Chicago

WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!

That’s what was running through my mind and, I think, coming out of my mouth as I crossed the finish line in Chicago on Sunday. Two years of training, since crossing the finish line in Baltimore in 2004, has finally paid off in a big way.

Heather and I arrived in Chicago on Friday afternoon, got to the hotel and went out for a run along the lake going north towards the race start. It was windy and cool, the conditions I expected for the race. On the way back we somehow happened to bump into Ryan from Philly Runners who was also there for the race. I didn’t think I would be bumping into a friend but coincidences do happen. We met him for a long relaxing dinner at busy Italian restaurant son Friday night.

Saturday was spent at the expo, which was ridiculously large. It made any expo I have been to so far seem like a warm-up to a real expo. Huge displays from just about every running shoe company I could think of, music, and throngs of people. I love the energy of the expo, thousands of people energized with anticipation for what is to come. I picked up a pair of gloves, a pair of sneakers, and handful of gels.

We wandered around town after that, getting early lunch and then late lunch and checked out the marathon starting area. I planned out my morning route to the start line from the “L” train and we headed back to the hotel. I was a little nervous about the race and the fact that I had been on my feet for a good bit of the day but I spent the rest of the evening sitting on my ass in bed. Except for a quick trip out for some Thai food I stayed off my feet.

I woke up at 5:00 on Sunday morning, ate a breakfast of a bagel/cream cheese, banana, a pint of OJ and a cup of coffee. I listened to Sublime on my iPod and tried to keep my mind busy by surfing the internet. This of course didn’t work and my mind kept going over my plan for the race. I wanted to start off a little slow and build into my pace over the first few miles. 22 minute 5K’s until mile 21 and then, if I felt good, I was going to pick it up and try to hammer it to the finish.

We stepped out of the hotel at 6:30 and it was dark cold and windy, cold enough for my ears to feel numb. This made me a little nervous but I like the cold, I run well in the cold and I knew after a few mile of warming up I’d be fine. Better cold than hot.

We went underground to catch the CTA train and there were runners everywhere. It was great. It felt like the Broad and Pattison subway stop before the Broad Street run but I knew this was going on all over the city. The subway was wall to wall runners; we squeezed in and held on for the ride.

It was still dark when we got off the train but you could see a touch of light on the horizon. The streets were alive with people all streaming towards the start and trying to keep warm. I made my way to the Preferred Start I area, a starting corral I qualified for with my Caesar Rodney race time in March.

It was about 7:20 am, 40 minutes from the start, the Corral was still fairly empty and I easily made my way towards the front about 3 people back from the front of the corral. I nervously chatted with a few runners and waited for the start. It was cold and breezy but I had on a longsleeve shirt that I planned on taking of a few miles in and being squeezed in with all of these people warmed me up.

The time quickly went by and just after the National Anthem was sung they let our corral walk up behind the competitive corral in front of us. I saw how close I was to the start and didn’t think I would have any trouble getting up to speed once the gun went off.

The start horn went off without any warning and we were on our way. It took about 45 secs to cross the starting line and I was moving pretty well.

The crowds were ridiculous. We went under a bridge just after starting and a wall of people were cheering us from above. I had chills and a huge smile on face. I was thinking “This is it John, keep it cool and don’t get swept up in the moment, or the pace, keep it slow and relaxed.” The first mile went by in 7:12, exactly the pace I was shooting for. I was in a fairly thick crowd and I was getting passed by a lot of runners but I held back and tried to get into a good rhythm. I just kept telling myself that I was running my own race and I had 25 miles to make up a couple slow ones in the beginning.

I had studied the route map but I was quickly disoriented with all of the turns and monotony of the crowd that was three people deep on the sidewalks. It made the Philly marathon feel like a little league game and I was at the World Series. I couldn’t believe it. Mile 2 went by in 6:56, a little quick but I really felt like I was falling into a good pace and didn’t sweat it.

The first 5K went by in 22:01, dead on. I wasn’t feeling as good as I would have liked but during long runs in training I felt much better at mile 12 than mile 4, that thought made me feel a little better. By mile 4 we were making our way into Lincoln Park, a large park north of downtown along the lake where the city’s zoo is located. I hit a slow mile 6 through the park in 7:17. This stunned me a bit, I needed to really concentrate on my pace. It seemed like any wandering of my mind was going to slow me down.

