it was. 'Till then, peace.

Climbing The Hill, Again

Rolled out of bed at 6:10 this AM, tok my stuff downstairs and got dressed in the kitchen.  I headed out for about 36 minutes and really focused on just staying within myself and enjoying the run.  My quads and hammes were tight today -- a sure sign of decline.  I've given back much of my hard work during the spring and am feeling in less than excellent shape.  It happens.  Something has to give sometimes in my life and family time and work are non-negotiable.  I'm going to go tomorrow for a short run, and see what happens on Saturday.  I'm taking a vacation at home next week and totally looking forward to it.

The Piriformis

So I think I've been having trouble with my left piriformis muscle. It bugs me only a little while running, but becomes uncomfortable when i sit for a long time. So I am fairly certain it is not sciatica. I've been doing a lot of hip streteches, which help. Anyone know more than I do about this one?

Run 19 and Rest

Run 19 was last Friday afternoon, and it was what now is a fairly typical 3 miler for me, from the aprtment, around the central park resevoir and back again, taking around 35 minutes. I dislike Friday afternoon runs. With an after-work run on Friday I can squeeze in my miles all during the work week and skip the weekends, which is convenient when the FreeArtists are upstate and the agenda is focused on other things. But by Fri afternoon I'm pooped out, and would rather lie on the couch and watch the news than run. The impulse to lie on the couch is what I'm fighting, of course, and so I run on Fridays.

I came down with a nasty head cold over the weekend and had to fly on Mon, Tues, and so haven't run since then. I feel good for the rest.

Mrs. FA and I are running the Susan G. Komen for the Cure 5K in September. As I'm running the distance now in ~35 minutes, I'm aiming to run it sub-30.

Starting over

So I promised myself that I wouldn't post again to the blog until I was "over the hump" and running consistently again. After three weeks of running at least 3 times per week, I hope I'm there. There were many factors in my desire to start running again. Stress at work, stress at home, low energy, low motivation... While I'll probably take some ribbing for this, my declining golf game was also a significant factor. When the one outlet you have to relax and get some exercise turns into something that causes more frustration, stress and injuries, things are not well. Perhaps more notable is what is not on the list...losing weight, "keeping up with the Jones" (i.e. you all) or training for a specific event.

So I started running at lunch at work. I used to like running in the heat. The first day was 90+ but I figured running a couple of miles along the waterfront wouldn't be so bad. I can't ever remember being so hot my life. It wasn't so much from the air or sun, but the pavement. I ran for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes of walking, a shower, 15 minutes in front of an industrial A/C unit, 10 minutes to get lunch, and another 15 minutes in front of the A/C unit (helps to run the data center), I finally stopped sweating. My second run, while not as hot, took almost as long to cool down from. My next three runs were on the same route at work but at 5:30 in the morning. Considerably cooler and faster. Interestingly, even though I was up early and exercising, I felt like I had more energy at the end of the day. Encouraging.

The only goals I have are to run 3x per week and increase the mileage gradually. So far so good.

Embarrassing Disappointment

I "ran" Falmouth yesteday.  I broke an hour, but it was ugly.  If you want to see my time check out the race website.  I'll not recount anything here because it was a total disaster of a run and personally embarrassing.  I basically broke down at 5K and struggled the rest of the way.  I didn't train properly and if you want to do well you've got to train.  I didn't hydrate or eat right.  I completely misjudged the heat.  It was a total disaster.  I only ran about two minutes slower this year than last year and it's amazing how awful those two minutes feel.  My pace was a mess, my heart rate was sky high and my breathing was all over the place.

I heard some fat woman on the last hill say, "he's dying" as I ran by . . . I heard the same thing two years ago, same place, same person no doubt, and it steamed me then and it's steaming me now.  If you get on the last big hill as a spectator, only to call out others' pain don't camp out there, you useless piece of crap.  Put down your ciggy, put down your mimosa, and try it.

Oh well, there's always next year, and tomorrow, to get better.  Tomorrow I'm going to go to a tri-training thing at our pond.  Ever onward.

Weekend exploits

I'm into the brief posts these days. Here's another:

Saturday - 29 minutes
Sunday 1:59, 14 miles. 1:00 out and 59 minutes back. Felt strong for most of it. Started to bonk at 1 hour in, but was saved by a Cliff Bar (peanut butter, yum) and some Gatorade. Was back on track by 1:20 and finished strong. Reeled in a woman ahead of me over the last 3 miles. She was about a half mile ahead, so it took a while. Got in some good strategery (Bush is speaking on the tube right now) and clear thinking at about 45 minutes -- what a luxury that is amidst hectic summer days.

Later boys.

Jaunt

Did a 30 minute out and back yesterday. 15.30 on the way out, 13.37 on the way back. Trying to keep grinding. Rest day today before a (planned) big mileage weekend.

Run 18

Got out on schedule last night for 36 minutes. Nothing unusual to report. Got some technical shirts, and so was a fair bit more comfortable sweating, and undoubtedly more handsome.

Logging

Trying to log the longer runs, even if I miss some of the shorter ones. Got in just under 1 hour today. 30.03 on the way out and 29.32 on the way back. I pushed and it felt good.

Run 17, Roughly

I got out at 8:30 last night, and it was a beautiful night to run in NYC. Temps in low 80s, minimal humidity, and a breeze. The skyline over the Resevoir was dazzling.

So I ran my (roughly) three mile route in (roughly) 33 minutes. I started stronger and faster than is typicaly for me, reaching the resevoir from my starting point, a distance of (roughly) one mile, in (roughly) 8:30, which is loads faster than my usual 10 - 11 minute mile shuffle. Though I did stop for a short walk in the second half.

I got home around 9:10 and had a late dinner. Maybe the combo of running and eating late kept me up and restless until about 2:00am. Rough stuff.

Weekend Report

I did a hilly, 33 minute run on Saturday AM.  I went at it pretty hard and it felt good.  My legs were actually sore yesterday and bit today as well.  I went out this morning for a quick run and it felt good to get out in the AM.
Life is normalizing a bit for me, and the pressure is lessening at work so hopefully I can get out and run more at the tail end of summer.  I've identified a tri to try -- in September, 400 yard swim, 5.5 mile trail ride and 2.3 mile trail run -- it should be fun, I'm going to get trail tires for my bike and try and train some for it over the next month.

