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.

Turning the crank

3.5 miles
30.03 minutes
Negative splits for the out and back
No pain.

Getting there.

Cautiously Optimistic

I went out for my third 30 minute run yesterday, and everything felt a-ok with the calf. I'm making myself stay on this regimen another week before adding distance and frequency. Hopefully by that point I'll be out of the woods.

Resolution Kept

There were periods late this winter, through the spring, even up until the week of the race that I rued making the New Year's Resolution to run the Vermont City Marathon because I (like 99.9% of New Year's Resolvers) never keep my resolutions. Well, this year, I've kept at least one of them: I finished the VCM and while I can't say it was always fun, it was a great experience.

Formalities
The course was tough and challenging; the race was well organized; the atmosphere was amped up and intimate. I ran a 4:27:10 (gun) 4:24:10 (net). I was happy with my results though I finished in the bottom third of the field, overall, and I screwed up my time measurement so I don't really have a mile-by-mile breakdown -- but I ran this race faster than I ran NYC in '04. I covered the first half in 2 hours; crossed 20 miles at 3 hours and bonked hard between 21 and 25, and rallied to finish strong. I feel pretty good today, and the more I move around the less sore I am. I think I might go out for a little run tomorrow. Scrambling on boulders at Smuggler's Notch on Monday was actually good for me. My ankles and knees feel fine and I'm ready to keep going.

Friends
The best part of this experience, without a doubt, was that I saw my friends and family all around the course and it was an awesome experience. VTR and Mrs. VTR put us up and fed us and were just rocking hosts, and, as always, great friends. The Free Artists were on-hand as well and it was special to share this with them -- again, rocking friends. I've run a bunch of races, and high-fived little kids all along the courses. It was so amazing to high five Child One, and FA's oldest (my God-Daughter). It was just incredibly special. VTR yelled and cheered for me, from his bike, along a rather brutal part of the course, and that helped tremendously.

Impressions
The first 10 miles of the course went really smoothly. Running through town at the start was great, and the fans were amped. I worked really hard to limit my pace. Seeing my cheering section within mile one was awesome! I was reminded of my theory about the dearth of Indian distance runners. There was an Indian guy and his wife, at the start. They were all lovey and smiley. He had on red and yellow-striped (at the top) cotton socks that were taller than crews but shorter than knee socks. I passed him around mile two while he was walking . . . that's a long day. If he hadn't eaten Naan, Dal and curry the night before I think he would have been better-off -- I know from personal experience. It was fun to run along Rt. 127 -- a closed down (for the day) highway. Despite lack of fan support out there it was early enough in the race that it didn't really matter. They had some Brazilian drum troupe out there and that was really cool.

Miles 10-14 are sort of a blur. I messed up my laps and didn't realize it until the halfway mark. I really have very little memory of this part of the race except for crossing the halfway mark and then running along a very narrow portion of bike path, over some small bridges and near some RR tracks, with Champlain to the left. Mile 13-14 was run in a too quick 8:05. I recall coming off the bike path with this guy in an orange tank and big long braid and then starting the climb of Battery Hill. The Japanese drummers were awesome and my cheering section was even louder. I committed to crushing that hill and I think I did. I was pumped up for it and it was fun, fun, fun!

I paid for Battery Hill later -- around mile 16! My legs felt like they were totally filled with blood, trying to stave off injury and the going got tough. VTR was awesome helping me through that section talking it up and keeping me going. It was really sunny out there, and sort of fan-less and this is where lack of fans starts to hurt. I slogged on through 16, 17, 18 and the course dove into a residential neighborhood which was no fun to run in. Some people were into it, most were totally desultory spectators, just watching us slog on. At 19 I was racked, and walking quite a bit. I ran through 20 and fell into pace with a young woman named Laura and we slogged on for about 2 miles together both wondering when it got fun.

