Thursday, March 27, 2008
I went to an expo in Center City for work yesterday and this afforded me a later start than normal. I took advantage by getting out the door early into a beautiful morning. Sun was rising, temps were up and it was an enjoyable run. The loop consisted of 2 miles in Chestnut Hill, followed by 4 miles along Forbidden Drive and then another 2.5 miles up the Germantown Hill and back to home. 8.5 miles in 66 minutes and a great start to the day.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Making Tempo Work
Mondays this winter have been my tempo runs and it was more of the same last night. The winter was mild but spring so far has been a little on the cool side. A bit of a tease but I'll take a long cool spring over a quick warmup to summer any time.
I knew all day that the workout was going to be tough. For whatever reason my legs were a little sore and I just had a feeling that it was not going to be so smooth. I was right. After a 1-1.5 mile warmup, I set out on a tempo loop around Chestnut Hill, the same that I had done a few weeks back. Slightly over 5 miles on a rolling course, including one traffic light and a lot of turns. Right from the start I didn't feel smooth and I was having a difficult time getting comfortable and sensing my pace. I made up my mind that no matter what, I was completing this loop at tempo effort, if that meant things went a little more slowly then the last time, so be it.
At 1/2 mile in I pass by the Springside School, a fancy grade school in the area. They have a speed sensor out front, the same you see out on the highway or busy roads which tell you how fast you are going in an effort to get you to slow down. This one was meant to keep cars going slow as the kids are getting out of school. I noticed just as I was passing that it was picking up my speed, 9 miles an hour. I literally laughed out loud when I saw that and it gave me a slight pick me up.
The remainder of the loop was tough to push through, my lungs seemed ok but my legs did not want to turn over the way I had hoped. I just kept going. As I approached the end of the loop I realized I was still going to put in a decent time. When I got home I further realized I had actually run the loop in the same exact, to the second, amount of time I had run it a few weeks back. Holy Shit. It was ugly and felt horribly slow but I still maintained my goal pace. That really made the whole thing worth it and definitely put a positive spin on a less than ideal workout.
8 miles in 54 minutes.
I knew all day that the workout was going to be tough. For whatever reason my legs were a little sore and I just had a feeling that it was not going to be so smooth. I was right. After a 1-1.5 mile warmup, I set out on a tempo loop around Chestnut Hill, the same that I had done a few weeks back. Slightly over 5 miles on a rolling course, including one traffic light and a lot of turns. Right from the start I didn't feel smooth and I was having a difficult time getting comfortable and sensing my pace. I made up my mind that no matter what, I was completing this loop at tempo effort, if that meant things went a little more slowly then the last time, so be it.
At 1/2 mile in I pass by the Springside School, a fancy grade school in the area. They have a speed sensor out front, the same you see out on the highway or busy roads which tell you how fast you are going in an effort to get you to slow down. This one was meant to keep cars going slow as the kids are getting out of school. I noticed just as I was passing that it was picking up my speed, 9 miles an hour. I literally laughed out loud when I saw that and it gave me a slight pick me up.
The remainder of the loop was tough to push through, my lungs seemed ok but my legs did not want to turn over the way I had hoped. I just kept going. As I approached the end of the loop I realized I was still going to put in a decent time. When I got home I further realized I had actually run the loop in the same exact, to the second, amount of time I had run it a few weeks back. Holy Shit. It was ugly and felt horribly slow but I still maintained my goal pace. That really made the whole thing worth it and definitely put a positive spin on a less than ideal workout.
8 miles in 54 minutes.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Frustration
At the start of 2008 I was thinking about what I wanted to do for a race this spring. I decided I wasn't going to have the time and more likely the drive to train for a marathon (Boston) over the winter. A good second option would be a 1/2 marathon. My PR for the distance is a little weak at 1:24 and if I could break 1:23:00 I could qualify for the NYC marathon in November. The training would be a little less intense and I wouldn't mentally flog myself for cutting short miles as school work piled up.
Training has gone fairly well over the winter and if I have a good race I think I could sneak in a 1:22:xx. My 10K a few weeks back predicts a 1:22:00 so I am not pulling these numbers out of thin air. My only problem is finding a race. My only criteria is late March through April and within a 100 or so miles from my house. At first it was going to be Nashville in late April, which coincided with a visit to Heather's sister who lives there. That trip fell through. Then I started to thinking about the Runner's World Half Marathon. Full. Next popped up the Brooklyn half Marathon on April 26th.