Rain Run

If you ever have a chance to run in the rain (pretty likely this summer), do it. I went out for a long run under threatening skies on Sunday, and ran right into a huge front. The radar painted the picture clearly, but I went for it anyway. I needed to get out.

And I got soaked. Within about 15 minutes of my start, the skies opened and stayed open for about 60 of the next 75 minutes. My legs felt good, breathing was in check, and I wanted to run, so the rain was more liberating than limiting. The fact that I was getting after it when I normally would have bailed made whole run more enjoyable. The deluge also brought a little bit of play into the run -- I felt like a little kid getting soaked in a storm.

So, don't let the weather keep you inside. It's fun.

Details -- One hour, 30 minutes. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 miles.

Run 16, Sort of

Rushing to get in a run between work and the long drive north on Friday, I had a very unsatisfactory run on the basement gym's treadmill. Hate the treadmill. I was bored, tired, and had brought the smallest FA with to get her out of Mom's hair, and she was bored and tired, too, and so became a big distraction. I didn't hit 3 miles or 30 minutes, and ended up walking a load just to say I did it. Pile on that the many beers I drank at a reunion of sorts on Saturday night. Aiming to get back out on the road tonight, and back to feeling like I've started something. Peace, boys.

One hour

I've had only one 30 minute run since the triathlon last weekend, so today was my day to get out. I did one hour, which I think was about 8 miles. It felt good.

Nothing else to report. Just checking in.

Run 15 - A Great One

With the little FAs neatly ensconsed with my folks, Mrs. FA and I hit the road together and covered a bit over 3 miles in about 30 minutes. It was a great run, one of my best. Steady breathing, feeling good the whole way.

I had complained of tightness in the right calf last week. I need to recharacterize this, it is greater fatique, earlier, in the right leg versus the left. It's been a persistent, but not distressing or debilitating issue. Mrs. FA ran behind me for a while and observed that my right leg swings differently from the left. I tried taking longer strides and focusing on planting my feet equal distances ahead on each, and it seemed to have an effect, but it was too late in the run to really tell. We'll see on the next one.

One highlight, as Mrs. FA and I were runing abreast, occasionally I sped up so that we could get around the walkers ahead of us, single file. Putting on these little bursts of speed was surprising. They required very little effort and felt great. So now thinking varying the pace during a run, rather than trying to keep it steady eddy for the whole route.

Run 14

Ran for three miles last night, took me 35 minutes. To Agricola's remark that I run at this distance for a while and then work on going longer, or moving faster, I'm thinking that I may focus on the latter.

It was the coolest it's been in NYC since I started running, which was on June 27, with temps in the high 70s. Humidity was still high, though.

Tri-ing times

I competed in the Colchester Triathlon yesterday, and it was quite an event. The bike and run were great, but the swim was another story. I realized very early into the swim that I NEED to practice, visualize and feel confident that I can complete an event before I jump in. For the marathon, I have to run a couple of 20 milers before doing a race, and I always check out the course at least a day before to get to know it. For the swim, I did a 12 minute session in the lake on Friday and tried to check out the course at dusk on Saturday night. It was just too dark to see the end of the course, so I was left thinking the thing went on forever. Not ideal visualization material.

Come race day, I was still feeling pretty good, if a bit uneasy. The gun sounded, I hit the water and started at it. Within about 15 strokes, my chest tightened, I had trouble getting a good breath, and I resorted to the breast stroke. I plugged away, but nerves kpet nagging me as I thought about the guy who drowned in a tri in NY last week, the qualifications of the safety personnel, and other not-so-inspiring images. I continued with the breast/side stroke all the way out and across the course, but a strange thing happened when I turned the corner to head back to shore. The nerves disappeared. Suddenly, I could do the crawl without an issue and I actually passed a couple of people. The mind is a powerful thing. The second I headed toward shore, toward safety, I was fine. Call it survival instinct, mental attitude, psychological readiness, whatever -- this swim reiterated something we've discussed here many times. The non-physical aspect of sport is a huge factor (I'd say over 80%) in any sporting endeavor.

I finally got to shore and gave a big fist pump back to my family cheering section who followed me from the water in the punt. (I learned post-race that they were confused by my excitement exiting the water, "Does he know he's almost the last one out?") That fist pump served as a good lesson for the kids, though. Yes, I bit it on the swim, but I'm still a winner because I didn't quit and perservered through a tough spot.

I found out after the fact that the swim course was about more like three quarters of a mile, not the advertised half-mile due to a bouy malfunction. I felt strong on the bike and the three mile run was no sweat, mainly because I'm mentally used to longer distances at this point. As is always the case in triathlons, the fellow racers were awesome. I've never heard more encouragement from participating racers on course than I have in triathlons. I forgot about that, and it was a huge bonus. In the end, the race was a great experience that left me feeling good about pushing through a tough spot.

The numbers...
1/2 - 3/4 mile swim - 30:48
12 mile bike - 38:59
3 mile run (probably more like 2.75) - 20:00
Grand total with transitions - 1:32:29

But the real numbers were 1 and 2 for my two kids. After the race a neighbor at camp put on a mini triathlon for the local kids. The events were swim, run and inner-tube swim, and there were two classes, under and over 10 years old. The kids all got numbers written on their arms and everyone won a prize. The kids cheered for me in the morning and I got to cheer for them in the afternoon. How cool is that?

Final Weekend of July

Friday I worked from home which meant that I moved from wi-fi spot to wi-fi spot on Cape Cod and worked for nearly 10 hours.  Good times.  On a day that had started with doing schedules and estimates at 7:30 AM and ended in a flurry of calls over the realization that a designer in the employ of my client, who was supposed to help me, had messed up much of his work, I wasn't really in the mood to go out running.

I was dehydrated and over-caffeinated but I went anyway.  The caffeine and work-day adrenaline caused me to go out hard -- too hard.  I couldn't keep up with myself.  The only thing that kept me going was that at about mile 3.5 of my planned 4 mile route I was going to veer to the beach and jump in the water which I did.  I stripped off my shirt shoes and socks and jumped in and swam for about 10 minutes.  Then I got re-dressed, stepped in the water in my shoe, and finished the run.  It was sort of fun and sort of relaxing and a good and different workout.  Open water swimming without goggles (even with) is hard.