At 21 a short, sharp downhill hammered me, Laura continued on and I kept shuffling. I walked half miles and ran half miles of each of the remaining miles up to 25. My pace was down around 14 mins/mile, but I at least ran through each mile marker. Another funny set of interactions out in the last chunk was with a woman with a pink running skirt and a long red braid. We kept passing one another and wise cracking about the last few miles. It was all minor stuff, but it was funny. She kept calling me Orange Guy. I geared up to finish it strong with a guy that I'd been passing and then he'd pass me. We came into the chutes just after 25 and I saw my cheering section again and got a huge adrenaline jolt from everybody as well as the general crowd. I finished with a nice kick (I love adrenaline!). I don't know, unfortunately, what happened to my final mile partner, I out-kicked him and not on purpose. Through the last half to quarter mile my calf was really starting to ball up and I willed it not to cramp and stop me.

After the finish I headed into the runners' food tent and was getting some grub when I saw this young kid sitting in a wheel chair. I lost it and started crying. I felt so blessed to have done what I did, to have had the experience and seeing that kid just brought it all home to me. It was very emotional and very cool, and it was a great experience surrounded by family and friends on a beautiful, if hot, day. Overall, I was happy with my time -- I improved from NY '04 -- and though I didn't meet either of my reach goals it was a positive experience. I learned much about training, and pacing and even though I said this is my last marathon, there might be another in me. My kids totally got it -- a couple of weeks ago they were running around the house saying that they were running a marathon. I'd undertaken this partly to be a good example and to be an active father and show them commitment and dedication and I think that it worked. For that I'm truly grateful, and it was a great experience. Thanks the VTRs, FAs for being a part of it. Special thanks to Mrs. A for all her patience and support and also to C1 & C2. It was an awesome experience.

Long Road

Well, I was sufficiently inspired by Agricola's performance at the VT City Marathon to set up my training schedule. I went on a 30 minute run yesterday, and I'll do the same time every other day for a couple of weeks to ease the calf back into things. At that point, on July 1, I officially start training for the Cape Cod Marathon.

The goal now is to stay healthy and stretch like crazy. I hope to fill in the training schedule with plenty of group runs and races. Keep an eye out for invitations to join in.

Later boys. Welcome to summer.

Warrior

Enough said.

Agricola, congratulations on taking back your 26.2 at the Vermont City. Well done.

Blogging for climate change...

Hey, I'm meeting with the guys at Brighter Planet tomorrow and I came across something that was specific to bloggers, so I thought I'd mention it. Brighter Planet is in the business of carbon offsets. Anyway, they launched this initiative, The 350 Challenge, in which people post their "badge" in exchange for 350 lbs worth of off-sets. Thought you'd be interested and maybe we could post a badge. If nothing else, I thought it was interesting that blogs were specifically targeted for this campaign.

Here's the link.
http://350.brighterplanet.com/

Check it out and if you feel inspired to badge up on LDT, they have code to embed.

On the exercise front, a buddy of mine asked if I would run his leg of the marathon relay because he pulled his calf. I thought that was funny, since I'm dealing with the same injury. No exercise for me today. The calf is actually a bit tight. Tomorrow will be another gym day.

Biking and such

My folks were up for the weekend, which gave Mrs. VTR and I an opportunity to do something we haven't done in a long time -- hit the road on our bikes. We rode from just south of Waterbury to Montpelier and back. We actually split up before Montpelier because Mrs. VTR had another commitment, so I was on my own heading back.

The plan was to meet back at our starting point, where I would hitch a ride back home. The thing is, I didn't want to stop. I ended up biking all the way back through Waterbury and home. The return trip included a number of nasty hills, including the mile or so up to my house. It was challenging, but really good.

I found myself super aware of my calf throughout the ride. The first part of the trip was a breeze, but I was still a bit tentative. On the way home, I started to really grind and felt it a bit in the calf. I'm not sure if the tightness was from being away from biking for so long or from my injury. Either way, I kept on pedalling and the pain went away, moved over to my other calf, jumped behind the knee, etc. Really, I was just too aware of my body because I ended up fine and felt no pain today.

I have to say it felt great to be out on the bike. Grinding away made me feel powerful in a way that is very different than running. It's something about the feeling of the muscles pushing against the pedals -- very isolated focus versus the overall body/experience awareness I have running. Anyway, it felt good. FreeArtist, we have to get out soon.

See you over the weekend.

