A giant sleet storm put a damper on my running for this weekend. I've never so much of the little balls of ice. It sleeted from Friday morning all the through the night piling up a few inches of heavy wet guck when it was all said and done.

Friday quickly went out the window and instead of running I walked to the local bar with everybody that lives in my duplex. We drank many beers and ate greasy food. I don't often do that during marathon training and it was nice to just not think about running and relax for a Friday night.

I planned to run later in the day Saturday, after a lot of melting had occurred in the strong March sun. Heather and I drove down to the Art Museum and I could quickly see that the river path wasn't in great condition for running. It's normally cleared soon after a storm but not this time. Heather didn't look to excited to slog through the uneven footing, and icy patches and I wasn't to keen on the idea myself so I came home to the hated treadmill.

5 miles with most coming in at 7:30 pace. I did 5x400 at 6:00 pace somewhere in the middle just to break the monotony and I was done. It sucks just as bad as I remember but I was happy to at least get a few miles in.

This all meant that my long run got pushed back to Sunday. Figured I would get out the door at 9:00 am and just deal with the conditions. By that time the sun would have started melted things and hopefully I could get some clear path.

Things definitely didn't look to warm and melting when I left the house. I drove to the St. Joe's boathouse and I could see that the river path didn't look any better than it had the day before. This was going to suck just as much as I imagined. The path looked a little better heading towards the museum so I set off in that direction not knowing where I was going to find 18 miles of road but I had to start somewhere.

The path was a mess but the sleet had formed a frozen sheet on the grass that wasn't to slippery and I stayed on that for as much as I could. I had to run on some fairly bad footing occasionally but overall it wasn't to bad. I wasn't breaking any land speed records but my pace was steady. When I got to the Art Museum I did two trips up the steps and decided to just run this route back and forth to my car for 18 miles.

Not to exciting but I at least knew what I was in for. With each pass the sun melted the ice more and more to the point where the path was runnable just about the entire way by the end. It went by more quickly that I would have thought and before I knew it I was on my last 3 mile return from the Art Museum. 18 miles in 2:20.

Hopefully this will be the last of the nasty weather. Things are looking up for next week and then we are practically in April.

Racing the Rain

I checked the accuweather radar when I got home from work and saw a big blob of dark green heading my way. With temps in the mid-40's the rain was going to be cold so I got out the door as fast as possible so I could warm up before the rain hit.

Daylight saving time allows me to run in the Wissahickon Park after work again and I made my way out to the Valley Green restaurant for an 8 mile loop. The rain held off until a couple miles into the route but even then it was very light stuff and I was warmed up. The miles were coming quicker than I expected, hovering around 7:00 pace, but I felt good so I went with it. I battled a stiff breeze most of the way out and was looking forward to the turn around when it would be at my back.

Decided to pass the restaurant by a half mile to make it nine miles for the evening and then started heading back. With the wind behind me the pace increased and I hit a couple miles below 6:30. I really felt good and the pace was coming fairly easy. By this point the rain had picked up, it was nearly a downpour. I was glad I only had a couple miles to go. Things would quickly become miserable if I had to be out in this to long.

Finished up a conservative 9 miles in 63 minutes on the nose. A great run on a not so great evening.

It's funny how quickly the weather can turn in March. Yesterday afternoon it was 68 degrees, this morning on the ride in to work, sleet was piling up and the temp was 32. A good thing about a March winter storm, you know things can get better just as quickly as they got bad and the snow melts away before it takes on the nasty icy/slush you get midwinter.

I'm always a little apprehensive of running to much mileage the week after the race but after an easy 9 miles on Monday night my legs felt pretty good so I stuck with the planned 8 on Tuesday. As usual I got down to the group run a little early to put in 3 miles. There was a bit of a buzz pre-run form the 60 degree weather and the half-marathon on Sunday.

Had plans to keep things easy and I stuck to that for the most part. Mostly mid to low 7 pace with a couple miles sneaking in under 7:00. I ran with Scott, a very experienced runner that I have mentioned before in this blog. I like to hit him with questions to try and learn from some of his experience. Didn't dig up any good nuggets on Tuesday night but I'll keep trying. A conservative 7.5 miles in 56 minutes.