Saturday I went out for a quick 5K.  It was super humid and tough to breathe.  Nothing major to report except that the light was beautiful and that the Bass River was gorgeous.

Resting

I put 30 minutes on the treadmill late Friday afternoon, minding the little FAs while Mrs. FA ran in the Park. The calf still feels tight, so am resting it until Monday night, when I plan to get out after work. Resting...hmm...so far I've swapped the storm windows for screens, cut the grass, ran an errand up to Charlotte, did the grocery shopping and cooked a BBQ dinner. Today we rowed across Lincoln Pond for an island picnic. It's been a great weekend, but it don't feel like resting. HUGE thunderstorms all last night blew out the heat and humidity, so it's a beautiful day in the Champlain Valley. Later, boys.

Hardwood

Ripped up carpet and installed hardwood floors in our downstairs hallway over the past two days. After a day of flooring work yesterday, I was a bit stiff this morning in the legs area. I also noticed some strange muscle fatigue. If I'm sitting on my butt with my legs stretched out flat in front of me, I'm not able to flex my foot (the upper part) back towards my knee much on my right foot. Left is fine. No pain, just no strength. Figure it must have something to do with all the kneeling I did yesterday.

Anyway, since I was tight I figured I'd go for a quick run. I did 30 mintues and was surprised how good my legs felt. I hadn't run since the 8 miler on Sunday, so I guess I was well rested despite the working "workout" yesterday. (I can't overstate the importance of rest for training.) Hoping to do a longer run, around 45 minutes tomorrow followed by an off-day before the tri.

Ebb and Flow, Run 12

So running improvement isn't linear, meaning you don't feel progressively, incrementally better from run to run, but sometimes better, sometimes worse, with improvements felt over time...adding burritos to spinach pizza on my "don't eat before running" list...Peanut butter spread over graham crackers has worked best for me so far, so I'm sticking with that for now...after 8:00pm, the number of runners in Central Park falls off dramatically, but it may have also been the weather...the number of women runing alone at that hour surprised me...had my first unilateral discomfort last night, tightness in my right calf, which I had to stop and stretch 2x...wondering whether all this humid-weather running is going to pay dividends come Fall, when the weather cools, and the air clears...hills are tough, trying to get used to hills, leaning in, going slow...need to pick up a few technical shirts, the cotton gets sweat soaked and heavy...slogged though just under 3 miles last night in about 30 minutes...I like this distance, but thinking about what the next level should be, and how I'll get there...Peace, boys.

Run 11, Broke 3 Miles

I took two laps around the resevoir last night, a very hot, grey night in NYC. It occurred to me midway through lap one that I was breathing much more easily than before....slow and easy in, slow and easy out, a significant improvement. So this is working, and it is very encourgaing to see tangible results. Most of my discomfort was in my calves and shins, and after about 2.5 miles, groin, so more and better stretching is on the agenda.

After I finished my 2 laps (3.16 miles) I walked about 1/2 way home, then ran the remainder of the distance, about 10 blocks/0.5 miles.

Tell you what, no matter how much I actually run while I'm out, I always make sure I return to my building at a trot. My doorman is a fairly accomplished neighborhood athlete, and we chat about running every night as I leave the building in my shorts and kicks. He's very supportive and helpful, but I'll be damned if he sees me walking!

Running with FA

I had a good run on Saturday AM with FA -- his post is already up.  It was a hot and sticky day and we ran at a comfortable and sane pace.  I know that you're saying that your HR monitor seemed a bit out of whack, but it could be that your HR really is down 10 BPM, or it could be connected to the fact that we did converse and that regulated your HR.  Keep running, you're doing great!

In the afternoon we went for a swim at a Pond we joined and that was fun.  I swam a couple hundred yards, maybe, and that was much different from running.  I've got some work to do if I want to do a Tri.  FA and I also paddled a canoe around the pond and that was cool.

Quarter Acre Run

The FreeArtists and Agricolae spent the weekend at the Quarter Acre, and Agricola and I got in a humid early Saturday run, before it turned into a real scorcher.

Ag is a generous host in many ways. We ran at my glacial pace and stopped when I needed to. In all, I think we travelled about 3 miles and ran about 2 of them, but I need verification on that. And I think my HR monitor was smooshing my HR with Ag's, b/c it measured an average 10 fewer bpms than my previous run on Thursday night. Regardless, I was able to chat while running, which was not something I expected, and enjoyed considerably.

Ms. FA ran on the treadmill last night without pain, proving that her purple toe isn't going to slow her down, so long as she doesn't make any sudden turns. Hills have not yet been tested.

Smiles

This morning, I ran the Stowe 8 miler. Temps were in the mid-70's and it rained fairly steadily, but not super hard from miles 2 - 8. A perfect day for a race.

My goal today was to work on my pace. I wanted to do consistent 7:30 miles to see what it felt like and get my body accustomed to that speed over a longish distance. The 7:30 pace would bring me to the finish at 60 minutes, another target.

I ran most of the race within about 15 seconds +/- of my target pace, which was cool. I had an early surge around mile 4 when I tried to stay with an athletic, attractive (from the back) woman, and slowed down when she faltered at mile 5 (and when her looks didn't quite live up to my imagination -- oh, the games we play on the road). At mile 6, I realized that maintaining my speed was taking more effort as the race wore on, so I pushed harder. I felt like I was flying, but still didn't quite get back on pace. I pushed even harder on mile 7, and by mile 8, I realized that my goal time was within reach. I felt strong, so I went for it. Too fast for my steady pacing work, but it felt really good.

I finished with a huge inside-out smile (started on the inside and just radiated out from me) when I realized that I beat the one hour target. It felt great, and I had enough in the tank to actually enjoy it. For someone who's usually breaking down at the end of a race, this was a welcome change.