Despite the slow mile my 10K split was 44:07, right on track. After mile 7 we turned south back towards downtown. I was really cruising now and feeling good. The miles were ticking off perfectly. Miles 7-11 were, 7:02, 7:00, 7:01, 7:02, & 7:02. The crowds were great, and the wind was at our back. I still had a smile on my face and I just tried to enjoy the race. 15K split was 1:05:58; Holy Shit, perfectly on track.

Around mile 9 I started chatting with a guy who was also shooting for a 3:05. We fell into a pace a began running together without really saying anything about it. I found out he was from Manhattan and his name was Josh.

Except for a little hiccup, 7:10, at mile12 the miles were metronomic. Josh was asking me if I had run at this pace a lot in training and I said that I had done some training at this pace but at that point I just felt dialed in. 20K split was 1:28:00, I was astonished, I was running 22 minute 5K’s to the second. In fact, I guess Josh and I were moving along so well that we developed a bit of a group behind us, two guys that had tucked in and were along for the ride. We asked them to take the lead for a bit but after one mile we passed them and kept going. Miles 13,14 and15 were 7:01, 703 and 7:03. 25 K split in 1:49:50, I was getting a little ahead of my 22 minute 5K’s.

I had taken a gel at mile 10 and popped another between miles 16-17. In past marathons this was the point at which things started going downhill, my mind would start to wander, I’d start feeling less alert and my mile splits would steadily get longer and longer. In this race though I felt fantastic, I was getting the crowd into the race by raising my arms and cheering, I was smiling and, to my astonishment, I was passing people.

Josh and I were flying along, it was almost surreal. Was this really happening? Could I be feeling this good? Was this just a little fun before I hit the wall? It didn’t seem like it. Miles 16-20, 7:01, 7:05, 7:06, 7:06, and 7:03. The way I was feeling, mile 18 might as well have been mile 10.

After a water stop during this stretch Josh caught back up to me and said, “You are like a metronome”. I couldn’t help but smile and think of Seebo, Mr. Metronome himself. I wanted to try and explain what his comment had started me thinking but I thought the explanation would be a little lost on him and kept in my head.

As I had planned I started picking up the pace a little after mile 20. Not crushing the miles but just a little acceleration. Miles 21 and 22 both went by in 6:54. I honestly felt like I was running harder than this but fatigue was starting to catch up with me. However, I couldn’t have been happier.

3 miles to go!!! It is really going happen!!! I am going to run a good marathon!!! I am going to negative split!!! There are only 3 miles to go!!!!!!!

Based on past marathons I really didn’t think it was possible to feel confident and in control this late in race but I was. Things were definitely getting much harder by this point but I was handling it.

I knew the wind was going to be in my face during the last few miles and I just tried to prep for it before making the turn towards the north. Josh and I were still hitting the same pace and we were passing people non-stop. Scores of people, people running, people walking, and people stretching. I though back to last year when I was one of those people and I knew how they felt and damn if it didn’t feel great to be the guy passing this time.

Mile 23 was 6:55, and then we turned north. The wind smacked right into us. It would abate on occasion but it was fairly steady the last 3 miles. Mile 24 in 7:01. 2.2 to go and I just tried to push as hard as I thought I could sustain for the last couple miles.

Mile 25 was 6:56 and this was it, 1.2 to go. 1.2 miles and I would qualify for Boston. 1.2 miles and I would have a result to show for all those miles over the summer. 1.2 miles and I would be able to erase that feeling that had been at the back of mind since crossing the finish line in the Philly marathon a year before.

I tried to speed up as much as I could, which wasn’t to much at this point. I saw the 800 meters to go sign and we made a right up over a bridge. Ian had warned me that although this bridge was a bump in the road it would feel like a bit more this late in the race and he was right. It made it that much harder to push.

A left after the bridge and I could see the finish line. 400 Meters to go! I ran as hard as possible and crossed with my arms in the air. I was totally spent and totally wired at the same time. I yelled “Fucking Right!” and didn’t realize it until I got a few looks from the volunteers but I didn’t care and I didn’t think they did either after they saw the smile on my face.