Perfect. Heather has a 3 day weekend. Also, my friend Ian not only lives in Brooklyn but invited people to join him while he raced it. It is a fast, flat course and was also put on by NYRR, the same folks that run the NYC marathon so I wouldn't even have to prove my race time. On Monday I was booking a room in Brooklyn for that weekend and double checked the race date.... they moved it to May 3rd. WTF. Some complaint from Brooklyn residents and now it is a weekend later. A weekend that doesn't work as well. A weekend that also happens to have the Philly Broad Street Run. A weekend that throws a wrench into my plans.
So now everything is up in the air. If I don't race by May 3rd my time won't count for NYC 2008 and there doesn't seem to be another that fits the bill. I've had this ambiguous race date somewhere in the future all winter long and it has been driving me nuts. Now it is spring and I still don't have a definitive answer. I'll keep you posted.
Anyhow, my runs.
Friday. 5 easy miles on Forbidden Drive with my dog Boomer. Untimed and enjoyable. A little cool but calm and sunny. Probably around 8:15 pace.
Saturday, 13 not so easy miles on Forbidden Drive. Ran these a little faster than I would have liked and even with the huge Rex Hill which I extended all the way to Germantown Ave for a total of 9:00 minutes steady uphill, I still managed to average 7:25 pace for the run.
Sunday (Easter). I had a surprising 48 miles already under my belt for the week so I decided to take it off.
Training has gone fairly well over the winter and if I have a good race I think I could sneak in a 1:22:xx. My 10K a few weeks back predicts a 1:22:00 so I am not pulling these numbers out of thin air. My only problem is finding a race. My only criteria is late March through April and within a 100 or so miles from my house. At first it was going to be Nashville in late April, which coincided with a visit to Heather's sister who lives there. That trip fell through. Then I started to thinking about the Runner's World Half Marathon. Full. Next popped up the Brooklyn half Marathon on April 26th.
Perfect. Heather has a 3 day weekend. Also, my friend Ian not only lives in Brooklyn but invited people to join him while he raced it. It is a fast, flat course and was also put on by NYRR, the same folks that run the NYC marathon so I wouldn't even have to prove my race time. On Monday I was booking a room in Brooklyn for that weekend and double checked the race date.... they moved it to May 3rd. WTF. Some complaint from Brooklyn residents and now it is a weekend later. A weekend that doesn't work as well. A weekend that also happens to have the Philly Broad Street Run. A weekend that throws a wrench into my plans.
So now everything is up in the air. If I don't race by May 3rd my time won't count for NYC 2008 and there doesn't seem to be another that fits the bill. I've had this ambiguous race date somewhere in the future all winter long and it has been driving me nuts. Now it is spring and I still don't have a definitive answer. I'll keep you posted.
Anyhow, my runs.
Friday. 5 easy miles on Forbidden Drive with my dog Boomer. Untimed and enjoyable. A little cool but calm and sunny. Probably around 8:15 pace.
Saturday, 13 not so easy miles on Forbidden Drive. Ran these a little faster than I would have liked and even with the huge Rex Hill which I extended all the way to Germantown Ave for a total of 9:00 minutes steady uphill, I still managed to average 7:25 pace for the run.
Sunday (Easter). I had a surprising 48 miles already under my belt for the week so I decided to take it off.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Head for Zee Hills
A cool, extremely blustery evening yesterday. I got out the door around 6:15 for 8-10 miles with some hills. After a 20 minute warm-up, in which I really wasn't feeling to smooth but good enough, I came to the bottom of the hill where Wolcott Street meets Valley Green Drive. From now on I'll just refer to it as "Wolcott Hill". My last time here I ran 7 repeats from the electric pole to the 805 mailbox post in 30 seconds, this time I was shooting for 8.
The first one was more difficult than I remember and came in at exactly 30 secs. The second one was a little easier and after that I just hammered them out. Like I said, they are not extremely difficult but I definitely felt like I had put in a workout after 8 reps in 16 minutes. Each repeat was 29-30 secs.
The fun thing about working out in this location is that after you complete the set you then have to run up a 1/2 mile long hill. This hill goes slowly but after that I settled into a comfortable pace and continued on my loop. I wish I could say the rest of the run was uneventful but I started to feel a little distress in my lower abdomen with about 3 miles to go. My rational mind was telling me to heed the warning signs and cut the run short. Just a simple left turn and I could be home in 6 minutes. My runners mind was telling me that I had to complete this loop or else I would burn in the fires of hell for being a wuss. (This is what I get for guzzling 10 oz of strong coffee before the run. I must learn from these errors and not repeat them in the future.)
