I headed for the track this morning not really sure of how the workout was going to go due to the race this past Saturday. My legs as usual were initially tight but after warming up for three miles I felt decent.

Chestnut Hill Academy track is supposed to open at dawn but there was still a lock on the gate so I hopped the fence hoping that whoever came to unlock the gate wouldn’t take offense. I was aiming for another pyramid workout 400, 800, 1200, 1200, 800, 400 with 400 recoveries in between all intervals. My goal was to get my average 400 pace around 1:25. So…

400 - 1:24 (the gate opener offered a smile and a wave)
800 - 2:50
1200 – 4:16. During this interval I had an urgent need to “take care of business”. What a horrible way to break up a work out, I was aggravated and stormed off to the facilities that are luckily very close.

This however really threw off my entire workout, I realized I was running short of time (a real inconvenience during morning workouts) and hurried back to run a another half hearted 800 in 2:48. And that was it.

I took it easy on the two miles back to my house. A total of 7.8 miles in 58 minutes for the run. Definitely a flubbed workout, but looking at these splits it wasn’t all bad. I felt good (much better than two weeks ago) and I think a total of 3200 meters counts as an interval workout. Another positive note is that I think I was recovering more quickly, it was hard to tell having a busted workout but after the 800s I felt quickly ready to go again.

I took Monday off and also skipped Tuesday morning trying to avoid the cold and wind. Each morning that it’s 18 and windy I keep hoping it will be the last. I am renewing my hope that Tuesday will be the last. We are almost in March.

I ran yesterday evening on a loop that eventually dropped me on some trails in the Wissahickon and these trails eventually put me on Forbidden Drive. I’ve been feeling like I’m a little out of touch with marathon pace so I decided to run a few miles at pace and see what happened. My goal was 6:45. They went in 6:42, 6:36, 6:36. A little fast but that is better than a little slow. 9.6 miles in 71 minutes.

This morning I took the dog out for a few miles. We ran across the golf course and suddenly I realized Boomer was no longer running beside me, a dog had come up behind us and grabbed his attention. I am very proud to say that after repeated attempts Boomer actually listened to my command and he came back to me. It required me yelling his name at nearly the top of lungs but it’s a start.

I dropped the dog off after 30 minutes and continued on my own for 25 more. Somewhere around 6.5 miles.

A cold rain greeted me this morning on my long run. Thankfully it was light and it ended a few miles in. I took a loop down to Manayunk past my old house and then back up to Chestnut Hill on Forbidden Drive. On the first step I could feel my left calf tighten up but I shook it out a bit and took it real easy on the first couple miles until it loosened up. My legs were tired from the race but still felt strong, if that makes any sense.

Forbidden Drive didn't look icy but it definitely was slippery. Almost like a muddy ice that was hard to see and kept me on my toes. I expected my energy to wane as the run progressed but it just never happened. In fact, I decided to take the long hill up Germantown Avenue from Northwestern Avenue at the end of my run. I wasn't pushing up the hill but kept a consistent pace.

16.2 uneventful miles in 2:04.

Frostbite Five Miler

This morning Heather and I drove 15 minutes out to Ambler to run the Ambler Area Running Club's Frostbite Five Miler. This race wends its way around Ambler on a moderately hilly course. There is always a good turnout and I bet the field was about 800 this morning. The weather lived up to the race name with temps in the mid 20's and stiff breeze that chilled me on my 2 mile warmup.

I really didn't know how fast I could run the race. I decided that due to the hilly course which I was familiar with from running once in the past a time under 30:30 would be decent and anything under 30:00 would be awesome. My last 5 mile race was on a flat course on Thanksgiving and I ran something like a 30:30 so beating that on a hilly course would be ok.

I didn't feel so great on the warmup but as soon as the gun went off I felt great. I've gotten much better at controlling my pace in the first mile and I let the rabbits jump out ahead of me. I accidentally deleted all of my splits so they will all be close estimates.

Mile 1 ~5:55. Faster than I expected and I was really feeling good, maybe it was going to be a good day. I was making in effort to slowly pass people by running up behind them, tucking in to avoid the wind and then passing on the downhills.

Mile 2 ~5:57. A little slower but the course was rolling and I was still feeling good. Maybe I could get under 30:00.