I slowly made my way through the food chute and I bumped into Travis, a new guy to Philly runners. What are the chances?

I met up with Heather and we headed back to the hotel where I looked up the other Philly Runners who had run the race. Ryan also had a great race and Jeremy and Laura seemed like they finished well too. Congrats to everybody that ran.

That evening we joined Ryan at the Post Race party held in a huge tent not far from the race finish. We drank beers, talked about our races and watched a replay of the marathon on a giant screen, a good ending to a spectacular day.

I ran the race a little conservatively but that was the plan and it worked. Looking back I don’t think I would have changed anything about the race. Boston, here I come.

A Quick Update

Yes I am am posting from the hotel room just a couple hours after finishing but I am so excitied about it that I couldn't wait.

I'll just say that things really couldn't have gone any better than they did. I had a plan in mind before starting and I nailed it. Thanks for the support everybody and I'll see you all in a bit.

By Jack Handy

I ran a little over 4 miles in a loop through Manayunk last night. This used to be a fairly common route for me but I haven't run it in months. These shorter runs end just as I have finally warmed up to them and I'd really like to keep going. I forgot to start my watch but I think it was about 32 minutes.

Ian, posted a comment about me going under 3 hours in a not to distant future marathon and it stirred up some thoughts that I was having before marathon training started.

Qualifying for Boston has been a goal of mine for the past couple years and hopefully Sunday I will achieve it but what then? The most logical would be sub 3:00 and then what? When do you say enough is enough? I guess that really depends on the person, what running means to them and also how much time they can devote to it.

I am counting my chickens before they are hatched but I think running may get put on the back burner for a long while after Chicago. I still plan on putting in miles every week and hopefully I'll be training over the winter for a marathon in April but I don't think I am going to have the same drive and determination.

I obviously don't know how things are going to be in a couple of months and I'll just have to deal with it as it comes. Putting running to the side may be a lot harder than just saying I'd like to do a little less of this. It is like an addiction and right now I'm hooked. I guess I'll just have to see what happens.

Looking Back

I flipped to the next page of my weekly calendar at work and there was the word "marathon" sitting right at the bottom on Sunday. I remember sketching out a rough training plan in this calendar back in June. Not much to it, just some mileage goals for each week and the distance of my long runs so I could keep things straight.

At the time the mileage looked daunting, the summer looked long, and the marathon seemed very far away. Of course the time flew by, there were a lot of miles, for me at least, but they weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be. I compared my goals in the calendar to my actual mileage and I just about nailed it. There were a couple weeks that I was 10-15 miles short but it was either do to extreme heat or some aches and pains that I thought would be better served by a few less miles than trying to push things.

I thought it might be a good idea to go through a couple pluses and minuses of my training, perhaps give me something to look back at for my next training cycle.

Pluses.

-Long Runs - My long runs just about all went well this year. I decided to work speed into several of them by hitting some faster miles towards the end of the runs and it worked. I think it boosted my confidence to run hard on tired legs and prepared my body to work hard with less energy.

The long runs also did not feel as taxing after I completed them this year, I bounced back much quicker than in the past. It think this is due to two things, more total mileage each week so that the long run wasn't as big a chunk of my weekly mileage and the fact that I just have a lot more miles under my belt.

-Mid week runs - I built from about a 10 mile mid week run up to a couple 14 milers as my training progressed. This added a good bit of miles to my weekly total and left me better prepared for my long runs on the weekend.

-Races - I ran several races in the 5K range this year especially towards the end of my training and although I don't think any of them were as fast as I would have liked they were definitely a good speed work out.

Minuses

-Races Due to the fact that these races were slower than I hoped it was a bit of a downer. I try to keep in perspective that I am training through these races and they aren't goals but I was still hoping to pull off a PR somewhere along the way. That'll just have to wait until after the marathon

-Track Work I have mentioned several times in this blog that I need to get out to the track more often and again it didn't happen this year. The high mileage drains my legs and track workouts tend to really beat me up so I shied away from them. Although it is a marathon and pure speed isn't totally necessary I have no doubt that some time on the track can be a big boost. I'll have to make more of an effort this winter.

