Monday I took it easy and ran a recovery run. 6.5 miles out and back from my house down Kelly Drive. I passed Heather on her run back home and she gave me the iPod. Running with some music is almost always better than without, especially on recovery runs. Nothing really excited, just trying to work out the aches and pains I had from the Ugly Mudder. 50 minutes.

Last night Heather and I went down to the group run a little early and put in about 4 miles. My legs weren't feeling so hot all day at work but once I loosened them up with the easy miles things felt good.

Started the group run and I could see that Ian was itching to speed things up so I joined him and decided to run how I felt. If the pace we were doing wasn't to much of a struggle I'd just keep it up. First mile in 6:42 and things felt good. Craig and new guy Chris were also with us so we had a group if 4 cruising along.

Ian was slowly increasing the speed, bit by bit so you can barely perceive it. I am not sure if this comes naturally for him or if he knows exactly what he's doing and is just seeing what happens. In any case it's a good thing because I know I wouldn't have been running that pace last night without it. Second mile in 6:30 and things were really starting to pick up. Turned around and mile 3 split was 6:24. Ian continued to speed up while Craig, Chris and I eased off slightly. We came through mile 4 in 6:34 and Ian was out of sight. Damn that 6:34 felt good, in fact Craig and I commented on how we were conversing at this pace and a year ago it would have been nearly impossible to chat.

I felt great in the last mile, so with 3/4 to go I picked it up to try and get under 6. Ian had dropped back to catch up with us so he and I pushed it up the hill to the Art Museum. I gave a decent kick for the last 50 meters and finished with some gas left in the tank. Mile 5 in 5:53. Much faster than I expected and just another good sign that my speed is increasing. 9 miles in 1:04

On to another topic. I had my first dream about the Boston Marathon last night. Leading up to the Baltimore marathon a couple years ago I had several bad dreams, for Chicago last year I don't remember any. They are always very similar, I get lost on the course or I arrive late for the start. In reality this is impossible, I guess I could be late but I am to worked up to miss the race or oversleep and being surrounded by hundred of runners on marked course it's hard to go off track. However, in my dream it seems real.

I start off just fine but then kind of lose my way. I eventually find the course again but I am either way ahead of all the runners because of a shortcut, or way back in the pack having lost valuable time. It's nerve racking and I am relieved when I wake up and realize it was only a dream. I don't find myself really worrying about the marathon when I am awake but I guess my subconcious mind has other ideas. I just hope the dreams don't turn into a regular occurence.

The Ugly Mudder 2007

The Ugly Mudder is a trail race run near Reading, Pa, a town about 50 miles Northwest of Philly. It is one of a slew of races in the area run by Ron Horn. Ron is quite a character with a great sense of humor that, I think, takes pleasure in making runners struggle through hills, snow and just about anything that makes them suffer a little. Luckily, runners are a group that kind of enjoys suffering so his races are very popular. The Ugly Mudder's name is fitting and the 7 or so miles can get very nasty depending on the weather, which normally isn't to nice in late February in Reading.

We got together a group of 10 Philly Runners for the race and I think they, like myself, didn't really know what we were in for when we signed up. Things were bad, just about as bad as I could imagine for any kind of running race. Before starting the run Ron said that "Winter trail running can be very difficult depending on how bad the conditons are. Today we have reached the pinnacle."

I wasn't planning on really racing this because of several factors including the conditions. About 0.01 miles into the race I was happy about that plan. It was ridiculous. 99.9% of the course was covered by several inches of compact frozen snow that went from slippery, to very slippery, to lacking friction. We hit the first hill and I was instantly on down on my hands, as was everybody else. I was grabbing trees, rocks, roots anything I could that we give me a little traction to get up the hill. The racers had spread out across this hill, up and over a little berm in a big line. I felt like we were some kind of invading force, in Siberia perhaps.

The down hills were often a controlled fall, sliding from tree to tree. At some points the downhills were so slippery that I just squatted as low as I could go and placed my hands on the ground. Sliding down the mountain like I had roller skates on. I couldn't help but laugh at the futility of the situation. 100's of runners squatting, sliding and falling down an ice covered hill.