Last Weekend

Alright, so this was my last weekend. I went for 5+ Saturday, and 1:45 today -- probably in the neighborhood of 12ish, though I'm not sure. I felt OK both days but I have to admit, I really think I'm under-trained for this event. All in all though today went pretty well except for the serious tightness in my left hip flexor -- it was killing me for the better part of the run and I stopped about 15 minutes from the end and stretched it out and finished pretty strong. I've had much tightness and soreness in that muscle for the better part of this training course and it's actually been making me feel like I'm not ready.

The feeling is different than fatigue -- it's just out-and-out sore and super tight. Well, whatever, next Sunday is it, I'll take a few more easy runs this week, hydrate as much as possible over the next several days and probably do some stretching to stay limber and try and fight off this hip flexor thing.

Thanks for the support, boys. I make no promises about next week except that I'll be on the starting line and run as much as I can, and when it's all over, I'll be drinking some beers at VTR's house Sunday night.

Speaking of Nips

You sit on a trainer differently that on a bike in motion. The physics are different, and as a result the sit on a trainer is heavier, less variable. I pulled out the trainer Monday night, so I could ride and talk with Mrs. FreeArtist, having arrived at home a bit later than is typical for lately. At 26 minutes / 7.5 miles, I had a bad feeling in the ya-yas, so I bailed. It was a little scary, actually.

I'm in San Francisco through Friday so won't ride/blog again until the weekend. Peace, boys.

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.

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.

Maybe Caught a Draft

I fell in behind a team ride last night, about 6 guys and a girl. (There are generally fewer girls on bikes, I've observed.) I wasn't close enough to catch a draft, and I don't know how to do that, anyway, but I definately had the feeling of being pulled along. While I didn't talk with anyone in the group, I think it was mainly due to the social nature of the encounter. I've thought several times about joining a cycling club but always concluded that my life schedule wasn't consistent with anything regular, esp. as most clubs ride on Saturday mornings. Rethinking that. Anyway, the group kept a comfortable 17 mph pace for a quarter turn around the Park. At the Carousel it decided to step on the gas, and promptly dropped me. So much for being pulled along.

I'm pleased that I got out four of the last five nights, but I am feeling fatigued. The FreeArtists head upstate tonight for the weekend and for unrelated resons I'll leave the bike in the city, though I am feeling like I could use the recovery time.

The numbers:

Distance: 12.3 miles
Time: 00.48.32 hours
Av Speed: 15.2 mph (I stopped to take a cell phone call; not sure how stopping affects this metric. I know, excuses, excuses.)

No HR info today.

Another Twist

Child Two requested that we go running again this AM so I obliged him. We laid out his stuff the night before and prepped his snack. It didn't save us much time because I didn't get out of bed right away. He also asked that we go back through downtown, so we did, even though I was going to run another route. He did not however want to go back the same way -- I'm just doing out an backs right now and trying to cut down on turns etc. and just try and go out in one direction. So we did make some turns and ran through some side streets. I didn't have my watch today, so no data, but we went out for about 40 minutes again. It is a nice time together and the weather is beautiful. Child Two calls his sneakers his running shoes and he always wants to wear his running shoes. Yesterday he and his sister were running around the house, running a marathon. That was kind of cool. Perhaps my activity is setting a good example for them. It's one of my goals of being active, and it seems to be seeping in.

More Short Distances

Not much to say tonight. It's 69 degrees and clear in New York City. The nice weather must have finally put the zap on my fellow New Yorkers. I've been out in the Park three times in the last four days, and its been more crowded each time. Keeping the hubris bottled up is easy when the bankers and lawyers are out on their bikes in force, in their racing jerseys with I-talian logos, buzzing past at twice my speed. At least I won't fall.