Anyway, here are the numbers:
Mile 1 - 7:27
Mile 2 - 7:28
Mile 3 - 7:36
Mile 4 - 6:58
Mile 5 - 7:43
Mile 6 - 7:35
Mile 7 - 7:23
Mile 8 - 6:41
Total time -- 58:53 (unofficial)
Average pace -- 7:22

Downtown Run

I took Child Two in the stroller this AM.  He was up, I was up, so we went running.  We did our usual downtown -- it's where he likes to go -- run and logged 40 minutes.  I came back slower than I went out by just a bit.  I was dragging today.  It was more humid today than it was earlier in the week.  C2 chattered the whole way, as usual, and made observations about trucks and walkers and vans and other runners.  In the spring we saw a dead possum and he mentions it every time we go out together, but he calls it a "big boole" (I'm not sure how to spell it.  He asked me why it got smooshed . . . It was a great morning.  Usually I use the sun shield in the stroller to keep the sun out of his eyes, but today he wanted to bring his shades so I only put the bug/dirt screen over him.  It was fun to be able to look down and see his little head and it was easier to hear him and talk to him. 

I love running with C2.

Climbing Back on The Wagon

I've fallen off of the running wagon, but did get out today.  I went for about 5 miles and 42 minutes so it was still pretty quick -- though it's a route I've never run before, and I screwed up my timing (I'm backing into both estimates).  Nothing much to report except that it was a beautiful morning and a joy to be on the road.  Someone cut me off in her car and  broke my stride about half mile from the end, and that was stinky, but all systems were go.

Run 8

I got out for 47 minutes and about 3 1/2 miles altogether, running for about 2 miles / 20 minutes. It's a beautiful night in NYC, hot but not humid, breezy, lots of runners in the Park. I fell in behind a guy who was running at exactly the pace I wanted to run, and so I stayed behind him for a while lest I speed up unnecessarily. After a while he started looking over his shoulder at me. I thought I was making him uncomfortable so I passed him by. I finally found the most direct route through the Park between my apartment and the resevoir. I figure the round trip is a bit more than three miles, and I aspire to making it my regular loop, and to running its entire length, routinely.

Margaritaville

1:33:56 for about 10.5 miles today. Normal ups and downs, literally and figuratively, on this run.

Love the magarita with salt shot blocks, though. My first time having them since CCM last year, and they brought me right back to the course. Cool sensory experience...and no cramping to boot.

Back on the Bike

I was feeling pretty wasted after my weird, lost, humid rushed run on Wednesday, so I took Thursday off and rode the trainer for an hour on Friday night, after the little FAs went to bed. (Ms. FA went upstate to do some masonry repair around the house, and the rest of us FAs stayed in the city.) I didn't care to measure speed or distance, and just plowed through two episodes of Weeds from season one.

I got out again on the bike this afternoon and turned three laps in the Park. Again, I didn't run the distance computer or use the HR monitor, though mid-ride I wished I had. I was fairly certain that my heart wasn't working as hard as it typically does during a Park ride, but now I don't have any measure of average bpm, or max bpm. I am not sure what kind of cardio benefit I shoud have after only 7 runs, but it does seem to have helped.

Plan vs. Reality

I planned to take Friday off and run for about 60 minutes on Saturday. My training schedule plan said I was supposed to run for about 48 minutes on Saturday and 64 on Sunday. Reality? I rested on Friday and Saturday and ran for 31 minutes today. Rain cut short today's run, but I was happy that I even got it in because there have been showers here all day. The 60 minute run will have to be tomorrow. It's all about being flexible and charging ahead. No rearview mirror in running, right?

Heading to the Cape mid-week for a last minute adventure with the family. It will be fun to experience some of the terrain that Agricola routinely describes here.

40 minutes

I ran for 40 minutes today. This was sort of a test as it was ten minutes longer than most of my recent runs, and it was done without a day of rest. The plan is to take tomorrow off and then get about 60 minutes in on Saturday. Everything felt fine. Nothing more to report.

Run 7

Well, last night wasn't so good. I tried to squeeze in a run between the end of the day and an 8:00pm work-related dinner, which added deadline-stress to the run, which I resented. I got lost in Central Park (yes, lost) and emerged on the East Side at a late hour, exacerbating the deadline issue, which forced me to all but skip the post-run stretch.

Still, I spent 35 minutes with my heart rate in the zone, and had a great sweat. (The sweat lasted, in fact, through my appetizer, which must have been a sight.)

Perhaps the most imprtant lesson learned: if I am planning a run at 6:30pm, I should skip the spinach, roasted tomato and garlic pizza at 3:30. Ooff.

Which begs the inevitable diet question. I don't now and won't run during the work day, so it's either early morning or after work for me, and so far I've been an after-work runner. I'm usually pretty hungry when I get home. Any recommendations? Should I run on empty? Grab a snack at home before I get out? Snack late afternoon at work? What snacks are recommended? Pork rinds and hot sauce, I gather, are a bad idea.

30 minute swim

At least that's what it felt like today. I just saw Agricola's post and ditto that for me. No pain, but a definite struggle to get in 30 minutes. The air was THICK.

On the positive side, I had no pain in the calf. It seems that the rest (haven't run since Friday) did it well.

Slog

Today's run was a serious slog.  Summer running can be tough.  Everything hurt for the first 15 minutes -- my ankle, my head, my lungs.  I went short, 3.3 miles, and had one of the toughest runs at that distance that I've had in a while.   I attribute the pain-level in my lungs to the humidity -- it was brutal today.  I got in a run, that's good.  It was far from the best but not the worst; it got my heart rate up, my blood pumping and got some sort-of-fresh air, and a huge sweat -- all good.

Run Six, A Milestone

I ran the Resevoir tonight, the whole way around. At only 1.5 miles, it's only a small triumph. Still, it was the first of the milestones I laid out for my CCM Relay training. I didn't think I'd get there on run 6, never having run much of anything before. I didn't clock it to the second, but it took me roughly 15 minutes. 10 minute miles? I threw in a fast walk between the apartment and the resevoir and back again for a 40 minute workout.

Fourth Fun

Based on the posts this morning, it looks like we all balanced our holiday intake with some fun runs. I did the same with the Hingham 4th of July race. The highlight of that one is always the start. We all gather at the local middle school and reconnect with old friends, classmates and townies. This year, my sis joined us as a surprise visitor from Seattle. She flew in to spend the long weekend.

Despite the family atmosphere of the race, this has never been one that I can just "fun run." I always want to do my best and leave nothing behind on the course. This year was no different.