I was passed by many people on the downhills. Obviously they had better sneakers, cleats, or bigger balls than I had. I was fairly far back in the pack and I was very content to pass some people on the level portions, hold my ground on the uphills and loss it all on the downhills. 1st mile 10:30, second mile... 10:30. I stopped at the water station at mile 2.2, moved to the side to drink some water and promptly feel on my ass.

Mile 2-3 was flat for a good portion and I was surprised to see it come in under 10:00. The rest of the way was up and down and icy and slippery and I was happy to just to stay upright. You were constantly on edge, throwing your arms up like you were in high-wire act.

The last portion of the race consists of climbing Mount Mudd, which is a very steep, leaf and tree covered hill that stands between you and the finish. It requires you to get on your hands and knees even in the best of conditions. Luckily, it was void of snow and I think it was actually the easiest portion of the race, my feet had traction.

7.25 miles in 1hr 11 minutes. 20 minutes slower than the snow free 2006 version of the race. I was a little put off that I didn't push my self to compete, but I counted myself lucky that I only had one bruise on my knee. The other guys I came with pushed harder and had the bloody knees to show for it. I have alot of respect for them running all out on a course like today. Especially Stevus, the man had on Nike slip-ons, circa 1998 and he still finished 8th in his age group.

Here is a few more images of the Philly Runners who came up for the race and a few scaling Mt Mudd.


The Philly Runner Group after the race, evidenced by Jerry's bloody knee.













Ben working his way up Mt. Mudd














Elizabeth blazing her way up the hill.















Me, with a somewhat scared look on my face for some reason.













This race will definitely be lodged in memory for years to come.


Overall a great week of running topped of by the insane race. 7 weeks till Boston.

Kinda Long Run

I'm just in from my long run this morning. In the winter I really do love sitting down to blog after my long runs. When it is sunny, the light is streaming in through the window warming up my seat, and my room. I have my cup of hot coffee, some good tunes, and the weekend ahead of me. All of this along with the fact that I have finished my long run for the week just puts me in a great mood.

I lead the Philly Runner group run this morning so I got down there early to put in a few miles beforehand. A 6.5 mile loop from Lloyd Hall up into Fairmount Park over South Georges Hill and back. The wind was bitter cold on the way out but felt great at my back on the return. I took my iPod along for this portion of the run to keep my ears warm and to keep me company.

I got to the Art Museum around 9:20 and chatted with all of the runners meeting up for the group run. Despite the cold weather over the past month and half we have been getting great turn outs to the morning runs. This is an excellent sign for the group, I can only imagine how many people were gonna see out there in May when the weather really gets nice.

Ben, Kev G, british guy who was in town for the day, and DC guy who was in town for the weekend started off together at the front and we fell into a 7:10 pace. This continued up West River drive into a fairly brutal head wind. When the wind is this bad on West River I can take solace in the fact that the same wind will be at my back on Kelly drive, that's about the only plus.

I like running with new people and out-of-towners. You get to roll through the normal barrage of questions including, where are you from, what do you do, do you race, what's it like there? This took up a lot of conversation and I found out British guy was an Iron Man many times over. I was kind of surprised, from his look I had him pegged as a runner only.

Once we crossed the Falls Bridge the pace really started to pick up. In the back of my mind before starting the run I was thinking about a fast finish if my legs felt up to it and my legs felt great, plus I had some company so things sped up. The last 4 miles got increasingly faster 6:40, 6:35, 6:32, 6:29. I felt great the entire way. I couldn't believe we were at 6:40 pace when I looked down at my watch. In fact, it felt very conversational. I gave a good kick to finish things up, and I really felt as if I could have gone 5 more at the same pace. 15 miles in 1:46.

Despite the higher mileage this week my legs feel quite good and I have been surprising myself with quicker than expected miles often lately. I can't wait till the Caesar Rodney half to see what I can do. With a little luck, good weather, and a good day I hope to hit a big PR.

The Thursday night group tends to really ebb and flow in numbers and last night was an ebb. E-Mike, Ian, and I were all that made it out on a windy but still warm evening compared to the weather over the last month. No one had mapped out a route prior to the so we made it up as we went along.