The numbers:

Distance: 12.35 miles
Time: 00.46.48 hours
Av Speed: 15.9 mph (small improvement tonight, I think)
Av HR: 158 bpm
Mx HR: 221 bpm (this must be a fluke...that's weirdly high. My HR has never been above 178-ish)
Calories Burned: 764

Peace,

A Twist

I went out this AM with Child 2 in the stroller -- mid-week kid run, that's the twist. We were up around 6:10 but didn't get out the door until about 6:40. We went out for 40 minutes and it was fun. He was talking the whole way, it was a beautiful, brisk morning and we totally enjoyed it. I slowed down to a walk near the last hill to navigate around a car and psyche myself up to push him over it and he says to me "how come we're walking, Dadda?" I started running right away. It was classic. We saw a nasty dead opossum and he was sort of fascinated by its corpse -- all bloody and gross, and also by a tennis ball in the gutter. He was talking about the ball when we got home -- for some reason its presence in the gutter really grabbed his attention and his imagination. It seemed to me that he realized that there was some story behind how the ball got to the gutter.

Anyway, I took a new approach and adopted a new attitude. I went out because I like to run, and I like to run 30+ minutes. Whatever happens with training the rest of the way happens and whatever happens in Burlington also happens. I'm just going to run to run and enjoy the experience. I'm not competing with anybody but me, and even with myself I'm taking a more experiential approach. It is what it is, and running needs to fit with my life. Marathon training doesn't really, but I think it will someday. I know I just spoke of a sprint tri in one of my comments, but that could work for me -- nothing major, maybe like a 1/4 miles swim, 15 mile bike and 5K run -- totally doable and not overly brutal to train for. Experiential, that's my watchword this summer.

Short Distances

I snuck out last night for a quickie, round and round the Park Drive. I haven't exceeded 18 miles since my new cycling year began a few weeks ago, and I am starting to jones for a longer ride, particularly as I've started to use a dromedary bag for my water supply. I am drinking much more than when I carried water in bottles. Anyway, I expect Memorial Day weekend will likely be my next best opportunity for a 30+miler, so I am starting to plan for that. No numbers today...I didn't wear my heart rate monitor last night, and my distance/time/av speed is on the on-board computer at home...but I don't want to slow my blog momentum!

yes, I s*ck, but not today

I'm posting this for FA, it was originally written on 4/20/08. -- Agricola

Gents, just took the bike out for a shortyin CP, my first ride of 2008. (As interminable as my late fall/winter/early spring slothfullness became, I cling to this scrap of pride: I NEVER hung laundry on the bike!) Anyway, my first stats for the news season read like I've got work to do:

Distance: 11.35 miles
Time: 43.53 minutes
Av Speed: 15.5 mph
Av HR: 152 bpm
Mx HR: 176 bpm (The Great Hill)
669 Calories burned

So, I caught up on the April posts, VTR's injury, Ag's Sherman-esque run through ATL. Saw the Agricolae last weekend and heard an idle thought from Ag that the blog might shut down. That would be too bad.

The BTV Marathon is May 25. Don't know if our plans are for PH that weekend but if so, we'll aim to root for Ag from the sidelines, maybe with the VTRs?

I've blown being in any kind of shape for the Montauk Century, but am looking for alternatives later in the summer. I'm open to suggestions. VTR, is cycling in the rehab plan? If so, let's look for a Saturday morning in May / June and do a section of the champlain bikeway.

It feels good to blog again, to get out and break a sweat, to look forward to another ride. Feels good to catch up with you both.

Peace,
FA

A Better Fall

It's 53 degrees and windy in the Big Apple, so I headed into the Park betting the tourists would all stay in the Museum. There was a detour around the Revlon Walk for Something and I took a spill trying to get around a rollerblader on the narrow footpath, but drew no blood. I've only fallen off the bike three of four times, but I am getting better at it. I used to stick my knee and elbow out, to break the fall. That's dumb, and luckily only a good scar proves it. Today I tucked my my knee and elbow towards by bike/body, and took the fall on my hip and shoulder. Much better. The grass helped, too.

The numbers:

Disatnce: 18.15 miles
Time: 1.15.58 hours
Av Speed: 14.3 mph (slower than usual today; I suspect the detour pulled me down.)
Av HR: 149 bpm
Max HR: 178 bpm, the great hill, whoa
Calories burned: 1131

Peace, brothers.

