Firday night I made it to the pool after work. I found myself actually looking forward to the swim during the workday and I wasn't disappointed. I did a few sets to a total of 50 laps or 3/4 miles in 45 minutes. That puts me at a whopping 1 mph average but I took breaks between laps depending on the set. It was nothing spectacular but I am happy with the way I am improving and it felt like a real workout.

Saturday mornning I joined the group and asked Craig, Ben, and Stevus said they would join me a for around 12 up through Fairmount Park instead of 8. Luckily, they said yes and we were on our way at the front of the group. This would be my first official "long run" in traning for Boston.

The chatter quickly turned to the Boston with Craig, Kev, and I running it for the first time this April and Seebo describing it for us having run it several times in the past.

The run progressed a little quicker than expected and we were easily hitting 7:20's on the way up MLK. Started up the Bloody Nipple and I quickly realized that this wasn't going to be as easy as it was Thursday night. After the nipple we ducked onto some muddy and slick singletrack along Chamonioux and then headed over South Georges hill in the easy direction.

I was shirtless by this point, not because I really had to take my shirt off for comfort but that I could take my shirt off and be comfortable at 10:30 in the morning on Jan 5th. This winter will come eventually right?

I wasn't feeling so hot for the last few but neither was anybody else so we enjoyed each others discomfort over the last few as we crossed the Girard Bridge and finished at the Art Museum. A conservative 12.2 in 95 minutes.

I got to thinking a little more about Boston on the drive home and realized that maybe the winter training cycle wouldn't be to bad with so many people training for Boston in the Philly Runners group. The excitement and group training runs have already started and I am only at week 1.