I of course made the wrong decision and continued on my way thinking "How bad could it get, I am nearly done?" A mile later I as forced to walk. These walking breaks increased in regularity until I was forced to stroll the last 1/4 mile home. It wasn't a fun stroll.
9 miles in 72 minutes.
The first one was more difficult than I remember and came in at exactly 30 secs. The second one was a little easier and after that I just hammered them out. Like I said, they are not extremely difficult but I definitely felt like I had put in a workout after 8 reps in 16 minutes. Each repeat was 29-30 secs.
The fun thing about working out in this location is that after you complete the set you then have to run up a 1/2 mile long hill. This hill goes slowly but after that I settled into a comfortable pace and continued on my loop. I wish I could say the rest of the run was uneventful but I started to feel a little distress in my lower abdomen with about 3 miles to go. My rational mind was telling me to heed the warning signs and cut the run short. Just a simple left turn and I could be home in 6 minutes. My runners mind was telling me that I had to complete this loop or else I would burn in the fires of hell for being a wuss. (This is what I get for guzzling 10 oz of strong coffee before the run. I must learn from these errors and not repeat them in the future.)
I of course made the wrong decision and continued on my way thinking "How bad could it get, I am nearly done?" A mile later I as forced to walk. These walking breaks increased in regularity until I was forced to stroll the last 1/4 mile home. It wasn't a fun stroll.
9 miles in 72 minutes.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Spring Rain
Tuesday night was a DNR. I was to lazy to get out of bed in the morning and I arrived home from class at 8:00 pm on a cold rainy evening. My stomach was growling and who was I to protest so I decided to take a day off.
Wednesday morning I was again to lazy to get out of bed and when I arrived home from school at 7:00 it was still raining but this time it was a warm spring rain. The kind that you can run through in shorts and shortsleeves, the kind I don't mind. Heather had the same idea and joined me for a run.
To be truthful I really felt like running alone. The plan was to get home, get right back out, bang out an 8 mile loop in a about an hour and just get things over with as quickly as I could. But I couldn't really protest when Heather asked, especially on a rainy evening and Heather doesn't really know the loop very well. So instead of 7:30 pace, it 9:00 pace. My legs were thanking me but my mind was itching to pick things up.
7.2 miles in 65 minutes.
The good thing is that the run left my legs fresh for a harder workout and few extra miles tonight.
Wednesday morning I was again to lazy to get out of bed and when I arrived home from school at 7:00 it was still raining but this time it was a warm spring rain. The kind that you can run through in shorts and shortsleeves, the kind I don't mind. Heather had the same idea and joined me for a run.
To be truthful I really felt like running alone. The plan was to get home, get right back out, bang out an 8 mile loop in a about an hour and just get things over with as quickly as I could. But I couldn't really protest when Heather asked, especially on a rainy evening and Heather doesn't really know the loop very well. So instead of 7:30 pace, it 9:00 pace. My legs were thanking me but my mind was itching to pick things up.
7.2 miles in 65 minutes.
The good thing is that the run left my legs fresh for a harder workout and few extra miles tonight.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Back to Work
I'm back from an absolutely fantastic trip to Spain. Heather and followed Rick Steve's guide book for a majority of the trip and it rarely led us wrong. We jumped from city to city, saw the sites, drank spanish wine, and ate tapas. The weather was great and we even managed to get a run in Seville, on what is their equivalent of Kelly Drive. I might have some pictures up on the blog in the future but it is more likely that I will never get around to posting them. For now I am just trying to work back into the routine of a busy life.
We arrived home Sunday afternoon around 4:30 pm and Heather and I were running by 5:15 on Forbidden Drive. 6 Easy miles in 48 minutes.
Last night I decided to jump right back into things and set out on a tempo run. 2.5 mile warmup on Forbidden Drive to Northwestern Avenue and then 3.5 - 4 miles somewhere around 6:15-6:20 pace. This tempo workout didn't go as smoothly as my last couple which seemed less like workout and more like fun. After miles of walking last week my legs were a little shocked to be moving this quickly and they let me know it. The last couple miles miles home were vey slow. 8.8 miles in 1:03
We arrived home Sunday afternoon around 4:30 pm and Heather and I were running by 5:15 on Forbidden Drive. 6 Easy miles in 48 minutes.