Started off slow down Kelly to Poplar and then it was up into the Park around the reservoirs I was feeling good at a relaxed pace and Ian and I started to pull away from E-mike a little bit. By the time we got to the Strawberry Mansion Bridge Mike was really slowing down and we swung back to see what was up. A bit of a hamstring pull he said. Mike, I hope things are feeling better today.

He shortcut the run a little and went down to West River to take it slow on the way back to the Art Museum, Ian and I continued on through the park. The pace picked up on the second half of the run but it was still comfortable, it has just moved from easy comfortable to fast comfortable.

I can tell that over the past month or so my easy pace has gotten faster. In the past it was around 7:30 but I think it has dropped into the 7:20 range and I can still run rather comfortably at 7:00 - 7:10. So my fitness has increased, but due to the fact that I haven't raced since the marathon in October I really don't know where I am at. I am racing the Ugly Mudder Trail run this weekend but the conditions of that race make it a horrible predictor. Last year I averaged around 8:20 pace and I was working my ass off.

After that is the Caesar Rodney half marathon on March 11th. I am heading into a little unsure on how to pace it. I have a general idea of where I am at so I think I may start off fairly easy over the first few miles and see what happens. I have my best races when I reserve a little at the start. After this race I should have a better idea of where I am at and the pace I want to shoot for in Boston.

Anyhow, the remainder of last nights run went by quickly and before I knew I was leaving Ian at Lloyd Hall and heading back to my car at the top of the Art Museum steps. I did a quick trip down and up the steps and I was done. 8.3 miles in 61 minutes.

I ducked out of work about a half-hour early yesterday evening, the sunny 50 degree weather was just begging for me to join it. As soon as I got home I donned my running apparel and got back out the door in about 5 minutes.

I had a 12 mile route planned through Fairmount Park hitting the usual hills and streets that would eventually dump me on Kelly Drive and back up to my house. The weather was all I hoped it would be and most of my run was completed in the daylight, a first for this year. I kept things at about 7:30 pace which was plenty fast for my tired legs. A little over 12 miles in 1:31.

Having a long run on Monday is really piling up the miles early this week and last night put me over 40. This leaves me 4 days to see how much more I can get in. I have a swim planned on Friday night but the chance of breaking 80 miles for the week might warrant a run. 8-10 tonight, 6 on Friday, 16 on Saturday, and 9 on Sunday including the Ugly Mudder trail run. It doesn't sound to bad right now but I'll see what my legs have to say about it tonight.

It is so much sweeter to run when the temps are in a certain range. I think it's different for each person but for me it is somwhere between 35 and 65 degrees. Runs during the the past month have been cold, usually well below this sweet spot. I still look forward to running but there is this pall of cold hanging over it, just taking away from the enjoyment. It's the same thing in the summer when temps are 85 and humid.

Yesterday for the first time since January 19th. (Yes I do have the temp recorded for each run in my log) the temp was 40 or above for a run and although my legs were tired there still was a bounce in my step because of it. I met up with the Tuesday nighters and I think they were all in a better mood beacuse of it as well.

Steve, Ian, Ben, Bike-Mike, and I floated along Kelly Drive at about 7:20 pace. Nobody was pushing the speed last night, everyone was content to chat and enjoy the weather and that was just what I was looking for. 8 miles in exactly 60 minutes.

The First 20

After pushing this run from Saturday to Sunday and then Monday it was finally time put in the miles. Luckily today was colder and windier than yesterday so I was in for a real treat. I mapped out a hilly route through Chestnut Hill and then Fairmount Park.

Started things off easy and quickly fell into a comfortable pace. No plans for a fast finish, or charging the hills, just wanted to run fairly easy and get it over with. I was shooting for a pace between 7:30 and 8:00.

The wind was strong but the route had many turns so I wasn't heading into it for to long at any point. The sun was out and although it was cold it is hard to hold back the more direct rays you get in late February, I could feel them warming my face and hands.

The snow/ice/crap made for a couple sketchy traffic situations but for the most part I had a clear path on the side of the road. Didn't feel great, didn't feel bad, just running and that continued for most of the run.

