South Shore Six, Sort Of

We went out and visited family this afternoon and I ducked out just after arrival for a quick trot through the scenic South Shore. The goal was to do 6, I got in about 5.5 in about 45. It was actually pretty hilly with some good climbs -- one in particular was quite long. My turnaround was a bridge over the North River -- it was beautiful. The sun was setting and the river was glass calm with just the tiniest eddies as the slack tide turned and the water was starting to flow back into the river.

I've got to do a half tomorrow . . . so, I'm going to map that route and kick it to bed. Sleep is one thing I've not been getting enough of in this training regimen, I'm eating well, not drinking very much booze, the running is working itself out but I'm not sleeping enough. I need to change that.

Not Exactly Alta

I did 6.12 miles today in a time that I'm not real sure about -- I need to get my stopwatch working again. Yesterday was one of the worst weather days that I remember in a long time so I nixed running in he torrential down pours.

Here's my course. Note the elevation changes that I endured, today -- not exactly Alta, but you get the picture. Yes, I started at 193 ft above sea level and I actually climbed all the way to 215 ft above sea level after dipping down to 144 ft. This is not for the faint of heart.



While the elevation is not that huge, I have to admit that there are times when I wonder why I feel that I'm working -- the elevation chart shows me some of the reason, there seem to be many false flats. That said, I'm not sure how accurate the elevation tracker is -- I actually finish beyond and above my house but the end elevation seems to be lower than my start. Finally, Mrs. A gave me a nice reflective harness for Valentine's Day that signifies to me that she wants me to be around a bit longer. I wore it out tonight at dusk/early evening, and it was comfortable, and very visible (I think).

Is That All?

So, I went out for my scheduled eight miler yesterday. I wasn't too amped about it, it was drizzling and cold, and I didn't go to bed early enough on Saturday night, but I went anyway.

As I ran along, it got rainier, and darker, and colder. I was soaked by three miles and considering turning around and just doing a 10K. I carried on. As I got to the point on the run that's about far from home as possible the weather went crazy. The rain poured down, the wind whipped, the sky got even darker and I was thinking to myself "OK, it's all good, I'm chalking up Karma Points for later."

Then, the next thing I knew, the sun broke through, the rain stopped and the wind calmed down. I started thinking to myself that the running karma points are pretty parsimoniously distributed if all I'm going to get out of them is that the back half of my run is dryer and less windy . . . is that all? Apparently that was all I was going to get. The rest of the run was pretty uneventful and I did it much more quickly than I did the first time I ran that distance (72 minutes, versus 88). Of my three long runs so far, I've run in a big snowfall and some funky, weird weather (yesterday was one of the weirdest weather days, ever -- rain, snow, thunder, wind. I'm looking forward to some nice spring days, that's for sure.

Slipping Away

I got out for 4 today. I had intended to go for 10K, but the day sort of slipped away from me. I cooked like a madman through the first part of the day and then a birthday party popped up that we knew about but had forgotten, so I hung out with Child Two and before I knew it it was 5 PM. It was snowy and sort of slippery but not too bad. There were many runners out at the same time and that was sort of cool. I passed a guy going in the opposite direction from him and followed his foot prints for about a mile or so. There were lots of other footprints and it was fun to compare the different stride lengths. I reeled in a guy today about 1.5 into my run and that felt pretty good. I don't know if he was one mile into a three, or 18 into a 20, but I moved by him pretty easily -- it's the little victories in life. Eight tomorrow . . .

Friday Trot

I got out this evening after a phone chat with VTR -- thanks for the call it was good to catch up. I was in my gear, ready to walk out the door and we joked about how VTR could be my excuse to bail, but it was my first day back after Sunday, it felt good and I was jonesing to get out. I went hard and did 3.2 in about 26. The footing was a bit tricky, but not bad. I ran past an accident -- there were police blocking the street and a couple of ambulances . . . I don't really know what happened but it was a big deal, obviously, since half the town's PD was on the scene.

Nullified

I did 5 on Saturday in about 42. I did 10.12 on Sunday in 90.

I was happy with both performances until about 10 PM last night when that crushing Pats loss just nullified my feelings of accomplishment. I seriously could not sleep post XLII . . . but I got in some great mileage.

Tough Morning

Time not recorded (~35 minutes)
avg HR not recorded
Peak HR not recorded
3.5 miles
6:35 AM start
Training Effect not recorded
Temp 23 F

It was a beautiful winter morning -- the trees were covered in snow from yesterday's little snowfall, and the sky was a very cold, wintry, flat blue. Suburbia's beauty notwithstanding, it was a tough run. I forgot to start my stopwatch so have no data to share and it felt like I was running through sand -- 3 runs in 4 days may be a little much right now but it's got to be done to increase frequency.

Back To Back

27:46
avg HR 154
Peak HR 169
3.2 miles
2:07 PM start
Training Effect 4.2
Temp not recorded

On a quick visit to Cape Cod on Sunday 25 February, I snuck in a run along one of my favorite routes: along the sound, up by Bass River and then inland. It was a great day and I took full advantage of the weather, no waiting for darkness. It was my first back-to-back days of running in months. Everything was washed in golden light, and the blues were intense.

Friday First Run in a while.

I went on a three mile run. Total time: 26 minutes and finished with a decent sprint. Felt slow and heavy, but I am on the way.
Watch out for the PHAT man a coming!

Saturday Run, 2/24/07

32:25
avg HR 155
Peak HR 178
3.5 miles (I clocked it 2/24)
6:07 PM start
Training Effect 4.7
Temp not recorded

Saturday was a gorgeous, crystal clear day with nice temperatures so of course I waited until after the sun set and the temp started to drop to go running . . . Nothing like running in the dark when it's icey, though this was a good run. I find it's actually easier to run near the end of the day -- I'm more limber, more awake. Venus was setting in the west when I went out -- she's been huge in the sky the past couple of weeks and lots of folks in town were having fires on a Saturday evening if the smell of wood smoke was any indication.

Agricola, 2/22/07

33 minutes
avg HR 157
Peak HR 177
~3.5 miles (I need to start clocking distance)
6:40 AM start
20 F

A great day for a run, not too warm, not too cold, and got a workout in before the next snow. It was icy, but it lead to some fun sliding.