Last night I decided to jump right back into things and set out on a tempo run. 2.5 mile warmup on Forbidden Drive to Northwestern Avenue and then 3.5 - 4 miles somewhere around 6:15-6:20 pace. This tempo workout didn't go as smoothly as my last couple which seemed less like workout and more like fun. After miles of walking last week my legs were a little shocked to be moving this quickly and they let me know it. The last couple miles miles home were vey slow. 8.8 miles in 1:03
Friday, March 07, 2008
Back on the Trail
I was a tech geek slacker Wednesday evening. I picked up an iPhone on my way home from work and got so involved with activating, adding music, adding contacts, and generally checking the thing out, that I ate up all the time I had for running. had it been sunny and 55 degrees I think I would have run regardless of my new toy but it was 35 and windy so I just stayed home.
I made up for the missed run last night with a hard trip on the trails in the Wissahickon. The route and the run intensity materialized as things progressed as i wasn't sure how I was going to feel at the start. How I felt was great.
After a couple quick miles on the flat and wide Forbidden Drive I made the decision to turn up a trail hill in the park, the kind of hill that would make me wish I hadn't made that decision by the time I reached the top. I've been reluctant to run hard on the trails because of a nagging ankle pain that has left me feeling a little unstable on the rolling, rocky, root covered paths that dominate the Wissahickon.
Things were fine last night and as the run progressed my confidence grew. I was soon pushing up and down the hills, around sharp turns, and leaping fallen trees. God I love this. I hit a kind of runners high halfway through and this carried me through the rest of the run, past the Valley Green Inn, up and out of the park and through Chestnut Hill. I was feeling so good that the last 1/4 mile practically turned into a sprint. A conservative 9.5 miles in 74 minutes.
This evening I leave for a week trip to southern Spain. My running shoes are taking up some of the precious space in my backpack so I hope to get at least a couple runs in but if I don't that is ok too.
I made up for the missed run last night with a hard trip on the trails in the Wissahickon. The route and the run intensity materialized as things progressed as i wasn't sure how I was going to feel at the start. How I felt was great.
After a couple quick miles on the flat and wide Forbidden Drive I made the decision to turn up a trail hill in the park, the kind of hill that would make me wish I hadn't made that decision by the time I reached the top. I've been reluctant to run hard on the trails because of a nagging ankle pain that has left me feeling a little unstable on the rolling, rocky, root covered paths that dominate the Wissahickon.
Things were fine last night and as the run progressed my confidence grew. I was soon pushing up and down the hills, around sharp turns, and leaping fallen trees. God I love this. I hit a kind of runners high halfway through and this carried me through the rest of the run, past the Valley Green Inn, up and out of the park and through Chestnut Hill. I was feeling so good that the last 1/4 mile practically turned into a sprint. A conservative 9.5 miles in 74 minutes.
This evening I leave for a week trip to southern Spain. My running shoes are taking up some of the precious space in my backpack so I hope to get at least a couple runs in but if I don't that is ok too.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
A taste of spring the past couples days with temps in the upper 50's and 60's. I took advantage Monday night, 6 easy miles with Heather into the Wissahickon. Very easy paced recovery run. 6 miles in 55 minutes.
Tuesday morning it was still in the lower 50's and I went out the door in shorts and short sleeves. Judging by the way my legs felt went I stepped out of bed I thought was going to be tough run. Strangely, I felt decent right from the start. Still some lingering soreness but my stride was smooth. 5 miles in 38 minutes.
Tuesday morning it was still in the lower 50's and I went out the door in shorts and short sleeves. Judging by the way my legs felt went I stepped out of bed I thought was going to be tough run. Strangely, I felt decent right from the start. Still some lingering soreness but my stride was smooth. 5 miles in 38 minutes.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Northeast Road Runners 10K
It hasn't been the best week as far as mileage is concerned. I knew school work was eventually going to catch up and steal a couple runs and this week it forced me to miss two. This was convenient as it turned into a taper for the race today and produced some decent results. I won't complain.
After a Saturday off from running, I was raring to go for the race this morning. Heather was eager to join, a pleasant surprise from most weekend mornings. Heather usually likes to run later in the day. We took a ride down to Lloyd hall for the race. It was a cool sunny morning but not freezing, a fairly stiff breeze was coming down Kelly drive, especially as we passed boathouse row. Par for the course on this road.