Finally got back to Manayunk and then down to the Falls Bridge for what this entire run had been building to, a trip up the Bloody Nipple. I was kind of in my own little daydreaming world and before you know it I was 1/4 of the way up, time to concentrate a bit and get moving. Got to the top and I was feeling it, not horrible, but I just wanted to be done.

Down Ford Road, hopped on West River and back to the Falls Bridge. I spilt a mile along this length and was pleasantly surprised to see a 7:15. It really felt like 7:45 pace, a good sign. Back to Main Street where I took Ridge all the way up to Hermit street. A nearly 3/4 mile hill that wasn't to pretty. I think I was making some tortured faces by the time I crested. Then it was down a streep hill and done.

20.1 miles in 2:32. 7:32 pace, better than I would have thought on a course that was probably my hilliest 20 miler. Not a bad way to start things off.

The Weekend

The week didn't end exactly as planned but luckily it wasn't do to running related pains.

Friday was easy. A little over 8 miles with Heather on Kelly drive. Fairly uneventful, just another windy and cold run on the drives. I think it was about 68 minutes.

Saturday I headed down to the group run with a plan to go up Kelly Drive and then go off on my own, or with whoever would follow, over the Bloody Nipple and back for 10. However I woke up with some stomach distress and I was a little leery about how the run was going to turn out.

I felt okay on the way out but I knew all was not right so I kept the pace fairly easy and stuck to the drives on the return trip to the Art Museum. As soon as I stopped the pain in my stomach kicked up a notch and I was glad I hadn't gone for 10 or more.

Got home and continued to feel worse. Within an hour I was in bed, stomach aching, just hoping it would pass. I abhor puking so I resist with every fiber in my being which usually means a couple hours of agony until whatever it is passes. This was no exception and before I knew it most of the day was gone but I was starting to feel better. I don't know what exactly caused the pain but I can't help being suspicious of the Indian food I had the evening before.

So as not to anger the stomach gods I ate only light food the remainder of the day and my mind was already debating if my 20 miles on Sunday would be bagged. I woke up Sunday morning feeling fine and I mapped my route out for the 20. Common sense eventually won over and I decided hold of the 20 miler till tomorrow which because of Presidents Day I have off. Instead I ran an easy 6 on the drives and thanked myself many times for the wise decision to hold off the 20 miles. I just didn't feel like I had it in me.

54 miles for the week with a swim. I would have been close to the goal of 70 with the 20 miler today but I guess that will have to wait till next week.

I got down to the Thursday night run early and put in 5 miles. Looking at the temps I am always expecting to freeze my ass off but if your dressed correctly you feel great. With the exception of some snow and ice, training for a winter marathon isn't that bad. In fact, I think I prefer it over fall marathon traning. Had it been a year where we got 3-4 major snowstorms I might be singing a different tune but it isn't.

After 5 miles I met up with Ian and his friend who had just borrowed a sled from one of the kids on the Art Museum steps. He was flying down the steps, catching air at several spots and I was waiting for a horrific crash at the bottom but he came away just fine. E-Mike, and Steve-K were also there for 9 miles through the park.

Things started easy and picked up along the way, never to fast but enough to get me huffing a puffing a little. 14 miles in 1hr 44min. These 14 miles runs are nearly feeling routine.

Frozen Stuff

The snow/sleet/shit has put a damper on my running. I got in 5 miles with the group at a very easy pace on Tuesday night. The footing wasn't great and my legs were tired so I was content to plod along on my own and relax. I joined up with Tim and caught up on a things over the last 1.5 miles or so. I did about 2 miles total before and after the run for 7 miles in 50some minutes.

Yesterday, after an internal debate much of the morning, I decided to forgo my planned 14 miles due to the crappy weather and take a trip to the pool with Heather. Mostly easy stuff with a lot of work on my technique after some tips from Heather. I am still working on a flip-turn which I think is going to be difficult to make a very smooth operation. I am successful about 1 in 5 attempts right now. I didn't really count, but I am guessing about 35 - 40 lengths.