Long time no post

Hey all,

Sorry for the lack of posting. Due to the injury to my ankle sustained in the fall and then another injury to the other ankle, on the ice rink no less, my running days have been non existent. I have worked out several times with the team I coach, a little lifting and mostly biking. The left ankle is still sore and I must have hurt it really well. I hope you are all well. Agricola, keep up the good running and congrats on the new gig. Let's chat when you have the chance. VT Runner, sounds like you are recuperating just fine. Keep on trucking and I will post. Everyone heading to reunion?

Peace.

Gun show

I did the triple threat eliptical, run, swim today at the gym. 15 minutes on the eliptical, 15 minute run, some weights (you know to bulk up for the beach), and then 15 laps in the pool. It felt good to cross train, and great to actually run. I'm hoping to get a more aggressive program in place from my PT guy tomorrow, but I'm not sure if that will fly. I'm not up for another calf pop, but the slow recovery is also killing me. It's tough because the strains seemed to come out of nowhere -- no pain, no tightness, no warning.

Enough bitching. The workout felt great today, and that's the important part. Oh, and the guns are coming along. (yeah right)

Quick POst

I got rained out yesterday and got out today for 35 minutes. It was a beautiful day and nice to be outside - even if it was chilly. I'm having pace trouble, and going out really hard and I'm not sure what's up with that. Anyway, got out, one more run under the belt, not a bad thing. Back to work -- very busy at the new gig! It's cramping my blog style . . .

PT and Yardwork

I did two sessions of PT last week, and I have another one tomorrow morning. Woo-hoo! Yes! Yes! Yes!

I also hit the gym twice last week for some weights and swimming. I'll go again tomorrow after PT. I'm hoping to get the green light to run a bit by the end of next week. I've had one week on the eliptical so far. With three heavy ultrasound and massage sessions on the calf in six days, I should see some healing. Man, would I like to get out there for even two to three miles.

In the absense of running, I took on two projects over the weekend. I'm working with my father in law to replace old sheetrock with beadboard at camp. And at home, we're gardening fools. With all of the good weather lately, things are sprouting early, so we're already behind. I built a cool tree limb fence around our garden today with help from the kids. I got to use the chain saw, which is always fun. I'm actually slightly sore from the work, but that's mainly from whacking my hand with a hammer multiple times while trying to drive in my home-made fence posts. Go figure.

Kudos to Agricola for kicking it into gear during the last push before the Marathon. I'm still bummed I can't run with him, but hoping to at least pull out a relay leg. Being injured is about the lamest thing ever (no pun intended, really).

Agricola, let's rethink this blog post-marathon. I'd like it to keep going. Maybe with some new blood?

Challenging Run

I ran for about 87 minutes today. It was sort of challenging. MY ankle and my knee were hurting -- the ankle especially. I didn't do 45 minutes yesterday, I worked in my yard for about 2.5 ours instead (cross training).

Three reasons why today's run was tricky:

1. I didn't do the work in between long runs as I rested my knee.


2. Yesterday's work sort of gassed me and left little in the tank.


3. I under-dressed. I should have worn tights it would have helped my legs if they were warm.

I think my knee thing is more muscular than joint -- and I think it's more related to the cold than anything else -- it's not exactly warm out right now.

This Blog . . .

This blog sucks. I'm going out for 45 minutes today and probably ten miles/90 minutes tomorrow. I'll get back on midweek track this week and then try a 3 hour run next Sunday -- once the Vermont City marathon is over I might shut down this blog and just post my running stuff on my other blog . . . it was a noble experiment but it has proven, 14 months into its lifespan, to not be as motivating as I'd hoped.

How's that for a call-out, you pansies? The weather is beautiful, get off your butts and go do something.

Back On The Road

I got back on the road today -- the knee was feeling pretty good. I did a new route near home -- one that I've been thinking about for a while. I ran on some trails near a pond and the Charles. It was really lovely -- lots of Red Winged Blackbirds, some ducks and geese, the sun was still low in the sky. I enjoyed it very much. There was a good sized hill. The run was an out-and-back, 44 minutes).