Seebo said he might join me and it was nice to see him and Reba not longer after we arrived. We warmed up with a couple easy miles and with Seebo I sort of planned a race strategy. Keep the pace very close to 6:00 on the way out and then give it everything I had with the tailwind on the way back. The goal was to try and get below 37:00, which is around 5:57 pace.
The bullhorn went off and after a little shuffling, Seebo and a young guy pulled ahead and I was running next to a 4th guy. Mile 1 in 5:53. A little fast for pushing through the wind but I felt good. Between miles 1-2 I pulled solidly into third, Seebo and young guy getting further ahead, 4th guy dropping back. A no mans land position I kept the rest of the race. Mile 2 in 6:01
Mile 3 6:03. More wind and I am getting a little nervous that 37:00 may be slipping away.
I split out the 0.2 miles in the middle of the race to line up the mile splits for the return in 75 seconds and now I am heading home, praying that the tailwind can perform miracles. It does.
Although I don't feel like I have increased the pace, mile 4, with two miles to go, passes in 5:55. Now I have 11min and 50 seconds to run the final two miles and try break 37:00. I am really pushing now and keeping an eye on 1/4 splits that racing on the Kelly Drive bike path affords me. Mile 5, 5:53.
Now I am fairly confident I have it. If only I can keep this ragged, ugly, gasping trot going for one more mile. The 1/4 miles splits let me know it's working and I cross the line somewhere around 36:52, final mile 5:48. I was happy. A huge PR. (mostly due to the fact that I haven't raced the distance since the fall of 2005). Heather also finished well, 6th place female in 46:23.
The last mile was the fastest and for me, in a race of this distance, that doesn't often happen. Usually it turns into more of a hold on as long as I can but today, I feel I raced smart and hit my time. The race also lets me know that I have a good gauge of my fitness and with some more work through the spring I should be able to nail a sub 1:23 to qualify for NYC marathon. Now I just have to find a half marathon in mid to late April.
For the week. 38 miles.
After a Saturday off from running, I was raring to go for the race this morning. Heather was eager to join, a pleasant surprise from most weekend mornings. Heather usually likes to run later in the day. We took a ride down to Lloyd hall for the race. It was a cool sunny morning but not freezing, a fairly stiff breeze was coming down Kelly drive, especially as we passed boathouse row. Par for the course on this road.
Seebo said he might join me and it was nice to see him and Reba not longer after we arrived. We warmed up with a couple easy miles and with Seebo I sort of planned a race strategy. Keep the pace very close to 6:00 on the way out and then give it everything I had with the tailwind on the way back. The goal was to try and get below 37:00, which is around 5:57 pace.
The bullhorn went off and after a little shuffling, Seebo and a young guy pulled ahead and I was running next to a 4th guy. Mile 1 in 5:53. A little fast for pushing through the wind but I felt good. Between miles 1-2 I pulled solidly into third, Seebo and young guy getting further ahead, 4th guy dropping back. A no mans land position I kept the rest of the race. Mile 2 in 6:01
Mile 3 6:03. More wind and I am getting a little nervous that 37:00 may be slipping away.
I split out the 0.2 miles in the middle of the race to line up the mile splits for the return in 75 seconds and now I am heading home, praying that the tailwind can perform miracles. It does.
Although I don't feel like I have increased the pace, mile 4, with two miles to go, passes in 5:55. Now I have 11min and 50 seconds to run the final two miles and try break 37:00. I am really pushing now and keeping an eye on 1/4 splits that racing on the Kelly Drive bike path affords me. Mile 5, 5:53.
Now I am fairly confident I have it. If only I can keep this ragged, ugly, gasping trot going for one more mile. The 1/4 miles splits let me know it's working and I cross the line somewhere around 36:52, final mile 5:48. I was happy. A huge PR. (mostly due to the fact that I haven't raced the distance since the fall of 2005). Heather also finished well, 6th place female in 46:23.
The last mile was the fastest and for me, in a race of this distance, that doesn't often happen. Usually it turns into more of a hold on as long as I can but today, I feel I raced smart and hit my time. The race also lets me know that I have a good gauge of my fitness and with some more work through the spring I should be able to nail a sub 1:23 to qualify for NYC marathon. Now I just have to find a half marathon in mid to late April.
For the week. 38 miles.
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