Tonight I hope to make up for the missed 14 miles yesterday. I am also still shooting for 70 miles this week so that means some heavy running through the weekend. It should be fun in this fridgid weather. I am officially ready for spring.

Hitting my Stride

I started last nights run with a real spring in my step, my legs felt good at work all day and it carried into my run. Pearl Jam’s “Yield” album was playing on my iPod and my pace was quick heading down my block on my way to the Bloody Nipple and Fairmount Park.

I didn’t feel like I was flying but a nice brisk pace, as I headed up the bloody nipple I kept the pace up and cruised over to Ford Road. I was running a little hard but I felt good and knew the weather over the next couple of days was going to make any speedwork very difficult so why not just enjoy it.

Up Chaminoux to South Georges to North Georges where I made a left, crossed Belmont, and pushed my way up Belmont Mansion back to Chaminoux. I felt strong, and fast, just in a great groove not really pushing it but going quickly anyway. I decided to slow down a bit on Belmont Mansion but it only lasted about 100 meters and I was right back up to speed.

I made a right on Ford road, down and up the hill then a left on Greenland to add a loop that I needed to get the run over 10 miles. When I got back to Ford Road, I glanced at my watch and saw that if I could get home in less than 22 minutes I would break 1:10 for 10 miles. I didn’t really know exactly how far I was from home but 22 minutes seemed possible if I kept up the pace.

Followed my route back to the Bloody Nipple, I was flying at this point pushing down hill, glancing at my watch for time checks. If I can just get across Falls Bridge with 10 minutes left, I should break 1:10. I got across Falls Bridge with 12 minutes and I started was thinking, how far can I go under 1:10.

For the first time during the run, I really felt like I was pushing myself, I was at what felt like tempo pace but I’m not sure. Back to Ridge Ave, up the steps to the train station, under the station, up more steps, and then the final hill up to my house. I was all out going up the hill, my legs were tired but I was getting excited about the time I could post.

67 minutes flat. I ran upstairs to G-map the route. 10.3 miles. 10.3 miles in 67 minutes, 6:30 pace - on a training run that I wasn’t really pushing till the end – the day after a 14 miler – on a hilly route. I could not believe it. In fact, I measured the route again to be sure. The effort I put into this run just didn’t seem to justify the time.

To put this time in perspective, it is faster than I ran Broad Street 2 years ago, when I of course was going all out. It predicts a 3:02-3:03 marathon and it was a training run on a hilly course the day after a 14 miler. Yes, I know I already mentioned that but I can’t help it. I think the tempo runs over the past several weeks along with consistent mileage and couple of days off over the weekend just came together for a great run. I hope I can keep this going.

I got home ealrier and in better shape than expected from my ski trip over the weekend. The skiing was fair. Some trails were decent with some packed powder, others were a field of ice, I hate skiing on ice.

I was out the door within an hour of coming home with a route planned up to the top of Wissahickon Park and back. For the first time in a while I could feel the sun warming me when I got out the door. It had a little oomph behind it instead of just being a giant light in the ski. I was happy for the change to shorts and one layer under my running jacket.

After a couple days off my legs felt good and my pace stayed on the faster end of easy most of the way through the park. When I got to the top of the park, instead of turning around, I made a right and ran up to Germantown Ave. Made another right and went up the hill past Chestnut Hill College. I have heard Seebo mention this hill in his blog before but never reallt knew what he was talking about until yesterday. The hill is never horribly steep but it just keeps going and going. You can't see the top from the bottom so each turn you make you realize you have a lot further to go.

After the hill I was in familiar territory of late, winding through Chestnut Hill. The sun was till shining and I was in a fine mood cruisining back towards my house, happy that I was getting a decent run in to end the week.

14 miles in 1hr 43 mintues. It gave 48 miles for the week on 4 days of running and miel swim on. Not horrible, but could have been better.

An easy Thursday with the group. Heather joined us again and that tends to keep the pace on the slower end which was fine with me. My legs were feeling pretty dead and 8:10 pace was perfect. It was an exact repeat of last Saturday's run through the park. 8.8 miles in 1 hr and something.