Wednesday night has been my mid-week long run so far in marathon training but instead of the normal 13-15 miles I scaled back a little a set out for 10. A loop up through Fairmount Park that hits some long hills. Felt great most of the way and tacked on an extra 1/2 mile loop while I was out there. The weather was great, maybe even a little to warm, in the upper 70's. I finished strong going down the Bloody Nipple Hill and home. 10.6 miles in 76 minutes.

For the first time I can remember in training I got a decent blister on my foot during last nights run. I developed it during the half-marathon over the weekend and had forgot about it until 7 miles into the run last night. Nothing horrible but it is still with me today. I don't have any experience in dealing with a blister, any tips on how to keep it from getting worse?

Spring is in the Air

The weather was beautiful yesterday, upper 50's, light wind and plenty of sunshine. Luckily my legs were feeling a little better than I imagined they would be and I joined Heather for a run in the sun when I got home from work.

It was a trip down Kelly Drive and back at a very leisurely pace. My quads were sore from the race but this route is very flat so it didn't cause any problems. A conservative 9 miles in 1:17. A change in weather definitely brightens the mood and it has me looking forward to my workouts this week. Highs will be back to the upper 30's by the weekend but I'll block that out for now and enjoy the next few days. The cold days are numbered at this point in year anyhow.

The warm weather did bring out the hordes on Kelly Drive. Runners, bikers, rollerbladers and walkers all over the place. I laugh at the bikers that are trying to put in a hard workout on days like today, 25 mph down a path that is 6 feet wide and covered with people going much slower than they are. Several times I saw looks of frustration on their faces when they were forced to slow down because of the crowd.

What do they expect on a day like yesterday? Cross the river to the less crowded side or better yet, go up into the magnificent park that surrounds both sides of the river and enjoy the wide shoulders and rolling hills. I can't think of a better place than that to put in a good workout.

Caesar Rodney

I have been mulling over this race all day. It's stuck in my head like a bad song, replaying and replaying.

I walked out the door this morning at 7:00 to wet streets and a perfectly clear sky, the sun was just starting to come up, due to the time change, an hour later than yesterday. It felt like good racing weather and I was excited to get the show on the road.

I met up with the Philly Runner crew that was very well represented in Caesar Rodney square before the race. Seebo had graciously offered to pace me for the first half of this race and a few other guys, Chem Steve, Craig, and Stevus decided to join us. The idea was to go out comfortably and ease into a 6:25 pace before hitting the hills between mile 5-7. Then, keep pushing and hold on for the trip back down the hills 10-12, to the finish.

As I had expected Seebo set things up perfectly. After an easy 6:38 for the first mile we hit 6:19 for mile 2, a short mile 3 in 6:05 and long mile 4 in 6:33. I was working, but I felt comfortable and relaxed. Things were going just as I had hoped. The four of us kept a steady pace and reeled in all the people that had gone out to fast.

Mile 5 went by in 6:15 and I was putting in a little more effort than I would have liked but a 5 mile split of 31:4? was just were I wanted to be. Seebo was not only controlling the pace but giving us a few words of wisdom that I digested as I hung on up the hills and tried to stay as close as possible to break any wind. Mile 6 up the hills in 6:24. I was surprised at how quickly that split was, I felt like we had actually slowed down more than that. I took that as good sign. We hit the halfway mark in 41:30, perfectly for my goal of 1:23. The man's pacing was dead on. Thanks Seebo.

Mile 7 in 6:40 but unlike mile 6 I was really feeling that 6:40 even though it was slower than the mile before. Thankfully the hills were over but I think my legs held onto their memory for the rest of the race. At this point Seebo gave us some words of encouragement and advice and bid us adieu. He was wisely laying off the pace as his coached had prescribed in prep for his goal race next weekend.

So now it was time to hang on and keep the pace up as we completed a 1.5 mile out and back before heading back down the hills. Mile 8 in 6:20, if I could just keep this pace up things would be in the bag for a 1:23. However, I was starting to struggle my legs and my breathing were not where I would want them at this point in the race.

