Trail Run

Took a big trail run today right around lunch time. I'd planned on a doing an out and back into the woods but ended up continuing on. I ran through woods and along the Charles River. I ran through some cool marsh land on raised boardwalks. It was fun and tough and fairly solitary although I did see a handful of other trail runners.

By and large the trail was really temded, not many rocks sticking out nor roots, though there were some rugged sections. I had fun and am feeling the flow. Not sure how long it was, but I think I ran for close to an hour. The transition from the trails to the streets was weird and I walked a bit after I came out of the woods but finished with two good climbs to my street (the ones at the end of my ypical 10K route).

Oh yeah, and the weather was gorgeous! Sunny, dry and 67 F. Perfect.

Real Runners

Today was a day I would have bagged if I wasn't following a plan. Watched the Pat's game until the unfortunate end, slight stomach issues and lots to do at work. My program recommended 6, I planned on 4, ended up running 7.5. Longest since running Boyden Street run back in college. (That was a 10 mile route that required you to finish running up Boyden Street...the steepest hill in the area.) Headed out from the office around 5:45. Ran at a very comfortable 10 minute pace. There are 2 things holding me back from picking up the pace: hamstrings and Hal Higdon's Marathon Training book. I'm hoping the increased stretching alleviates the hamstrings soon. The increased mileage was due to mapmyrun.com underestimating the distance on the course I laid out. Much of the route was along the Charles and it wasn't easy to map the winding paths. It was along the Charles that I passed many a serious runner. BAA logos on their gear were like badges of honor...and a signal to get out of their way. I have to admit, I was somewhat intimidated. I haven't had much experience running by or with others given the time I run and my initial routes. It's been a reality check running in the more popular areas. On a more positive note, today I realized that, halfway through the month, I have over 32 miles logged. I was averaging 24, per month, during Aug.-Oct. Hopefully the holidays and upcoming travel don't derail me.

Workaday Run

Sometimes, sitting at work, unallocated, has its advantages. In a lull in my already lulling day, I stepped out for 40 minutes. I ran down Dartmouth, through Copley Square, to Storrow Drive and over a pedestrian bridge to the Charles River. I headed west along the Charles for 14 minutes or so. I made it past the BU sailing pavilion and turned around at a point where the scenery got sort of minimal -- close to Storrow, weedy trees to my right, just about across from the train yard under the Mass Pike.

The run was pretty uneventful until I decided to cross Storrow at the Kenmore on/off ramp area.
That was a little hairy, and I only caused one fender bender when somebody stopped short and the guy behind rammed him. Just kidding, I ran a straight out and back. The out was 20:11 and the back was 20:06, for a pretty even pace. The temp was nice, the pathways were quiet. One more meeting and homeward bound. My Body Glide is on its last legs, so I'll need to replace that.

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.

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.

Dirty Water

I jumped out at lunch today and took a run with a colleague -- we used to run together when both worked at Mullen. Our current office in East Cambridge and we ran from there, in front of the Museum of Science, up Storrow along the Charles to the Mass Ave Bridge -- 364 Smoots long -- and back down Memorial Drive to our office. It was a nice loop and a beautiful day, although super windy. We ran for about 36 minutes and that was good for me since my quads are still sort of tight from Saturday.

I've never run along the banks of the River Charles, and it was a cool experience. It was an experiential run to start off my summer of experiential running.