With 2200 runners, the start is always a slow, zig-zaggy adventure. You're doing well if you emerge from the pack without twisting an ankle, and you always try to make back lost time. Case in point: At the first mile marker, I posted about an 8:40 pace, and I wasn't happy. I turned it on for mile two, posting about a 6:15 -- waayyy too fast. I paid for my launch into hyper speed with a tightened calf. I slowed to a more reasonable 7:13 pace for mile 3 and stopped halfway through it to stretch a bit. Into mile 4, the calf started to loosen up, which reminded me that it generally takes me about 15 - 20 minutes to warm up. I definitely will start doing warm up runs before short races in the future. It's become a necessity. Anyway, by the end of the race, I posted a 33:07 for the 4.6 mile course. I'm happy with the time and with my place in the overall standings. Not sure how it compares to last year. I'll have to look that one up (results are on-line).

So, funny thing happened as I started this post. I rechecked my splits and realized that my first mile was actually a 7:57, which is not bad at all. I must have read my watch wrong because I remember being pissed. I wonder what my mile two would have been like had I read it correctly?

I'm letting my body heal a bit, so I haven't run since the fourth. We're in a heat wave in VT right now. It's supposed to break tomorrow, and that's when I will get out again. A 5-er would be good.

Nice to see us all getting active on the roads and on the blog. Looking forward to our next chance to run together.

Later boys.

July 4 - 6, 2008

I had a big running weekend this past weekend which was good considering I also had a big eating weekend.  I was trying to shock my body out of its 3-4 mile lethargy that's descended upon my running.

July 4, 2008
I observed the Fourth as John Adams requested "[i]t ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports . . ." I ran the 5 K in my town and had a good time.  I started out with a couple of neighbors and finished alone.  I did it in 23:44 -- not my fasted but not my slowest either.I actually ran to the start with my neighbor, about 2 miles and then rean the race. At the end you enter the little finish chute and race organizers/officials were saying "stay in line, keep your order." This woman who finished two steps behind me cut me and the guy in front of me and said, oh hey, sorry guys, I'm not sure where I finished . . . " At the end of the little chute they were recording numbers. I'm sure it will be in the town paper, the order of finish. She cut to move up the standings. I wanted to say "hey, lady, give me a break!" Except then I would have been as much of an OCD over-competitive jerk as she was.

July 5, 2008
I headed out fro 5+ on Saturday AM. Nothing really to report, just a good old fashioned Cape Cod run with a good hard 1/2 mile kick at the end. 46:14.

July 6, 2008
While waiting out traffic I headed out for another 5+ Sunday evening. I dropped the kick at the end but still finished in 46:11. Both Saturday and Sunday I ran as much as possible on the side of the road in the grass and sand. It was cool but muggy and there was a light fog rolling in off of Nantucket Sound. It was pretty cool.
My ankle was a little sore all weekend, but nothing to keep me off the road.

Run 4 on the 4th, and more

First off, thank you for all of the comments on my last post. The FreeArtists spent the long weekend with Ms. FA's folks, who have a convenient three-mile out-and-back between their garage and the entrance to their subdivision. It's a pretty route, heavily wooded with a few big, widely spaced houses. The variety of bird life is remarkable, with loads of red-bellied woodpeckers. Anyway, Ms. FA and I did our walk/run combo 2x over the weekend, on Friday and on Saturday. The comments with which I tinkered the most....running with less bend in my arms seems to help me remember to drop my shoulders and therefore reduce the tension in my upper torso. I also spent more time looking up at the world and the sky, rather than down at the road, which (I think) opened my airway a bit more. The heavy humidity made it difficult to gauge any incremental improvements in my breathing, though. More later, and thanks again.

Run Three

Got out again last night, nothing remarkable about it though I was pleased to run more of the time than I did the night before. Quickly, some things that I'm thinking about: I find that I am awfully self-conscious when I start something new, especially something atheltic, not being at all athletic historically. I am trying hard not to feel like every other runner is noting my lack of form, heavy breathing, or general naivete. I tend to tense my upper body while running, particularly my shoulders, which I attribute to not breathing properly, and to being uncomfortable with a new, physical thing. I also tend to let the mind wander and when I do, I find that I am running faster and working harder than I am likely to be able to sustain for any distance. So when I catch myself doing this, I slow down significantly and shake out my arms, to avoid tensing up. There's a steep learning curve for me, clearly, and it's sort of meta-cognitive, so I am enjoying it.

The numbers, roughly as I worte them down but left them home:

Time: 39.38
Av HR: 142 bpm
Mx HR: 183 bpm
Burn: 563 calories

Peace,

!@#$%^&*

I went out this AM around 6:20 with thoughts of running my 4.7 mile loop. I was rolling along nicely at about 14 minutes, and stepped into the grass to avoid some low hanging branches when, all of a sudden I nearly went down. I stepped on a piece of wood and turned my ankle -- yes the ankle I hurt in November 07. It hurt and I was limping. I stopped to rub it, walked some more, rubbed some more and then ran home. I popped some ibuprofen, iced with a bag of frozen of onions and then got ready for work. I don't think that there's any ligament damage, it feels more like a bone bruise. I'm sort of bummed out but I don't think that it's that big of a deal, it's just annoying and a bit sore. I'll see if I can go out tomorrow, which I think I should be able to do unless it swells today, and then run my July 4 Road Race.

Anyway, I never posted my Boston Chase Corporate Challenge story, so here it is. It was hot and humid and crowded. Twelve thousand runners lined up to run a 3 mile course. I ran the first two miles socially with a couple of friends. We covered the first two in a glacial 19:19. At that point I glanced back at them and then dropped the hammer. I covered the last mile in 7:48, bobbing and weaving a bit around the flagging office workers of Boston. Not exactly and earth shattering time, but with that field, I anticipated no PR.

Several observations about this event: it's crazy to run wild in the first mile, it's unbelievably crowded. The course was shortened this year to 3 miles because of construction in Kenmore Sq. I saw a girl blow out her ankle on Comm Ave and drag herself to the sideline, telling a friend, "I'm done." It was cool to run down Comm Ave. It's amazing how hard some folks were breathing in the last mile -- I think many folks underestimate the difficulty of running 3 miles. I've now run this race in NYC and Boston, nearly 5 years apart. I saw a girl bent over at the finish with a puddle of dark stuff at her feet, splattered onto her shoes and calves. I thought it was really dark vomit until she looked up with blood gushing out of her nose and said to the race medical staff "Towel!" She must have gotten elbowed near the finish. It's kind of strange to see your colleagues in their running clothes.