Mile 9 in 6:34 and I was pushing, I was really expected to feel a little better at this point. I was praying for the downhills and just trying to hold on. Mile 10 went by in 6:29. Faster, but I was really giving it all I had to hit that time. I didn't have much in the bank for the last few miles, even though they were mostly downhill.

Downhill mile 11 in 6:33. Not much I can say about that one. I envisioned 6:05's coming down these hills but I just couldn't get the legs to turn over, I was struggling. Mile 12 in 6:21, faster but still not where I wanted to be.

Things flattened out here and I held on as we made the turn for that final steep hill to the finish. Pushed with what I had left and finished in 1:24:34.

A little analysis ...

Missed my goal time by about a minute. It was nearly a 2 minute PR for the distance, which I set at the same race last year, and I was happy to have done that but still let down at the same time. I really thought I had 1:23 in the bag and might have a shot at 1:22 and that is why this race has been replaying all day.

I had based my goal time on some the training runs I have had lately and the amount of fitness I felt I had gained from the same time last year. Perhaps I was a little to optimistic.

I did have a heavy taper this week but my long run last Sunday was the quickest I have ever covered 20 miles in training, on a hilly course with a fast finish. I could feel that long run in my legs into Wednesday. That run also came on the end of the two highest mileage weeks I have had in running, back to back. So maybe that zapped some of the zip in my legs and caused me to lose a little in the last few miles. It wasn't a total collapse, more like a slow erosion.

All in all I am happy with the day. It predicts a sub 3:00 in the marathon and I have three solid weeks of training left before the heaviest of marathon taper begins. I'll use them as wisely as I can and get ready for Boston. I am excited to race Boston but I will be happy when it is done.

Congratulations to all the Philly Runners who ran. I am guessing about 25-30 people from the group raced, which is really a great turn out for a mid-march 1/2 marathon. We took #1 and #2 in the male team competition, out of only three teams, but who is counting. A new member to our group also won the entire race with a 1:09. Way to go Chris.

Extreme Taper

Due to a number of reasons, some in my control and some out of my control, taper has been more extreme than expected this week. In fact, I am only up to 13 miles for the week and it is Friday. I was hoping to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 miles before the half-marathon on Sunday but obviously that is not going to happen. (I guess I could make it happen but that wouldn't leave me in any condition to race)

I did an easy 5 with Heather on Wednesday night and I had to DNR Thursday night. The plan is 8 tonight at an easy pace with some strides just to make sure everything is in working order and wake up my legs. 4-5 miles Saturday morning and it will be time to race.

I really am looking forward to the race. It has been nearly 5 months since I got out there to see what I can do, at any distance. With the extra taper this week I am definitely not going to hold anything back.

After Sunday it will be only two more weeks of hard training before taper begins for Chicago. I can't believe how fast it has gone.

Per my routine in marathon training, I got down to the group run early and put in three miles beforehand. My legs were still stiff from the runs over the weekend and for the first time in this round of marathon training I really felt like I had gotten myself to the edge of injury. My achilles had a pinchy feel to them and I kept things real slow trying to get them warmed up. I was glad I had taken a day off on Monday and that the week ahead was going to be a taper.

Things were feeling better when I met with the group and we started off at a fairly easy pace up Kelly Drive. Bike Mike, Craig, Chem Steve and I formed a little group, I had no intention of pushing the pace and luckily nobody else did either. We eventually got passed by Stevus and Chris but nobody took the bait and they pulled ahead.

Things got a little brisker by the end but never below 7:00 pace. 8 miles in 60 minutes.

1300, 11, & 20

I am a few days behind. Friday was a DNR. I got out of work around later than normal at 5:45 and Heather had dinner cooking when I got home. That was just enough to put my mind, which was close to to taking a day off, over the top.

Saturday morning I had to skip the normal long run to take the GREs. I'll say that I was very nervous going into the test and my confidence was not riding to high, especially when it came to the math section. Things seems to just get worse as I worked through the test and a horrible feeling of dread was building with each question. I debated not even reporting my scores when I finished the test, I'd come back and try another day. Thank God I decided to report. I clicked the report button and nearly fell out of my chair when I saw a 700 out of 800 in analytical and a 600 out of 800 in verbal. For a total of 1300. It was about the best score I thought I would be capable of, and that was if the planets aligned and God happened to be a great mood that morning. Needless to say I was happy.