Mile 3 ~5:58 I always hate the middle mile in a race. I felt like the pace was dropping off but when I got to the split I realized things were good. The crowd had thinned to just a few guys ahead of me and I concentrated on holding pace. I worked with one guy for a mile or so trying to break the wind for each other. The wind was never horrible but enough to make a difference when you were behind someone.

Mile 4 - 5:58 Sweet. I knew I had sub 30:00 in the bag, but by how much? The one memory I had of the race from a couple years back was that the biggest hill was in the last mile. I kept pushing and saved a just a bit for that hill.

Mile 5 - 5:57 The hill sucked but once you crest it is all downhill to the finish. On the last 100 meter straightaway I heard some footsteps creeping up behind me and I was able to dig for just a little more to hold my position.

Finish time by my watch was 29:44. Awesome! I didn't think that even my best performance was going to give me that time. I ran nearly 9 miles last night I figured those miles were going to suck some energy out of me but I guess not. That time on a hilly, cold and windy course means that I could probably shave about 10 seconds off in ideal conditions. It also means that I am much better shape then my doubtful mind had imagined.

It is amazing how 30 minutes can change your outlook on things. I have much more confidence that I can nail my goal in the marathon one month from today.

Friday 8.5 miles in 1:07

Saturday 9 miles in 1:02 with the warmup and cooldown.

It was light enough for my first morning run into the Wissahickon today. There was a heavy fog in the park making for an eerie setting in the soft dawn light. The trails were sodden but my legs weren’t and I bounced along the cushiony route enjoying the relatively warm morning temps.
I’ve taken to often listening to “Marketplace” podcasts on my morning runs and for some reason the drone of financial news didn’t fit the surroundings so I quickly moved on to some music.

I again got out the door later than I intended and my planned 70 minute run was shortened to 50 minutes. For the first time in a while I was wishing I had the full 70 minutes. 6.5 miles.

I’m back, tanner, happier and well rested after a short trip. Heather and I relaxed on the beach, snorkeled, went sailing, and slept anywhere from 8-10 hours each night. I didn’t log a mile but I didn’t really care.

Before we flew out on Friday morning I was able to squeeze in 5 easy miles, I felt slow and sluggish.

We got home at 9:00 last night and I made a point to get out for a ½ hour just to get back into it. When I was getting into my running clothes I smelled like the beach I had rolled off of seven hours before, it made me sad. Somehow getting out the door last night for a short run (3.6 miles in 28 minutes) made getting up this morning for a longer run much easier.

I missed a long run over the weekend and at least 30 miles of running so I wanted to get a workout done this morning. I jumped into a tempo workout after a 1.5-mile warmup and ran the next 5.2 somewhat hilly miles at what I believed was tempo pace, which turned out to be 6:20 pace when I got home. I was definitely working but felt fairly comfortable until the last ½ mile. I was hoping for a slightly faster average pace but overall it was good workout.

I heard the wind howling while lying in bed this morning and I thought that I might freeze my ass off but then I looked at the thermometer… 56. Wind chill wouldn’t be a problem this morning. It would be another run in shorts.

My legs were peppy this morning but I wanted to stick to my idea of taking a break so I only let the pace drift down to marathon range somewhere in the middle of the run. I was treated to an almost biblical sunrise with thick clouds painted dark umber, violet and pink by the rising sun as they raced across the sky. Just as I was finishing I could see the edge of the sun break the horizon. What a great way to start the day. 5.8 miles in 43 minutes.
No posting until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week when I’ll hopefully be a lot tanner and ready to wrap this marathon thing up.

Easy run on a beautifully warm morning. I was out in shorts and shortsleeves at 6:00 am, I can't wait until this is a regular occurrence. I listened to a the new Ida Maria album and just strolled around the neighborhood. 4.7 miles in 40 minutes. Legs were tired but felt better as the run progressed.

Confidence in my running has been lacking over the past week or so. The marathon is a approaching and in my mind my workouts aren't going well. Add to that the missed race on Saturday and in it's place a horrible long run. My legs were beat up after that and I still ran a little to hard and a little to far the following day. Then today I headed to the track. I knew I wasn't fully recovered from the long run over the weekend but I had the time this evening and decided to go to the track anyway. Of course the workout didn't well. It paled in comparison to an identical workout I did six weeks back.