I was goign to try and get out the door this morning knowing I wasn't going to have a chance to run this evening or Saturday but I couldn't get my behind out of bed. Just the thought of temps in the teens when the bed was so warm made it next to impossible. I'll have to just deal with a low mileage week because even if I can get decent run in on Sunday I am not going to break 45 miles.

A little rest up before I push into the heavier marathon traning that is going follow. After this week only 9 more to go.

Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy

Another chilly evening run last night. The weather just doesn't have me excited to get out the door but once I am 2 miles in everything is fine. I did generally the same route from my 12 miler last Wednesday with the addition of a few twists and turns to get me over 14 miles. Up through Mt. Airy into Chestnut Hill.

I like this route, a lot of residential neighborhoods, generally freindly drivers, and a good bit of people out and about despite the cold weather. It also takes me down a lot of streets I haven't seen before and past a lot of giant houses that make me wonder if they are a residence, or a funeral home, or maybe some kind of publice building... nope that's another giant house.

Things were slow at the start and I just couldn't get into a good rythym but eventually I warmed up and kind of went on auto-pilot. By mile 5 the pace was picking up and I went with it. Pushing myself to keep up a good clip, charging the uphills and speeding on the downhills. I am not positive but things felt generally under 7:00 pace from mile 5 to about mile 12.

The last couple miles were at a relaxed pace and my legs were tired. It was a nice feeling though. To be able to push it, after tempo on Tuesday, on a long hilly run in the freezing cold made me feel good. Also, this is the longest I have ever run midweek. Hopefully this will make up for the long run I am going to miss this weekend. 14.4 miles in 1hour 45min.

Last night was another frigid Tuesday night run with the group. A similar cast of characters went out quickly with the addition of Craig. Craig and I were shooting for 6:25 pace and I think everybody else was along for the ride. Things have sped up at the gropup runs lately. We had 6 guys cruisng along at 6:30 pace or better.

We came through the first mile in 6:23, second in 6:25 and I was feeling good. third in 6:22 and I was dragging, fourth in 6:22 and I was feeling better again. We picked up the pace on the last mile for a 6:07.

It was great to evenly split the miles, we nailed our pace the entire way and still had some gas left in the tank to pick it up over the last mile. Any doubts I had about Craig's training leading up to Boston were blown away last night. I think he finished these miles in a little btter shape than I was.

This is my 5th tempo run in as many weeks and it is the most consistent I have been with speed work in any of my traning. Usually these workout come sporadically based on how I am feeling, this time I am making a point of getting the workouts in. However, I do think it is time to throw in a little time on the track to sharpen things up and see if I have improved since my trips there in December.

The First Mile

I am getting a little hooked on this swimming thing. My legs felt good last night and I know that a ski trip this weekend is going to make high mileage difficult but I still opted for a swim over a run. I guess temps in the teens with winds to boot made the decision a little easier as well.

I haven't swam a mile yet and last night I figured I would go for it if I was feeling good. I was, so I went for it. I did it in sets of mostly 6 - 10 lengths, a stretch that seemed impossible a month or so ago but now is fairly easy. I spend less time concentrating on my breathing and form, so my mind is actually able to wander a bit like it will on a run.

It's a little odd swimming at the gym There are large windows at one end of the pool that look right into the the machine and stretching area of the gym. I sometimes feel a bit like an animal at the zoo when people are staring in or maybe I am the one staring out.

Heather said 72 lenghts of a 25 meter pool are one mile. As I was swimming my mind was going over the math and 72 lenths seemed to far. 72 x 25 = 1800 Meters. I guess I swam a little over a mile. I than started thinking that maybe it was a 25 yard pool. That would mean each length is 75 feet and 72 x 75 = 5400 feet. Still a couple lengths more than a mile. Not to give a math lesson but I just wanted to get the numbers down to make sure it made sense.

Anyhow, a little over a mile. Made me happy. I was definitely tired by the end but I don't think going further would have been a problem. Al this swimming could lead to a half-ironman if I am not careful

Week 5

Another week of training done and now I am 1/3 of through my 15 weeks of training. It was a good week all around with a decent tempo run on Tuesday night and some marathon pace running on Friday afternoon.