Got home ate a late lunch and headed out for 20 miles. This 20 was doomed from the start. I had eaten a big plate of Pad Thai Chicken only 75 minutes before starting, my Ipod was nearly out of battery and wasn't going to make it through the run, and the thought of finishing 20 miles in the dark at 6:30 pm just didn't feel right. I bailed early on the route, opting for 11 miles in 81 minutes. I was happy with the decision when I finished.

I had a relaxing Sunday morning and got out the door at 10:30 for my run. Followed the same route as Saturday which was a basically huge tour of East and West Fairmount Park starting with the Bloody Nipple and ending with Lemon Hill with St Georges and Belmont Mansion in between. Got down to Kelly, bought a gatorade from Chief and headed down the path extension to the turn around. I passed Alex going the other direction. He was also in iPod land, we stopped briefly to chat and kept going. Once I got back to boat house row I picked up the pace and mile 17 into the wind 6:46, mile 18 with the wind at my back 6:26, mile 19 which was half with and half against the wind 6:26. I was totally spent and took it very easy for the last mile. 20 in 2:26.

Easily the fastest 20 I have done in training. I was happy to hit those splits at the end of this run. My calves were burning horribly 5 minutes after finishing. That's a feeling I haven't had in a while. This puts me at 70 for the week and 150 miles in the last 2 weeks. I have earned a good taper for the week leading up to Caesar Rodney.

After a couple fairly hard days in a row it was time to go out for an easy one last night. I wanted to stay away from flat boring existence that the River Drives turn into during marathon training so I went out on a Roxborough Loop. This route has gone from an exploration of the area's neighborhoods to a routine loop over the last year.

I kept the pace easy and relaxed, my legs felt kinda beat up, especially my left ankle. The area in front of my ankle bone on the outside of my leg has been a little tender over the past couple days and it showed up on this run. Nothing bad just nagging and reminding me to take it easy with each step. I'll take another easy one tonight, especially if it still feels that way.

Turned things around at summit and Ridge and made my way back. I passed a large group of runners heading the opposite direction on the other side of the street. I couldn't really make out any faces but I heard a "Hey John". I'm not sure if it was the Wissahickon Wanderers avoiding the slushy mess that must be in the park or perhaps Raymond running with another group that I don't know of. He lives up in that area somewhere.

I felt good by the end of the run, and almost opted for a few more miles but I'll save that for over the weekend if things feel good. 8.2 miles in 60 minutes.

The Mileage Diet..

...eat as much as you want and stil lose weight

I was told I am looking to lean by Heather last night, that means I must be getting in good shape. It's the same thing when my mother tells me I am looking to thin, I have put in enough miles to start looking like I need several good spaghetti dinners. Also, is "lean" just a nice way of saying I look emaciated, frail, like I could be blown over by a stiff wind? Maybe, but oh well it just comes with the territory.

Heather was right though after initially not dropping any weight in training, the pounds have been dropping a little over the past few weeks. Believe me I am using all my powers of mastication to avoid dropping weight but it is a losing battle. I go through granola bars, apples, oranges, clementines, pretzels and chips all at my desk. My meals at the cafeteria which were about $4-5 while not training jump to $7-8 during training. Thank god I love to eat. Being a few pounds lighter means that I have to push off that much less with every step, making me more efficient, it's not really a bad thing, to a point.

So I got home from work last night slightly hungry but I knew I had to put in about 14 miles so out the door I went. I ran repeat of a loop through Chestnut hill from a few weeks ago. At the same point in the run, about 5 miles in, I really got into a groove and picked up the pace. I charged the hills on the remainder of the run and although my legs were sore they were in good enough working.

At mile 12, just as I began feeling like I could keep this up until about 2 am my body started coming back to earth and fatigue set in. No problem, a couple miles to go, mostly on a steep hill down Shurs Lane made the last couple pretty easy.

14.3 miles in 1:44. Again another great run.

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.