Another Coffee Cup

"Greetings from Falmouth!
This is the first in a series of e-mails we will be sending to runners registered to run in this year's CIGNA Falmouth Road Race."

I just found out that I got into this year's Falmouth Road Race. I can count on a new coffee cup for my collection -- part of the shwag bag is a coffee mug and my goal is to have a service of 12 (at least). Last year's broke so . . . It's shaping up to be a good summer/fall. It's time to return to consistency.

Not ideal, but...

On Sunday, I went for the first long run of my CCM training program under less than ideal circumstances. First, we went to a neighborhood party without kids on Saturday night, and I ended the evening with a slight case of the spins. Mrs. VTR noted the next day, "You thought you might throw up, but you passed out instead." Perfect. Next, I decided to wait until about noon to start. Temps were right around 85 degrees with 95% humidity. Again, perfect.

A couple of things got me through the run. I stuck to my plan and only drank beer and a few waters on Saturday night. Beer = carbs = good. I'm convinced that the wine that was flowing freely would have put me under. I also benefitted from a "late night" (10:00pm for us parent-types) round of sausage that someone threw on the grill. Protein, you know, it's a good muscle builder.

Anyway, I hit the road not quite sure what to expect and had a great time. I found shade along most of the route. I felt strong apart from the first 15 minutes, which I always mentally shelf as a warm up time, and I had no pain. In fact, the calf felt great. I also enjoyed the daydreaming, deep thinking and zoning out portions of the run. Long runs provide some awesome thinking time, and I realize that I missed that. The highlight of the run was beating a cyclist up our hill at about mile 9.5. The guy looked like he was in great shape, so I'm not sure what his deal was, but I'll take beating a bike uphill no matter what the circumstance.

Here are the numbers:
10.5 miles
1 hour 37 minutes
9:38 minute/mile average pace

Run Number Two

I got out again tonight and again I mostly walked, still being careful about not overdoing the run run run. I do want to keep this up at least through the goal.

I did run for a short distance along the Central Park Resevoir, which I've wanted to do since we started talking about the CCM. It was pretty neat, the skyline view is terrific and a storm was brewing further downtown, with low gray clouds collecting just above the building tops on 59th Street.

The shoes so far are holding up. They're fast, as I walk I lean forward and want to run. Interesting.

Some numbers:

Time: 31:28
Average HR: 137 bpm
Max HR: 183 bpm (!)
408 calories burned

Peace,

Mixed Drinkers

Below is a portion of the note I received from the CCM race directors. We're in the CCM relay on 10/26. Our team names is the same title as this post.

Agricola,

We received your entry for the 2008 New Balance Marathon Relay on 06/30/08, and your team is registered to run! The race will be held on Sunday, October 26, and we will be sending out more relay information and your team's number assignment in early October. As Team Captain, all materials and communication concerning your team will be sent or e-mailed to you and it is your responsibility to keep the rest of your team up to date.

11:45

That's the time that Little VTR Number 1 ran the first annual Green Mountain Mile on Saturday. It was in our hometown just prior to the town's 4th of July parade, so the streets were lined with cheering crowds. The race was awesome. It's rare that a 5 year old gets to have hundreds (thousands?) of people cheering for him. It was a bit overwhelming (in a good way) for me, and he just ate it up. What a great experience and the start of a fun community tradition.

The icing on the cake was that Little VTR1 won the 5 and under boy category and got a plaque. So cool.

Run Number One

Well, I put the new shoes to work for the first time last night. Following Agricola's good avice, I walked mostly, went about 27 minutes and probably ran about 1/3 of that time. Stopped to stretchthe calves a bit after 15 minutes, and had to run the smallest FA to the potty at some point, too.

Ms. FA and I ran together on the treadmills in my building's gym, but I have promised myself to avoid running treadmills as often as I can going forward. I kept hitting my hands on the console, and suffered other small indignities, not the least of which was a persistent cough, which appears to have descended on me in the last 36 hours. So, it was a wholly unsatisfying first outing, but I felt great afterwards and I want to do it again. The next run will be on the road.

I wore the HR monitor, but didn't start it on time, so my metrics aren't worth posting.

Great race if you're in the neighborhood

This is the race that I visualize on many of my tougher training runs.
4.6 miles on July 4 in Hingham, MA.
Just thought I'd put the info out there in case anyone's interested and in the area:
http://www.hingham-ma.com/recreation/RoadRace.html

Great Running Buddy

I went out this AM with one of my best and favorite running buddies. He chatters the whole time, sings, runs with friends who also talk to me, makes observations and is generally enthused about everything that he sees around him. Child Two came with me and we did our 40 minute out and back loop. It was a bit later than normal for us -- about 6:55 after set-up of the stroller etc. but we were done by 7:35.

One of the things that I really like about running and running at different times is the different traffic patterns, runners etc. It's interesting to see how much more traffic there is at 7:15 as opposed to 6:55; to see who is an early morning runner versus a later runner. I like to note the different patterns and it keeps things interesting.

Fast friend

A buddy of mine naturally runs right around a 7 minute mile pace and did a scorching 3 hour marathon a couple of years ago. He's getting back into it and we went for a run yesterday. My goal is to run 7:30 minute miles for the CCM, so he'll be a perfect training partner. We went for a fast-for-me 5.5 miles yesterday, and it felt good. No issues with the calf, although I'm taking it easy today. Good stuff.

Mmmmm....Gear....

S'up, boys.

Got new running shoes today.

Went to Jackrabbit's, on 14th Street. Had my gait analyzed.

Wearin' em now.

Cool.

Boston Lunch Run

I slipped out at mid-day with my work-running-friend for 36 minutes at lunch.
We went through Copley Sq. to the Charles and headed west along the river and back. Thankfully it was not too hot. The pace was slow, she's not in peak shape -- though she was a competitive rower before her first child. She kept saying, you can take off, etc. but it was good to run with a buddy and you stick with the folks you went out with, I say. Basically, no run is a bad run, and not every run needs to be a crushing workout. I'll go out tomorrow and go a bit quicker, as a tune-up for Thursday's race. I'll play the race by ear -- I think I'll go social rather than fast.

