5 miles with the group last night. The first mile or so I was feeling a little tight but after that all was right. I cruised along with Stevus, Scott (a runner that came out several times last winter but I haven't seen in a while) and a new guy who I think was named Ben.

My mind and mouth talked and my legs did the running on their own. Before I realized it we had a mile left and I was feeling great. 5 miles in 36 minutes. I haven't had a run that has felt that comfortable and easy in a while. Good Stuff.

Track 2

It's been 3 weeks since my last trip to the track but even this is a little better consistency than anything I've done in the past. My last time out I ran an 1x800, 2x1200, and 1x800. I told myself I would run 3x1200 my next time out so that was the goal tonight.

Felt pretty good on the trip over and continued my warm up with a couple easy laps. Hit my first 800 in 2:54, right on target.

400 meter cool down and then a 1200 in 4:19 a little quicker than the 4:21 I was shooting for but barely.

600 cool down and then a second 1200 in 4:18. Pushing a good bit at the end of this one and 3rd 1200 was gonna be tough. I compromised by running an 800 meter cool down before my third.

I came through the 800 with over 3 seconds to make up on the final lap and gave it all I had to get to 4:21, on target again. I was happy to hit my goal and cruised a few cool down laps before heading home. I feel I have gained a little knowledge about this track stuff over the past couple trips and hopefully I can keep it up.

It does make me a little nervous that 87 second laps are such a struggle. It translates into about a 5:48 mile and I just don't think I should have such a hard time running them. However maybe this is the reason I need to continue going. A small increase each trip will add up over a couple months.

It was tough getting out the door after travelling home from Nashville. You would think that sitting on my ass for 4 hours in the airport and the airplane would make me want to get moving but travelling makes me want to sit right back down when I get home.

After much coercion in my own head I got out for an easy run through East Falls. Things started a little rough and I thought I was gonna be pushing my way through this one. After a couple miles I was feeling good and I was happy I got out the door.

4.7 miles in 35 minutes

33 for the week but I hope to get that total a good bit over 40 next week.

Nashville

I got a a little time away from the family to write a post here in Nashville TN. It's my first holiday with Heather's family and I am happy to say that I feel right at home. Every member of her family is very active and they encourage you to get out the door so it wasn't to hard to get in a couple runs.

On Thanksgiving Heather and I got out for around 6 miles in the rolling hills of her sister's neighborhood. I really haven't spent much time in the south and my skewed mental image of trailer parks and cars on blocks was totally misguided. The entire area is covered in new developments very similar to those you would find in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Only in Nashville, the scenery is prettier and the houses are spaced further apart. An very easy run. 6 miles in 55 minutes.

Friday I did some easy hiking but not an ounce of running. Sitting on the couch Friday night I was regretting my DNR and feeling like a loaf. I was able to make up for that today.

Her sister sent us to a huge park in a very ritzy neighborhood of Nashville. The $1,000,000 homes came one after another on the way to the park. I think it would have taken me weeks to figure this entire park out. Lots of dirt paths that were either going up or coming down, not much flat stuff in between. I started with a 2.5 mile loop on these trails and I was panting at the crest of every hill.

I then jumped on a street that winds for about 10 miles through the park. I quickly ended up where I started a couple times before I figured things out and than it was an uphill that lasted 9 minutes. Whew. It was much more fun on the way down than the way up. I am guessing about 7 miles in 60 minutes.

Tuesday night last night and that means another 5 miles with the group. This time Alex, Stevus and I fell into a little pack and took the lead out to the turn around. I wasn't feeling so hot.

The pace was around 7:30 but it felt like I was working harder than that. Things just weren't in sync. I could not get my brain, lungs, heart, and legs to agree on anything so I just pushed along and tried to keep my mind off how my lower legs were tight and achy. Had I been running by myself I most likely would have stop for a minute and stretched things out, started back up at a little slower pace and tried to get in a groove.

Feelings like this tend to work themselves out after a few miles. On the return trip Stevus and I picked up the pace without really trying to and I started feeling a bit better. Mile 4 came in at 7:00 flat and was thinking to myself, "How the hell did I ever run 26 miles at this pace?"

We pushed things up the hill to the Art Museum for a 6:40 mile and it was over. I feel a little like a whiny bitch but I just haven't had a decent run in a while.

Also, I jumped on the scale before the run and it read 162 lbs. Damn. Pre-Marathon I was 153. I was hoping to put on a few lbs before Boston training began but this was a little to much in 1 month. I haven't been watching my diet as well as I was in training. I guess it's time to start again.

