Twenty in the Rain

VTR and I got it together, judged the weather maps sort of correctly, and made the bold call to go running on a day of unsettled weather. We did the course that I did with David -- my town to the Hatch Shell in about 3 hours with frequent stretch stops and one potty break at a Dunkin Donuts across from BC.

VTR called me at about 555 AM and we looked at weather maps together and figured we'd get in some miles and see what happened. We made bascically the right call. The first 8.5 miles were dry the next 11.5+ were slightly less dry. The thunder and lightening mostly held off though at about mile 18.5 a huge bolt of lightening across the Charles helped us to pick it up and get rolling and bring it home strong.

I felt pretty good until about mile 15. The misery continued until about 18 and then it sort of receded and I battled through. I did better this time overall though than I did with David and felt OK, though let's face, there was much suffering in the last quarter. A big quad cramp right above my knee brought me up real short, but we fought through and VTR totally helped me with some smack talk.

A woman passed us in Wellesley and we were like, oh, she's just doing a 5er, though she had on a fuel belt and was moving briskly. We saw her again in front of the Harvard Boat House and she was heading in the direction we'd just come -- she was doing some sort of a loop and was looking fresh as a daisy. I applauded her and we cheered and she smiled at us and powered on. It gave us both an adrenaline boost that was sadly too short lived.

I had no real issues on the Newton hills this time and actually sort of enjoyed them. I really think that my issue on this run comes from the long down hill that starts at BC and goes to the river -- my legs just don't like the down. All in all it was a good run, I know more about myself than I did before, and we were hard core, because the weather was hard core. It was pouring out for more than the last half and my feet were soaked from about 10 on (no blisters though!) and we were drenched. In addition to the woman on the mega loop, I'd say we passed about 10-12 other runners all day, and you could judge training distance based on wetness. We and some other guys were soaked, and we'd been out a long time. It was hilarious. When I say it was raining it was really raining, and when it was pouring, I mean pouring like out of a huge bucket. It was downright impressive.

No, I'm not much of a mantra guy, they tend to make me a bit nutty, sometimes, though I do like "easy, smooth, light, fast." VTR had the best saying, and I'm fairly sure that my second wind came back when he said it: "We were made to do this. We were made to do this." Loved it and I could relate to it. Simple, to the point, and really starts to hit at the heart of what this is all about: being human.

We had a blast, we had a great talk, we had a great run. I felt good Sunday and Monday, only minor soreness (stretching breaks were huge helps). I'm definitely heading out Tuesday -- the short runs are so key on so many levels and they've been missing from my life this month and I've been the worse for it. I'm stoked for Vermont City, I'm in, I'm enthusiastic and rearing to go!

Twenty in Metro Boston

Alright boys, I took some time between calls today (I mean really, what do you do with 10 minutes of down time) and created this 20 miler through Metro Boston. It encompasses parts of current training runs for me, a section of the Boston Marathon from Wellesley to BC (including Heartbreak Hill) and then a jaunt through Brighton to the Charles River and ends at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade -- if you want to push it to 21 you can head to Museum of Science. Here's the route, who's in? I'm targeting either 4/25 or 5/2. You can parts, all, or just say no. There are places to bail, and places to join. With a bit of coordination you could do the last 10, or only the first five... it could be a fun run.

Wednesday Ten

Well, when the alarm went off at 5:45 I hit snooze once. I turned it off when it went off 7 minutes later, composed my thoughts and hopped out of bed. I gathered gear which was easier this AM because it was laying around from yesterday. Made, and wolfed, a half a chicken sandwich and headed out the door at approximately I don't know what time. I trotted out through town, on my way to the bridge in the neighboring town. I passed the 2+ mile mark around 6:43 which means I probably left the casa at about 6:25 ( I really need to get my watch operational).

It was a clear chilly morning and everything was covered in frost. There were many runners out, so I was not alone and I just kept pounding out the miles. I had a couple of epiphanies on this run.

1) There is always someone faster, stronger and better than you unless you are the undisputed best at what you do -- and for those of us who populate the vast middle of Life's Bell Curve, there are plenty better.
The reason for this epiphany was that a totally fit, high-knee-lifting, high-heel-kicking dude powered by me at about the 3+ mile mark. He was fast, and his stride was effortless. It was impressive.