My knee feels OK right now -- no pain, but I'm definitely aware of it, if that makes any sense. I've hit on some theories this marathon training:

Out and backs of an hour to ninety minutes round trip are pretty doable/tolerable. Anything more I'm looking to go out in one direction and get picked up. Also, on the longer runs I've started to think of them in 45 minute increments (~5 miles). It's not so bad to do three hours when I think of it as four 45 minute segments. Just something I'm thinking about as I practice running. Another thing is that my transition to home from business trip has somewhat wreaked havoc on my schedule -- sometimes it's hard, and I feel bad, extracting myself from the house to run. One more bit of food for thought.

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.

Bobbing along

So, I'm on the conservative approach to healing what seems like a minor injury to the calf. I'm told that pushing that muscle too far could lead to a big tear or rupture with permanent damage. I'm not even into missing out on the summer, let alone long-term discomfort, so I've shut down the running for now.

Instead, I'm hitting the gym, doing stationary bike, some weights to work on my quirky shoulders (and the gun show), and swimming. It's a nice change of pace, although it's killing me not to run, especially with the Burlington Marathon coming up fast. Not only is Agricola running (and going to kill it, btw) I must know about six other folks in my town who are running. Plus, with work no longer an issue for the time being, I have more time to run. This experience has made me appreciate running more than ever, and it's made me realize that I am part of a running community, but beyond that injuries are no fun. Cape Cod Marathon anyone?

Coldlanta

It was a chilly morning in Atlanta today -- temps only started around 38 F. Last week was warm and mild. I actually went out yesterday evening and bought a poly-pro shirt at an ATL REI for this AM and was glad that I did. I did the same route that I did last Tuesday, but a little bit less -- even though I think that I would have covered the same ground quicker - I was withing site of my turnaround and it was not going to take me four minutes to get there today. You've gotta love the long runs for improving fitness. I ran for 45 minutes today, and felt good. Back to work training -- I'm so ready to come home and get to work and get out of this training room.

NYC & Atlanta

Friday I did another 45 minutes in Atlanta. It was a good solo run.

Sunday I did about 14 in NYC. I ran from our hotel on 42 St., between 2 & 3 Avenues and did two loops around the park before running back to 42 St. and 5 Ave. I did each loop in a consistent 53 minutes/loop. The first 40 minutes was not so enjoyable but the hour from that point to about 1:40 was awesome while the last 30 was not great, and quite painful. In total I ran for 2:07. I stopped at 1:07 to answer a call of nature -- God Bless the NY Road Runners and their race day porta-potties. I stopped at 1:30, at the base of The Great Hill to stretch because everything was tightening. My first time over GH I stopped because I had forgotten how long that thing is and I was in my forty minutes of blah. All in all, though, the run felt good and I feel pretty good today, not too sore or stiff. There is nothing better for confidence than some long runs. I'm on the road again, still in the ATL, so I'll go out for about 45 minutes tomorrow (Tuesday), as well.

VTR, I'm sorry to hear you're injured and hope you can run the race, but I'm going to to do it no matter what -- I'm into it now! Maybe, even if you don't do the whole thing, and if you don't get into a relay we could a section together -- you could be my pace guy near the end, maybe in the final 10K or whatever. Let's coordinate.

Pop

So, I had a setback with the calf, which is why the posts have gone by the wayside. I'll keep you updated on any progress, or any other exercise I get in, like swimming.

Agricola, nice job man. If I could run, you'd be lighting a fire under my ass with this spurt of training. Awesome to see it.

The rest of you LDT bloggers pretty much suck. There I said it.
(Unfortunately, I'm right there with you now.)

Raising My Game

I got out again today, for 49 minutes over some hilly Georgia terrain. Today I went with both of the guys that I've run with previously. It was a good and social run and we ran pretty quickly. The hills hurt, but I feel good. Since Sunday I've run four times and I must be up around 26-27 miles this week. I'm going tomorrow too because I won't have time on Saturday. I'm also planning a long run in NYC Sunday -- maybe a couple of loops around the park -- perhaps I'll check NYRR and see if they've got a race for which I can sign up. Where is everybody -- I'm not getting many readers and I'm definitely getting fewer runners/bloggers. The weather is getting nice boys get out there -- we're running our of excuses.