Today I was off from work and decided on a long trail run through the Wissahickon. These runs just about always put me in a good mood about my running. Put on the iPod and jumped on the trails.

It was a perfect late November afternoon. Cool, overcast with a crisp feeling in the air. I was sure I would see flurries at some point on the run. The rainbow of leaves that had been on the trees were now in brown piles on the trail crunching under my feet, and disguising the rocks underneath that were just dying to play havoc with my ankles.

Kept the pace moderate which is easy with the constant up and down on the way to Valley Green. My mind pondered an impromptu race on this route that would start and end at my house some Saturday morning over the winter. The feeling of disconnection from the night before was gone and I cruised along keeping my eyes open for obstacles.

Crossed the creek and made my way back home on the other side. This path has a lot less hills but way more rocks, boulders, and roots to navigate. I haven't been doing to much trail running as of late and my legs were reminding me. It was a good feeling though and I was enjoying the run. I was flying along on the path for the last mile. About 9.5 miles in 70 minutes.


I'm off to Nashville for Thanksgiving. The weather is supposed to beautiful and I hope to find a few good routes to run. Happy Thanksgiving.

10 Miles at the Philly Marathon

Today was first for me in running. I paced a friend, Mike, through the last 10 miles of the Philly marathon.

The plan was to meet Mike at mile marker 16, jump in, and do the best I could to help him to his 3:30 goal. Got there a bit early to cheer on a few friends that would be passing before Mike. First up was Steve who had a huge PR and a great race finishing in 2:52. He looked great and seemed totally relaxed as I jogged a bit with him. I heard he looked just as good at mile 25.6. Congratulations Steve.

Next up was Craig who wasn't looking so hot but evidently that didn't matter because he went on to a 21 minute PR finishing in 2:59:55. I can imagine he must have really been eyeing the clock and pushing to come under 3:00 over those last few miles. A great Job.

Next up was my cousin's husband who I never expected to see so early in the race. He struggled a bit in the last few but posted a 3:37 for his first marathon. Another great finish.

Then Mike came along with Ian by his side. I jumped in and after a few words with Ian about how the race was setting up it was Mike and I to finish this thing off. Well really Mike was there to finish this thing off I was just there to lend a little support. Truthfully I was a bit worried about Mike's goal and was praying it didn't turn into a struggle for him over the last several miles.

I shouldn't have worried. Mike was in fine form for the final 10. In fact he told me just where he wanted me. I did as ordered and tried to keep a steady pace and weave through traffic as we slowly passed many of the runners. Things got a little tight in Manayunk but other than that it went well.

He never struggled and it was great to see a huge smile on his face as we came up the last hill towards the art museum en route to a 3:28 and what I think was over a 20 minute PR!

Big props to all the finishers. I'm looking forward to some LBRR's on the message board.

Am I the only geek that reads articles about the physiology of running, who endlessly pages through message boards trying to glean that bit of information that is going to help me the most? LT pace this, AT pace that, the numbers and abbreviations can make your head spin.

I looked at the clock and noticed that I have spent 90 minutes reading through endless pages. I'd say the best piece of information I have pulled from all this searching and all the other searches I have done over the past couple years is "Consistency". Putting in the miles everyday, every week, every month. Training in the rain, in the cold, in the dark, when you aren't feeling so hot, and when everybody thinks you're a little nuts for running so much. (That is of course with the exception of your running friends who think it is totally normal to drag your ass out of a perfectly cozy bed to go running in 20 degree weather on a random January, Saturday morning.)

Of all the training tips I need to keep in my head and put into practice over this winter, consistency is definitely #1.



I totally contradicted all of the advice above on Thursday night. There was a planned group run but the weather had conspired against us. I was driving home from work at 20 miles an hour in the middle of a horrible storm and Jenn called me telling me there was no way she was running. I felt the same way and decided to take the night off.

As I sat on my couch watching a movie the guilt crept into my mind and the weather cleared. I was able to drag myself away from a compelling documentary on Penguins and get out the door for a moderately paced 5.5 miles in 41 minutes.

Friday was a planned and taken day off.

Saturday I met up with the group and put in another loop on the drives. I swear the loop run is never comfortable for me and I think it has more to do with the monotony of that route than my physical state. Stevus, Deirdre and Kevin G made for some good conversation and they took my mind off of the route. We lost Kevin at Mile 3 and Deridre at the Falls Brdige. Stevus and I continued on to the finish. 8.4 mles in 63 minutes.