2) Derives from #1: we are all running our own race (and this is a mantra I repeat when running "run your race" "run your run"). What that guy does, what I do, what any of us do doesn't matter.

We run our race, run it as best we can and finish where we finish. The only one I compete with is me. I am, and can be, inspired by others -- the stud who blazed by this morning, David and his quest, Nancy and her enthusiasm, the woman we know who ran all through Chemo. We carry our life with us when we run -- past, present and future, and all of those things add up to what, and how, and who we are when we run.

I reached my destination, the little bridge feeling good. I stopped briefly to chug some Gatorade and eat a Vanilla Bean GU (if you're looking for something easy to handle, and not messy, GU is pretty good -- though they can be so sweet that they are oppressive, this was my first in 6 years!) which I liked, though Fruit Punch and Vanilla Bean aren't really a winning combo. I looked at a flood swollen stream, mesmerized by the swirling water and headed back. I felt better on this run than yesterday's -- it's all about the rhythm. When threes and fives are hard that's a good sign to me.

Keep running.

A Good Run

I posted this on Posterous under the title "52,800, At Least." Hope you guys are well. I'm feeling very much back in the saddle. How's Mrs FA's training going? Two weeks to go.

I headed out this morning for my first official long run of this training session. I had in mind to do 10-11 miles, and had no real time in mind, except to keep it around 90 minutes.
It was a beautiful day under crystal clear bluebird skies and the temp was a very comfortable 38 F. I carried 20 ozs of G2, a cliff bar (peanut butter choco-chip), my mobile and wore a hat gloves, shell polypro shirt, tights and base layer briefs -- much stripped down from earlier in the week. I headed out through the center of town and into the next town over. The wind was a mellow breeze out of the S/SW. The streets of our town were quiet with only some dog walkers, a few runners and a few motorists (one of whom did manage to cut me off as she pulled into the lot of the YMCA....awesome).

I have a 5 mile out route to a distinct landmark -- a bridge -- in the next town. It's part of a longer continuum of out and backs that if I ever geared up for it (mentally and physically) would net a 22 mile long run through three towns and some very scenic neighborhoods. Today's out and back though was just to the bridge. As I neared the bridge I felt good. I decided to go closer to 11. So, rather than stopping at the bridge to eat the Cliff and drink some Gatorade I took a left and ran down a path. The town next to us has a great system of walking trails across the town. I sort of power walked, slow jogged while I wolfed the Cliff and chugged some fluid and then picked it up again. I ran next to a nice little brook, crossed some streets, and followed the path which eventually had me running on top of the Lake Cochichuate Aqueduct for a little trail running. I came back to the main drag that I followed out, and then headed for home. I felt good throughout though my quads were a bit sore -- I went from being "kind-of-running" to at least 28 miles this week, with a stroller run on Saturday.

At about the 40 minute mark I found my rhythm and just kept on rolling. I love it when that happens. I heard loads of Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Crows, saw several Mourning Doves, a huge Red Tail and, what I think, though can't be sure because I couldn't see its rump, which is always white, a Northern Harrier. I enjoyed today, but am glad that it's over, though. This was a good week of running accomplishment and I feel very much back in the saddle. I covered the ground in about 90 minutes, maybe a bit more, but I'm not sure how far I actually went, though it was 52,800 feet, at least.

Long weekend

We took a road trip to Skaneateles, NY to visit with Mrs. VTR's cousins and pick up our new dog. Yup, we now have a little pup named Maggy. She's a black lab and comes from the same kennel as Mako, Mrs. VTR's sister's dog. She's a cute one, this Maggy, and has a loving personality.

On the running front, I managed to run longer than I've run in about six months. I did 6 on Friday and 11 today. Both runs felt great -- like getting reacquainted with an old friend -- though today got long at about 1:20 minutes into it. No injuries or tightness to report. More satisfaction that I'm back at it.