Saturday was a cold morning and I threw on an extra layer to keep me warm. I ran about 4 miles prior to the group run and then joined Ben, Craig and Kevin G for a familiar route through Fairmount Park. When I first started my legs weren't to happy but as I warmed up so did my legs and they eventually found a good pace. About 13.3 miles in some undetermined time so I am calling it 1hr and 43 minutes to give me a conservative pace.

I felt some tightness in my quads which is a totally new thing for me but it was nice that it was somewhere other than my calves.

I got up and right out the door for 10 miles this morning, knowing that if I delayed even a little bit I might find an excuse to miss the run. From the start it was slow run and the 19 degree weather didn't help matters. I went up the path through Wissahickon Park. The rain and cold weather must have been timed just right to make half of Forbidden Drive an icy mess. I stuck to the side as much as I could and stayed light on my feet. This also didn't help my pace.

Saw Seth and Raymond on the way out along with many other runners. It's great to see so many people in the park on a frigid morning. One thing I didn't see were any bikers I don't think there was any way they could have stayed upright with all of that ice.

My energy level was very low and although my legs felt pretty good I just couldn't get any speed going. I resigned myself to try and keep 8:00 pace for the run. No big deal, I just wanted to get the miles in so I could break 65 for the week. 10.5 miles in 85 minutes. I didn't even hit that 8:00 pace.

A grand total for the week of 65.3 miles which is a new high. I swam 45 minutes on Monday night as well. All of this with a cold, that means I have no excuse not to hit 70 -75 miles later in training.

Went out with an expanded Thursday night crew yesterday evening. E-mike was back, along with Jerry who is often out on Tuesday nights and Steve K who is back after a soccer injury to his calf. Heather joined us too, after some coaxing and promises that we wouldn't go to fast.

8 miles through the park at an easy pace. The pack was really spread out due to a big difference in peoples pace and I hung back with Heather for most of the way. With about 3/4 mile left to go on MLK I could see Alex and Jerry ahead and even further out Ian and Steve. I was itching to try and catch everybody for a little speed at the end of a slow workout, so I took off. Nobody was really running to quickly and I reeled everybody and then just about sprinted up to the Art Museum for 8 miles in 63 minutes.

I took a mental health day from work today and worked my little cold that sounded much worse than it actually was on Thursday at work, into a Friday off. For the most part I tried not to be lazy and got stuff done around the house and errands done around town.

I also got out for a fairly long run through Fairmount Park. I didn't want to make it another easy run but I wasn't really sure how I was going to feel so I took off at a relaxed pace and let the run follow the way I was feeling.

My house to the Bloody Nipple which I took at a pace that left me panting heavily at the top. When I got to Chamonioux I ran the length from Ford Road to Belmont Mansion at about 6:10 pace. I took a moderately easy pace over St. Georges and down Lansdowne to the Girard Bridge. My pace steadily increased as went through East Fairmount Park and I was really cruising as I headed down Ridge Avenue towards East Falls. The final two miles were probably around 6:40 pace. 11 miles in 78 minutes.

A little over marathon pace for 11 miles. A great run and surprisingly my legs feel good afterwards. Depending on how this weekend goes this could turn into one of my best weeks of running. Not that I had any single workout that was incredible but I have been piling up some longer runs and my legs feel great. We'll see how the weekend goes, don't want to get to far ahead of myself.

I was still feeling under the weather when I got home from work last night. Just drained and tired after an early, early morning ride to the airport for my folks and this damn cold. 12 miles was on the schedule and I was going to try and stick to it.

I headed out the door not long after getting home from work and went for a loop out through Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill. It was a welcome change from Kelly Drive. I mapped out a few different routes but it seemd as long as I got to the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Chestnut Hill Avenue I was going to get at least 12 miles.

I think this intersection is also the highest point in the city so it made for a gernerally uphill run on the way out and a downhill run on the way back. The pace started easy and didn't get much faster.

A little over 12 miles in 1hr and 34 minutes. I got home ate some food, watched 10 minutes of TV and went to bed. Luckily I woke up feeling better.