A cool thing about the runs we've done is that Tuesday we headed East along a route. Yesterday I went in the opposite direction. Today we headed North-Northeast. We're "quadranting" our surroundings and getting a sense for the area. It's a fun bit of exploration despite the fact that the area is heavily urban/suburban and very manicured and planned. Atlanta has plenty of McMansions, but they are far more tasteful than those that go up in Boston. THe good architects developers must be down here, and not in the NE.

Another Trot

I got out for another trot this morning through a different part of northern Atlanta. I went with another guy from my training -- another ultra-runner. We went for 44 minutes and probably covered about 5. I'm having a good week of running, and enjoying it. I can't duff around too much this AM because I missed breakfast yesterday and that was tough -- I scrounged up some stuff, but I need to not eat 3 day old deli meat from the office fridge. Later VTR, since you're the only one reading this, maybe.

Atlanta Run

I'm at a training in Atlanta, as I think I mentioned in my Sunday 10 Post. I went out today and ran with a guy in the training who's a triathlete and ultramarathoner. It was a great 53 minute run along a main urban/suburban drag in extreme northern Atlanta, into Dekalb county. It wasn't particularly beautiful though we ran by some nice neighborhoods. It was a type of American sub/urban run that I think is probably pretty common in this country -- but not so common in the NE. Lots of stores and intersections, commuter traffic etc.. However, it was a nice rolling course, the weatherr was cool but nice -- total shorts and technical shirt, and there are some beautiful trees and flowers in bloom.

The guy I ran with is a really nice guy, a designer from SF and he was kind to me and ran with me for the first two thirds and then kicked it towards the end. I hung with him as long as I could and finished maybe 10 seconds after him. I really enjoyed running with somebody, it made the time slide by easily and it was fun to chew the fat. A good run, a nice confidence builder and I'm looking forward to going out tomorrow too. Given that I've done the 10 Sunday and this was probably 6+ I'm feeling better about this training.

I know that I've harped on how much of a routine person I am and if my routine gets messed up then I'm done but I want to amend that statement. Routine is important, but sometimes being out my comfort zone, and getting out of my routine -- like coming to Atlanta for five days this week and three next -- is great for my running. It's a way to take control of my surroundings, explore, and bring some routine to a very different experience.

Sunday 10

Well, I showed some gumption yesterday, got up at 6:20, got dressed and headed out the door for a 10 miler. I did the first half in 44:56. I was going well on the return until a small series of rollers made my legs blowup -- I walked a bit and then stretched. that fixed the problem and I finished the last couple of miles with no problem. The return leg was 45:41 so I just missed the quicker back on my out and back. I feel pretty good today, a bit sore but nothing major -- and I flew to the ATL last night for training for my new gig and didn't arrive at the room until 1:15 Monday AM.

Well, I'm going to run tomorrow morning and take advantage of some of the southland's warmer weather, except that this week in GA and last week in FL (for which I still owe a post, and will do while hanging around the hotel) is that it gets light much later in the mornings than it does in Boston. At home, the sky etc. is bright by 6:40 AM -- the sun isn't up, but daylight has broken. Down here it's still dark, sort of like 5:30 - 6:00 AM dark at 7 AM. It must be the latitude, it's very interesting.

Total Elipse of the Heart

So, I had my first PT appointment this morning for my calf, and I got some good news. It looks like I didn't tear the calf, despite the pop I heard a week and a half ago. The week of rest and stretching helped me out, and now I'm on a program. I did a few minutes on the eliptical trainer (first time on one of those), and I'll go for 30 minutes tomorrow and 45 on Thursday. I have another PT appointment on Friday at which point I hope to be cleared to run.

I have to skip my half marathon this weekend -- too worried about reinjuring the leg -- but I plan on ramping up the miles fairly quickly next week. I'd love to be able to get a long run in by next weekend, April 12. That would put me 6 weeks out from the marathon when there will be no time to dick around or get reinjured, so the motivation to run and stretch should be high. ("Should" being the operable word.)

Anyway, the coolest thing about PT was being six minutes into the eliptical jaunt and thinking, "I'm back." I really felt like I was getting part of my identity back, the running part.

Oh, and happy birthday to Agricola. Welcome to the age of injuries. Keep running and stay young.