Good Long Run

Just mapped today's run -- 15.6 miles. I hit the road around 7 AM. I walked the first couple hundred yards -- I was not motivated but knew I needed to get out. I did last year's long route with the intention of going out about 8 and coming back. I went out about ten and change and came back 5 and change and then I started walking home and called for the ride. I really didn't feel like suffering into my neighborhood so opted for this plan, about part way out. I also chose the route once I got to a point where I could go one of two ways -- there really was no plan, just running. I ran for about 2:35 or so and am happy with that. A little more consistency during the week is one goal and then a three hour run next Saturday -- Sunday is Mother's day, and I can't leave for three hours then!

It was a good route, some good long hills, some tough short little ups. It goes through my town and two others through some lovely bucolic land, wooded marshes and horse pastures etc. It also passes over the Framingham line of the Commuter Rail, under Route 9 & I-90 and crosses Route 30.

I'm on a zen running kick -- no HR monitor, no watch (though I had my celly and that gave me the rough time) and no real plan when I leave the door. I really need to get some more Body Glide though, my nips got scorched and I bled through a polypro and a technical but didn't really feel it until afterwards. I think this run rocked and helped me realize that with some hard work this month, I can run this marathon. By the end of today I was covered in sweat, salt, spittle, snot, blood and Gatorade -- a good long run!

Short

I got out today with a half in mind and I came up short. I underestimated my out because I didn't map the run prior to leaving and instead of 13.1 did 12.2847 (1:47). Oh well, for the next half, I now know where to go -- it's a decent route and if I'd pushed it .5 miles more, I would have been in the money. That said, I felt pretty good until about the last 2.25 miles when my head didn't seem entirely attached to my legs but the legs just kept going, and my head felt somewhat swimmy. I'm not feeling as chipper today as I did last week after the ten, but all in all, no complaints. It drizzled for the last five miles and I finished just as it started coming down with more intensity. Good workout, onto the new week -- I need to get more in-between runs, that will help a lot.

10 with friends

I braved the -2 degree temps to get in a 10.7 miler this morning with a couple of buddies. The weather actually wasn't bad. I layered up, and there was no wind. I'm finding that the wind is the real killer, not the temp. Not much to report. We did the run in 1:31. It was good to get out and keep on track.

Looking forward to two days off to recuperate.

Long run today

Hit the road with another friend who is running the CCM Relay and I went out kind of slow since I did something to my lower back (due to Yoga). The whole run felt slower than usual, but I knew I was pushing myself and that felt good. After 4.5 I was ready to walk the rest, but that is the great thing about having a running buddy to keep you moving. Plus, he is a little quicker than me so I had to work to stay ahead or slightly even with him. I didn't think we went over 5.5 miles and had finished in 45:40. But I went to Gmaps and found out that it was really 6. So I am pretty excited about the push through the wall when I thought that the run was not going very well. Anyways, it bodes well for the relay and I am looking forward to running with all of you.

Cheers and have a great night.

Enlightenment

Got out at 6AM for a 12 mile run today before work. It was dark on my drive downtown to meet the two folks that I ran with -- a beautiful time of day, but enlightening? Not really.

I ran with a friend of ours and her coach (also a woman). These two are extremely strong runners. One won a 30K race last weekend and the other is a personal trainer and, as I mentioned, a running coach. It was cool to be out with such accomplished striders, but that wasn't the enlightening part either.

The enlightenment came with the "girl talk" they launched into within 1 minute of starting the run. I'll just say that these two aren't big on inhibition, and boys aren't the only ones who can throw down the locker room talk. It was a trip. Refreshing. Enlightening even.

The run was tough but good. I got a kick out of ripping off 12 miles before work mid-week. Never done that before. Doing it with 2 new running partners made it even better as the community nature of running that we've all talked about here was palpable.

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.

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.

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.

Saturday, 2.66

I did get out this weekend, I just haven't taken the time to post it up. I went for a whopping 2.66 hours. I covered about 16.5 miles and was painfully picking my away along when the family truckster appeared to pick me up and take my tired, sore, chaffed, cold body home. I was doing pretty well for the first two hours but it all fell apart in the third and I was VERY happy to be rescued. My quads were fairly shot (and they were really painful on stair descents yesterday), my nipples were scorched and bleeding and I was wiped. It was good that I got out, and I feel some sense of accomplishment but I'm nervous about this marathon. I might get out for another couple hours this coming weekend just to harden things up a bit more. I know that this is totally not how you train for a marathon but I figure if I situate the race in a continuum of long runs then maybe I'll be stronger. We'll see, what do I know.