When I got home from the track I logged in my run and and compared it to previous workouts and it wasn't so fast. I then began to compare my training in the days leading up to the track workouts. It was obvious why this workout went bad compared to other workouts. It was also obvious that my training has been going really well and my shortsited memory has me worked up for no good reason. I haven't gotten to the track as much as I would like for a few reasons but there is plenty of speedwork sprinkled into my running over the past 10 weeks. The mileage has been decent and there are more then enough good workouts to go with the bad. I am just focusing on the bad.

It's funny how your mind can get to you. This marathon means more than the last couple. I want to nail this three hour thing. I think about it every day. At Boston it didn't matter. I went for it but it was Boston and I didn't really care. At Philly in 2007 I knew my training wasn't adequate and I would have been pulling a rabbit out of the hat. This time I don't want any excuses. Just me, my training, and 26.2 miles of roads around D.C.

After reviewing my training I came back to reality. Today's workout was not a total calamity and overall things are good. I think I just need a little break from the routine and recharge for the final 5 week push to the race. There are three good weeks of traning to go before taper and I just have to relax and get things done. I do that and I'll know I've set my self up to hit my goal.

The good news is that I have a break coming up this weekend, a five day trip to St. Thomas. I should only miss three days of running and that is if I don't run down there. I'll bring the running shoes and maybe put in a couple easy 5-7 milers but that will be it. If I don't run, I'm not going to sweat it.

The workout, just to log it..
2.4 mile warmup then the following intervals with 400 recovery in two minute range.
400 - 1:23
800 - 2:50
1200 - 4:20
1200 - 4:26
800 - 3:00
400 - 1:23

I picked up the newest edition of Running Times magazine last night and read through it while a positively awful Grammy’s played in the background. There was an article detailing the benefits of adding drills to increase your running performance. It even quoted data from actual scientific studies using highly trained runners and separating them into two groups; one performing these drill workouts and the other following the normal running routine. They saw something like a 4% increase in running economy in the athletes performing the drills. That translates into chopping 7 minutes of your race time if you’re a three hour marathoner.

The author, a 25 year runner, had incorporated these drills into his running routine and said they cured many of the niggling ailments he was experiencing as he got older and made him feel fitter and stronger as a runner then ever before.

Of course there is always the next best new workout in running, the fad of the times. But I have been reading and seeing a lot about these drills over the past couple years, especially in use by elites and I think it would be worth while to add to my training. Probably not something I would jump into when only 6 weeks out from the marathon but maybe after that.

This morning didn’t include any drills, just 5+ easy miles on tired legs. 33 degrees made it much easier to get out the door than morning runs over the last few weeks. Maybe it is good that I eased into a morning running routine over a cold winter. It will make mornings in the spring a joy. 5.6 miles in 48 minutes.

I have some other very good news. Heather is 13 weeks pregnant with our first baby. She is due on August 25th. Up to this point everything is going very well and we are both excited and looking forward to a new baby. I'll find out if it is a boy or girl in another 5-7 weeks.

I knew the Wissahickon was going to be sloppy today due to all of the ice melt but it was even worse than expected.  I ran 10 extremely muddy miles from Rex down to Lincoln Drive and back.  Today was the warmest day since November and I was out in shorts and shortsleeves.  I didn't even need the gloves today.   My legs were fatigued from yesterday but nothing was actually sore.  I started at a very easy pace but after 5 miles I was under 7:30 pace.   The park was a nice change of scenery from CH loop.  10 miles in 1:16.

I was excited to race this morning and jumped out of bed when the alarm went off at 7:00.  As usual I spent to much time farting around on the computer and was in a rush to get out the door by 8:00.  I hastily scrawled the directions to the race start on a orange post-it and headed out the door.  

I followed the directions exactly and was surprised to find that there was nothing resembling a sneaker store when I got to the end.  Just a residential neighborhood and industrial park building turned church.  Shit.   Did I copy them wrong?  Did I read them wrong?  I drove loops around the area, not wanting to get to far from the main road in order not to get lost.  I stopped in a 7-11, no help, Wawa - no help.   Wait there is a runner, I bet he is warming up for the race.  I hit the blinkers, block traffic and ask him if knows where Athletes Closet Running Store - No help.   

At this point it is 9:10, 20 minutes to race start and I still have no idea where the start is.  I am yelling at myself for being such a fool for not bringing my phone and copying the directions incorrectly.  I could do nothing but get back on the highway and head home.   This mistake threw off my entire day and I was aggravated for hours afterward.   I realized the error when I got home.  I had searched for Athletes Closet on Google.  Directions popped up and I wrote them down.  I didn't realize that the directions were to the zip code of the store, not actually to the store and I was a couple miles off.