I attempted to run a couple miles at 8:00 pace in prep for some running with E-Mike in the marathon tomorrow. I don't think Stevus realized that we would actually have to slow down from out current pace to get to 8:00 pace. Despite my best efforts the miles just kept coming in at 7:30. Oh well.

Another Tuesday night and another run with the group. Ian, Alex and I took the lead for the evening and kept up a nice pace 2.5 miles out to the turn around. I was a little zoned out for whatever reason on this run. My mind would concentrate on the conversation that the three of us were having and then wander off on it's own for a while.

The weather was warm, to warm for mid-November and I really hope it takes a turn to chillier temps. We got a little taste of cold weather but since then things have been way above normal. It's November, a month away from Christmas and it should be cold dammit. I'll try not to look back at this post in mid-February when I am cursing the cold weather.

My calf felt fine, though a little tight, and a couple days rest seemed to do it good. I'll Keep it fairly easy for the rest of the week and then hit some harder runs again next week. I'll be sure to go a little easier on the hills until I can build up some strength and confidence.

I ran into Heather heading the other direction on our return trip to the Art Museum. She was late to the run and rather than have her do the whole thing alone, turned around and finished the run up with her. 5.5 miles in 42 minutes.

My dedication to run this week seems to be wandering a bit like my mind was on this run. Maybe I need a couple more easy weeks before I really get back into any regimented training. I am not going to sweat it and just run how I feel for a little while. If I want to do a hard workout I will, I won't make it a scheduled thing.

Ups and Downs

Went out for a hill workout for the first time in a long time on Friday evening. I planned a route through Manayunk that looped a couple times up "The Wall" and included a few other long hills. A run similar to this was part of my routine last fall but I really haven't been hitting the hills much.

Things started off well on the first couple smaller hills. I took them comfortably hard and then slow once I crested. I then started up the wall which begins steep, levels off a little, and then really starts going straight up before easing at the finish. To track any progress I decided to time my splits on this hill. I don't want to turn into a race up the hill but I know how much effort I put in to achieve a certain time.

The first time up in 3:06.

the second 3:02.

A few more hills and I was home. 5.5 miles in 42 minutes.

My right calf was tight when I finished and didn't really feel great that night or the next morning. I debated on skipping the Saturday morning run but decided to go and told myself I would cut it short if thinsg didn't feel good.

Once I was got going my calf was fine. Not perfect, but it wasn't causing me any pain. My legs did feel dead however, just a little fried from the workout Friday night.


We went out with a crew of about 10 on a route that incorporated a few of the Philly Marathon hills on 34th and then up Lansdowne. Many in the group are running the marathon this wekend and it was one last run to prepare. Things picked up pace with Ian and Travis for the last few miles on MLK and I was happy when it was over. 6:50 pace really wasn't to comfortable. 8 miles in 59 minutes.

My calf was not happy when I finished. After driving home it had really tightned up. I had a long Saturday night (Which was a great time. Heather actually said it was the most fun she has had going out in a long time and I had to agree) and I decided to skip my run on Sunday and I will probably not run tonight either. No sense in pushing things without a race on the horizon.

That hill workout was a little to ambitious and looking back maybe I should have skipped the second trip up that big hill or taken it slower. However at the time I did feel fine so how could I know.

33 miles for the week.

It's Friday! I always feel a little less motivated at work on Friday, knowing the weekend is so close. There is often a lot of bullshit meetings that seem to break up the work day and just when I am getting some momentum going on a project I have to head off to a conference room for one stupid meeting or another. It looks like I have one coming up in 15 minutes so that should give me plenty of time to write this up.

My approach to running for the remainder of the year is to really dedicate myself to two hard workouts each week. Hills, Track, Tempo, or Fartlek. I'll put everything I have into these and the remainder of the week will just be easy miles. This is definitely nothing new to the world of running. I think it is the standard routine for many competitive runner out there. I just have never really stuck to it and now I'm going to.

That made the Tuesday and Thursday night runs with the group easy runs.

Tuesday was 5 on Kelly drive. I ran a little harder than I would have liked on the way out. Averaging 7:15 pace but I tried to make up for it on the way back by slowing myself and others I was running with down below 7:30 pace. It didn't work so well. 5 miles in 36 minutes. Everything felt good.

Wednesday was another trip to gym. Enough said.