Houston, TX Run

We headed down to Houston this past weekend to visit my brother and his family. They have a new baby and a new house, and given that we're entering the final trimester of #3, the time was right. We arrived late Thursday, and just hung out Friday. I got out for a jaunt on Saturday (but not Sunday).

I was prepared to be the only runner on the road and was going to call this post "Not a Local." I met a runner from Houston when I was in Atlanta and he had told me that nobody goes out in the summer to run. Well, there were a bunch of us on Saturday, running. I ran from my brother's place, through a neighborhood over to the campus of Rice University. I did a complete circuit of the campus on a nice, gravel path, in the shade of some really nice trees. It was an approximately 4.5 mile loop and a nice run. I did it pretty quickly, 37 minutes, and enjoyed the spectacle. It was hot and humid however, and by the end, I have to admit I was a bit sapped. I can now add Houston to the list of cities in which I've run, and I got the best sweat I've gotten in a while.

I had a bad running week last week -- traveling, really busy, Celtics -- and a bad diet weekend -- travelling, family gathering. I'll get back on both tracks this week. I'm doing the Chase Corporate Challenge this Thursday, so that will be fun.

Post it

I ran my 30 minute hill loop this morning. Felt foggy, but solid on the way out and stong and light on the way back, even in a steady rain that started with about 15 minutes to go. My "back" beat my "out" by a solid 3 minutes, which was an added bonus.

Random thoughts

Just returned from a 40 minute run. It's the first time in a long time that I've run two days in a row. Feels good.

I had a few random thoughts/observations while out on the roads...

- We don't run because we feel good, we run because we want to feel good. It's an important distinction because motivation in the moments before heading out the door is almost always an issue. It occured to me that if we all waited until we felt like it, we might never run. In that sense, running is kind of a means to an end, luckily the journey to that end is usually fun, too (at least after the first 10 to 15 minutes).
- Saw a full water bottle on a stump on the side of the road today. This was a very low traffic dirt road through the woods. I didn't see any other runners out there today, but it was cool to know that somewhere nearby, someone was in the middle of a long run and would be striding by soon, releived to have made it to their next water stop. It's all about community, you know?
- Running clears the head. I'm in the midst of a job search and things can get muddled as I figure out the next step. The run always brings at least one, discrete action item or goal to the fore. Very glad that I'm back at it.

That's all from here. Later boys.

Good Read

Despite missing my window this morning I'm still going to post. This is a good blog post from Dean Karnaze's blog about a run he's done across the Gobi Desert . . .

It's about the experiential nature of running and just being in the moment, embracing the run and the setting. It's a good read.

Notes From The Edge

Hills

I ran directly from my house this afternoon, which means I had to tackle a steep quarter-mile hill. Definitely a test. The run went well, and it felt good to be back on my old route again. Not much else to report.

Fast friends

On Sunday, I did a 4.5 mile loop with an old friend, and I felt great. Again, I was apprehensive about the old injury, but everything felt fine. Nothing else to report, just progress. Today I plan on a solid 5 miler. More on that later.

Yoga! Yoga! (To Belushi's chant)

Yoga is by far one of the greatest low impact exercise routines I have done. How is it possible to raise your heart rate to 140 simply through breathing and some poses? My HR stayed in that range for close to 45 minutes by posing this way and that. When I first began, I could hardly hold any of the poses, let alone get into any of them. Now I am actually able to hold my balance for close to 30 seconds and not fall over. Focusing on your breathing and trying to clear your head for an hour and a half is completely worth it and has increased my concentration immensely. At points, I am actually moving and stretching my body in ways I did not think were conceivable. If you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend yoga. Be prepared to sweat!

Jimmy "The Squirrel" Kennedy Memorial Run for ALS

Saturday morning, 14 June, I headed to Quincy to do The Squirrel Run. It's a memorial run and fund raiser sponsored by the Angel Fund to support ALS research. It was a small, well organized race. The course was 5 miles long and fast. It wound through the Wollaston section of Quincy and had a long stretch along Wollaston Beach. The weather was hot and sunny. There was a small hill in the first mile and then the rest of the course was fairly flat. Mile 4-5 repeated a portion of the course between miles 1 and 2 and that small hill was climbed again. The run started and finished in a big park, with a small uphill to the finish line.

I had no idea how to pace this race, there were no starting area markers and I knew only one other person in the field and knew that I was going to be faster than he. I passed the first mile marker under 8, but I didn't mark a lap until the mile 2 marker. This is where I'm going to let my splits tell the story:

Miles 1-2: 15:19
Mile 3: 6:44 (22:03)
Mile 4: 8:15 (30:18)
Mile 5: 6:51 (37:09)

I came into the finish behind a relative of the guy for whom the race is run -- I ratcheted it back a bit so as not to pass him - he was a guy in his 50s, and a good runner and the crowd was going wild for him. A woman I'd passed in between 3 & 4 out kicked me at the end and beat me by a step . . . that was the only downer of the run for me but she had a nice kick and I congratulated her on her kick. It was a good time and it's got me thinking about how to run Falmouth (which I think I'm in) and what might be possible -- perhaps 52 . . .

I got a 4 mile run in on Cape Cod yesterday. I saw an elderly couple and the guy was funny, saying, "hey you're cheating, I can't do that!" I responded, "Full speed ahead." I couldn't think of anything else to say . . . it was lighthearted interaction on my trot.

Back on the circuit with P90x

Hi all,

Long time no write. Ever since the sprain in the ankle and then a follow up one on the other ankle during the winter, I have been out of the loop feeling sorry for myself. An occasional workout here helped me get going, but then coaching began and my workouts fell to the side. So for several months I have debated purchasing the workout program P90X and finally bit the bullet and did it. Started approximately 17 days ago and as Agricola can attest, I was hurting at reunion. OUCH! The workouts are incredible though and I have been very motivated to stick with it. Each last approximately 1:15 with the yoga going 1:35. I have not worked this hard since crew season in college and the first five days were brutal since I pushed too hard. But now, I am feeling well and growing stronger. The weight is not coming off yet (just two pounds), but I can push my body further now and I am doing 99% of the workouts correct now. If you are looking for something different and want to push yourself I would recommend this series of 12 DVDs. If I can just get the diet down, I have no doubt the results you see online and the infomercial can totally happen.