As far as experiential running goes I was thinking about some runs along the Charles River; between App Gap and Lincoln Gap and trying to do a run where we could just run for like 5 hours, in one direction at a leisurely pace and just see how far we get . . . could be interesting.

Pain, Not Good

So, yesterday, I headed out for a 3 hour run. I was going along pretty good, I stopped a bit at 90 minutes to stretch -- I was feeling tight in all the major muscle groups of my legs, and then carried on. About twelve minutes later I got a shooting pain in my left knee. I stopped, tried to rub it out, walked it off a bit, then tried running again. I came down an incline and the pain got really intense -- my knee sort of seized up though that's not the right word -- it still moved, but the pain was sharp enough that it brought me up short. I shut it down right there, got on my phone and called Mrs. Agricola to come get me.

I'd planned all along to run out for three hours, then stop and start walking back. Mrs. A was to come out and get me -- leaving the Quarter Acre around 2:30 into my run. We knew the route, and I'd just be walking back along it. I figured to cover between 18-20 miles and was feeling good at 1:50. I was thinking "oh, good, 70 minutes to go, no problem, I feel good, I'm enjoying this, I've always wanted to run this route, cool, the tightness I can handle . . ." then the knee pain and an abrupt halt.

I've been feeling some twinges in this knee for the past week, but not thinking much of them as they passed. I got another twinge in this knee at about 2.5 miles into yesterday's run and it passed too. I'm going to call my doctor today and see what he says -- I'll probably see him then someone else. I'm sure the knee pain is related to my ankle injury, and given the location of the swelling, and the pain, I'll not be surprised if it's something in the meniscus/cartilage . . . bummer. Just when I was in good shape and really enjoying the long runs I get dinged. VTR and I had a funny conversation -- I called him as I walked back along my route, and that was humorous. I'll let you know what I learn.

I did a fast five on Saturday, as well -- 40 minute fiver, though more and more I'm ignoring distance and focusing on time spent running.

Big Weekend

So, we had to bail on the weekend with the Agricola family. Big little VT Runner got sick half way down, so we had to turn around and head back to VT late Friday night. A four hour drive that brought us right back home. Bummer, but we ended up salvaging the weekend with some plans-free family time which is truly a luxury. Of course the kids ended up having strep, but that's another story....

On the running front, I had my biggest weekend probably ever. I got in a 5 miler on Saturday and a whopping 21 miler on Sunday. The long run was great ("great" as in "painful but at least I did it" sense, not as in "fun") because Mrs. VT Runner piled the kids in the car and cheered me on at four different points between miles 11 and 21. I even ran with Big Little VT Runner riding his bike alongside me from miles 19 to 20. One of the biggest hurdles to doing this run was knowing that I'd be spending over 3 hours of prime weekend family time alone on the road. That the entire family rallied and joined in was huge. Without them, I couldn't have done it.

I also had an iPod on me for the second 10.5 mile loop. Mrs. VT Runner downloaded a bunch of NPR content (this american life, morning edition, etc.) because I thought I'd need a distraction. I couldn't bring myself to actually use the thing, though. My thought was that since I wouldn't be using an iPod for the marathon, I shouldn't use one now even though I wanted to listen to the segments. I'm glad I didn't, but I was intrigued by the little battle I was having with myself over giving in to the indulgence of the iPod.

One other point about the run. All last week, my back gradually tightened to the point that I was seriously worried that something was wrong. It wasn't a tweak, just a progression of pain. I thought it might impact my ability to run until Mrs. VTB suggested that I stretch. Novel idea, I know. I did the downward dog pose, and it got right at my tightness. After about a half hour of stretching the hammies, my lower back pain was gone. Now, two days after a 21 mile run I am less stiff and pained than I was all last week. It's amazing what stretching will do. I'm now doing the downward dog and a few other hammy stretches a couple of times a day, and the back pain is gone. Are we really at the age where stretching is becoming mandatory? Yikes.