I didn't get out the door for a long run until 2:00 and I decided to push myself to make up for missing the race.  This ended up being a bad idea.  I ran a hilly loop out over Harts Lane and down the river to Manayunk.  I charged all the hills and ran the first 10 miles at an average of 7:00 pace.   I ran the next 5 mostly uphill miles from Manayunk back to CH at 6:55 pace.   I was killing myself to keep up the pace and for the last 2.5 miles I just had to hang on to get home.  I felt like I was finishing a marathon.   

I was spent and couldn't eat much when I got home.  I showered and fell asleep on the couch for 2 hours, not a normal occurrence for me.  I can't decide if I should be happy that I ran a hard workout for the long run or be concerned because the average pace of the long run was 7:15 and I felt like I had killed myself.  I have run 7:20 pace in the past for a long run and felt great.

17.5 miles in 2:07.

The coldest run of the winter (so far and hopefully overall) this morning. My thermometer read 10 degrees. Normally this would cause me to roll over in bed and push the run off until this evening but I won’t have time this evening so it was either get up or DNR. I bundled up and headed out.

The first 1.5 miles on my loop are into the wind. It is nice knowing that once I get through that the rest will be relatively warm. So I dealt with a numb face for 10 minutes and then enjoyed the rest of the run. Mostly easy pace with some strides thrown in when the street conditions allowed. 8.1 miles in 63 minutes.

I am racing a 5K this weekend all the way out in West Chester. It will be my first race in a few months and I am not sure what to expect. I have been logging a lot of miles but I missed several hard speed workouts due to the snow. This race will be a good test to see where I’m at. If the race is flat, calm and snow free I hope to get under 18:00 minutes. If I run a 17:59 I’ll be happy, if I run a 17:50 I’l. be ecstatic, if I run a PR, 17:44 or better I will kiss the street. If it is hilly than all bets are off.

The weathermen predicted 2-4 inches of snow so I wasn’t surprised to find nearly 8 inches when I stepped out the door this morning. The streets were more than passable and with the reduced early morning traffic it was much better than the icy runs I’ve had over the past couple weeks. The trees were heavily laden with pillows of new fallen snow and set against a backdrop of a colorful sunrise all making for a perfect morning run. And to think I almost decided to skip it as I lay in warm bed.

There is an energy that only a snowstorm can create and I was greeted with many waves and hellos by people shoveling their walks before they headed off to work, or maybe stayed home from work. If it weren’t for me having to go to work I think I would have extended this easy run for another half hour. 7.2 miles in 61 minutes.

There was a fresh coating of snow on my street this morning, which means the track is covered, which means the snow foiled another track workout. The snow cover wasn’t enough to prevent a tempo run so I decided to on that instead.

I built into the pace after a mile and a half warm up and stayed within tempo range for about another 5 miles. I did not measure the pace at any point but I think I was in the low 6:00s when the conditions allowed. Many of the uphills were coated in snow, which meant slower going, but still about the same workout. I finished with an easy mile and feeling good. 8.1 miles in 58 minutes.

I look at Sunday and Monday runs as a way to recover and get ready for the week. Two very easy days in a row makes me feel like I can hit harder workouts during the week. Now if only the weather would cooperate so I can actually run hard for an extended period of time or even jump on the track.

My legs felt good this morning despite the aches that I felt when I first got out of bed. The morning was warm and calm, perfect for running. The Super Bowl left me a little more tired than normal but a brightening horizon lifted my mood. The sun is getting up earlier and earlier a sure sign of impending spring. The groundhog had different ideas this morning and I believe him when he forecasts 6 more weeks of winter.

I had the time and the drive to run a little over an hour but unfortunately my stomach forced me stop after only 4+ miles. 35 minutes.

The sun is shining and temps are in the upper 40's. The weather isn't out of place in the beginning of February but compared with the weather we have been having it feels like spring. Heather and I took advantage by running a loop around CH. Roofs were dripping, gutters were splashing and Boomer got soaking wet from top to bottom. The pace remained solidly in the 9-10 range but I didn't mind. Apparently, being 12 weeks pregnant can really make you run much slower.

About 6.5 miles in 1 hour.