Anyways, I will post as I workout. The lifting days I am my HR is 120 to 140. Plyometrics 180-190 for 45 minutes. Yoga is actually 130 to 140. Very cool stuff. Highly recommend it and I am back on track.

Keep on trucking.

Beautiful Day

I got out for a short run this morning -- 3.3 in 26:58. It was a gorgeous, cool, cloudless day -- just a perfect summer morning. I eased back just a bit on the pace (~8:12/mile) and it was a really nice run. Things were flowing, almost from the moment I got out the door at 6:15 AM. It was just one of those runs where I know I had a great one and it was a joy to be out and moving.

I kept it short because I'm running a 5 mile race tomorrow to support ALS research. It's Squirrel Run in Quincy. The husband of a woman with whom I work is an ALS researcher at Harvard Med. Mike Timlin -- relief pitcher for the Red Sox, FA -- came into his lab one day and said "Hey, do this run." So he is and so am I. Supposedly Timlin will be in the field. I'll write it up tomorrow.

Strides

Got in a morning run today and worked a bit on "speed" (it's all relative, you know). I was able to take a solid 3 minutes off my 3 mile time with negative splits for the out and back. It was a tough run, but it felt good to test myself a bit. The next test will be to up the distance more consistantly.

Wildlife update -- saw a deer cross the road behind the car today. It bounded effortlessly over 3 foot high grass. So graceful....Now that I think of it, it's like nature was saying, "This is how we do speed in this 'hood. Watch and learn, sucka."

Later, boys.

Go Figure

I got out for 30 minutes this AM. I set up my sprinkler today and had it going by 6:30 and then set off. It was in the low-60s, but humid and there is more pine pollen around than I've ever seen. The humidity made breathing a bit hard and I was working on keeping the pace down -- though ended up covering the 3.7 miles in 30:16 . . . which is a solid low-eights pace (too fast for a mid-week run, honestly!).

The go figure part of this post is that the weather was sticky and sort of gross for my run but when I headed out to work it was really nice. A new air mass made it's way in while I ate breakfast and it's a perfect summer day.

Hot

I did 30 minutes at about 6:45AM today, and it was already hot and humid. I'm all for the heat, so I won't complain too much, but I will note that having 100% humidity before 7AM is tough. Still, glad I got in the minutes. No wildlife sightings today. They were probably all keeping cool somewhere up higher.

Heat Wave

I did 38 minutes on Saturday. I had trouble with my pace and it was not exactly comfortable. I did the route that I was taking with C2 in the stroller before Burlington and that was taking me about 40 . . . I went out in 19 and change and back in 18 and change -- about a minute faster.

I didn't run on Sunday -- too hot, but I did spend a sweaty couple of hours bulling ACs around the house and putting them in place. I'm planing on going early tomorrow to beat the heat -- something very moderate and mellow.

Wild 40

After a hiatus of a few days, I got back out on the roads on early Sunday morning. I almost went mountain biking with a few friends, but worried that I'd reinjure the leg so I bailed. There's a group of guys that ride for 3 hours every Sunday at 5:45AM (hardcore), and we were talking sh*t all night Saturday over beers. I ended up greeting them at the end of the driveway to show that I could in fact get up, but went for a run instead.

So, I took the route at the end of my road (flat, sparsely populated, nice views) and decided to tack an extra 10 minutes onto my usual 30 minute run. Near the turnaround point, I thought to myself that it would be cool to see a moose. I looked over at the beaver pond off the road and saw two big ears twitching. The calf that I saw in February was chest deep in the pond with no sign of mom (thank goodness). It loped around, snacking in the weeds for a while before finally heading back into the woods. At that point, I realized that his path would probably cross my running route, so I got a little spooked. I started my return by hooting, hollering and clapping like some crazed tourrette's syndrome runner. Cracked myself up. Needless to say, I did not cross paths with the moose, and I was releived when I hit a more "residential" area again.

The leg felt fine with the added distance. Hoping to do a few more 5 milers this week.

Paranoid

I did a 30 minute run on Friday morning and a 2 hour hike with LittleVTR on my back later that day. Rested on Saturday, played some tennis on Sunday and did another 30 minutes on Monday. Tuesday I woke up with general tightness in the calf, so I've shut things down for a couple of days.

I am completely paranoid about the calf. Running is the priority, so I'm thinking about shutting out other activities until I'm confident with it. There's a hockey group on Tuesdays that I'm passing on, hikes will be very minimal and short, and I'm not sure about more tennis. It's a strange thing to force myself to rest when all I want to do is be active.

Not much else to say. I guess the lesson is this: when you can, run.

Syked!

Gents, I am getting completely revved up, thinking about the CCM relay. As I told Agricola, son of the mountain, beast on the hills, I've never run anything before, so I'll consider this an accomplishment! Will look to the blog for guidance on spooling up for this. Knowing me, momentum is important, so I am thinking I'll start after I'm back from scout camp, the week of Jun 23. I then have two months of fairly steady routine before a week away in Aug, and then two more months of routine before the event. I am not overly concerned about work travel, which is murder on a steady cycling regimen, running being considerably easier to maintain on the road than biking, but I'll stop being obvious boy, 'til later. Peace.

Drizzle

I got a 33 minute run in this AM in a light drizzle. Now it's pouring out so I'm psyched that I got one in prior to the deluge.

Monday In June

I got out yesterday for 27 minutes -- I did my short loop, 3.3 miles. Everything felt good one week after Vermont City. I'll go again tomorrow for a short one, maybe with C2. I had to catch an early train so it was a little dicey to get out today (and also on Thursday).

I'm psyched that people want to run the CCM Relay! That will be cool. I've got the form on my desk, 85% filled out. I've got another form for a run next week in Quincy, MA, a 5 miler benefiting ALS research -- The Squirrel Run. I'm also running the Chase Corporate Challenge at the end of the month, in Boston. It should be a good month!

30...

...minutes.

I got out for another 30 minute run today. Feeling good and just trying to keep from pushing too hard.

Good seeing folks at the cross this weekend.