Thursday an easy 7 with the group. Familiar routes through Fairmount Park hitting Lansdowne, Belmont, Belmont Mansion, and MLK back to the Art Muesum. It was all at a very relaxed 8:00 pace. That is until the last 1/4 mile when I tried to catch up to Alex/Ian/Mike who had pick up the pace with about 1/2 mile to go. I started bridging the gap at tempo pace but was just about sprinting by the time we got back to the museum. It's always fun to end these runs with a duel back to the Art Museum. 7.3 miles in 59 minutes.

This means that tonight will need to be a hard workout. A tough hill route through Manayunk should do the trick.

The Track

My original plan for this week was to run a track workout on Wednesday but I had a feeling that life might make a Wednesday night run difficult and my legs felt great so I went out to the track tonight.

A 2 mile warm up to get there which included a lap around the track and I was on my way. The plan was 1 x 800 and a 3 x 1200 trying to get each lap as close to 87 secs as I could. This number was based on passed races and little guide in the Daniels running book.

First 800 shooting for 2:54 and hit 2:55

400 recovery in 2:04

1200 in 4:19 shooting for a 4:21

600 recovery in 3:13

1200 in 4:18

600 recovery 3:33

800 in 2:53.

2 miles home and I was done. 7.5 miles in 57:00 minutes

The first 800 felt difficult but not so bad and the 87 sec laps seemed to be about right. The first 1200 was bit of a struggle but I was confident. Starting the second 1200 my legs didn't feel as strong and after the second lap I was really pushing. I was going all out at the finish and I surprised by coming in a couple secs under my goal time. I knew a 3rd 1200 was not gonna happen so I dropped it to 800. This again was a struggle but not as hard the 3rd lap of the previous interval.

Overall, I was happy with the workout. Beacuse I don't do this regularly I have a hard time determining how well it actually went. The 2 miles home my legs let me know I had done a workout but I definitely wasn't dead. I guess the plan next time out will be to turn that final interval into a 1200 and take it from there.

The Weekend

I was in front of the Art Museum at 9:30 to join the Philly Runners for a trip around the drives. I can remember this 9:30 am time being a challenge when I first joined the group. Getting a little older, working earlier in the morning, and getting up for a lot of 8:00 am runs, has made this time feel like sleeping in.

It was a smaller group of fairly quick runners and I started off with Jenn, Stevus and Seebo. We fell into a 7:40 pace and and made our way up MLK on a sunny 40 degree morning. Things felt easy and relaxed, I enjoyed the run and the company.

After a quick pit-stop I fell into pace with the slightly slower 7:42 pace group which consisted of the remainder of the group. Marathon conversation, both past and future, dominated the rest of the run. The pace had increased to about 7:30 by the time we finished, a good run. 8.4 miles in 64 minutes.

Today Heather and I went for a late afternoon run on the trails in the Wissahickon Park. The weather was cool, clear, and crisp. 50% of the leaves were on the trees and the rest were under our feet. A perfect fall run. After get a little mix up on some re-routed trails we found our way and finished around 5.5 miles in 48 minutes.

31.5 miles for the week. I didn't work or plan at all to get 30 miles and it seems like this is my default mileage. Since this is the case I think I should up my mileage goals for the remainder of the year. Instead of 30-35 I am going shoot for over 40 a week. I'll be happy with 40.1.

I have also been re-reading portions of the "Daniels Running Formula". It has given me a clearer picture of what I need to do on the track and in my tempo workouts. Now, the key part, is to put it into practice and see what happens.

The Thursday night crew was down to just Jenn and I last night. We had an easy run along the normal routes in Fairmount Park. I am still getting adjusted to running in the dark in the evenings. It awlays feels like it is 9:00 when it is really just 6:30.

Last night was the first time I really have felt really smooth on a run since the marathon. I think this has to do more with getting over this cold then recovery but I was happy. 6.8 miles in 55 minutes. It really seemed that we were moving faster than this but physics doesn't lie. So 8 minute miles it is, I am no rush.

I ran one of my old routes near my parents house last night. It's 1 mile from their house to a 2.5 mile loop around Lincoln Highschool and a section of Pennypack Park. I must have circled this thing 100's of times my first couple years of running. I decided to jump off of the loop and take a trip over to Father Judge Highschool, my alma mater, for a quick circuit of the track.

The track was unlit and was close to needing resurfacing. I ran around it once and headed back to my parents. Hills that were challenging on this loop years back now seemed a little shallower and a little shorter. I also completed the run in less time than it has ever taken me in the past without really pushing. You can really notice the increase in your fitness when you haven't run somewhere in a long time.

6 miles in 42 minutes.