-Scheduling It's not really my style but I think a better schedule would help me in training. I schedule my long runs of course but everything else kind of just happens based on how I feel. I think scheduling things like tempo runs, track workouts and hill workouts a little more rigidly would help me in the future.

It is good to look back but now it's done and overall it went well. I of course now feel like I didn't do enough but it wouldn't be a true taper unless I felt that way.

I ran 7.5 easy miles with Heather yesterday afternoon on Forbidden Drive and my legs feel good, solid, they were aching to pick up the pace but I was content to be going slow and enjoying this beautiful fall weather.

A few easy runs this week with a couple of pick-ups and that is all that's left.

Now this could only happen to a guy like me
And only happen in a town like this
so let me say to each of you most graciously
as I blow each on of you a kiss
This is my kind of town Chicago is
My kind of town Chicago is
one town that won't let you down
It's my kind of town.

Lets hope so.

Haven't had as much ooomph to post with the taper. The workouts just don't seem as important but I don't want to fall to far behind so....

Wednesday was a day off. I could go into the details of what I do on nights when I don't run but it sure as hell isn't that exciting and I'd like you to continue reading the blog so I'll hold off.

Thursday Nighters group run on umm Thursday night. A good group, a nice pace and a whole bunch of chatter over a multitude of topics. I remember soemthing about Darwin, urine and E-Mikes shit time in a race. The weather has been perfect for running. Cool temps, light winds and mostly clear skies. My favorite time of year to run.

Friday was a trip on the trails in the Wissahickon. I ran than a little faster than was probably safe at this point but I just felt to good to hold back. 5 miles in 35 minutes and I really wanted to keep going.

This morning I drove with Heather to a 5K in Fairmount which started on Brown street behind Eastern State Penitentiary. Steve G, Ian, Elizabeth, E-Mike and Kev J were also there to run as a team. Checking out the competition beforehand I didn't think the team would have to much trouble winning.

My thoughts were confirmed when I saw Ian coming around the corner on Fairmount with nobody in site behind him. He looked comfortable and happy at the finish of his 17:3x race. A couple race officials that I was standing with on the corner were a little awed by his lead and one woman even joked that he might have taken a shortcut. Next in line was Kev J who ran a PR race and also was looking good. The rest of the team quickly came in and I am pretty sure that they all finished in the top 25-30.

After the race I hastily made my way over to the Art Museum to lead the group run. I thought it was going to be a small group but in the last couple minutes a lot of people popped up and we started off with about 20.

Kept if fairly easy going out on West river. I was surprised to see the miles were 7:20's, it felt good. On the way back I was paired up with Travis, a new runner to the group who is also running Chicago. Although we tried to slow down a couple times the pace stayed right below 7:00 the whole way back. 8.4 miles in 61 minutes.

Slow and Fast

I received my Chicago number in the mail this afternoon, 7013. I guess the 7 and the 13 kind of balance one another out so I shouldn't have anything to worry about. For me it more hammered home the fact that the race is less than two weeks away. Reading the race brochure that came along with it made me want to get the show on the road and run this damn thing. I guess memories do fade but I swear I am more excited and impatient for this marathon to get here than any in the past.

Also I found something very coincidental. After getting my number and looking over the info I pulled a few $20's out of my pocket and on one of them was written "Holy City Chicago" on the back side and "Bitch" with "Chicago" written around the borders on the front side all in red ink. What the hell is up with that. Again I am not superstitious but this one got me thinking... maybe I shouldn't spend it.

Anyhow, the running.

Monday was an easy 6 with Heather on Forbidden Drive in 48 minutes.

Tuesday, the group run with many of the regulars making an appearance. I had planned on going fast and making it my last fairly hard workout. The miles went as follows:

6:44 and feeling great,

6:46 and started to pick it up to catch up with Ian and Stevus,

6:16 I was really starting to feel it now but in a very controlled way,

6:21 lost a few seconds in this mile but still right where I wanted to be. I don't think fatigue had really slowed me down, maybe it was chatting it up with Ian who was graciously urging me on,

6:13 this last mile was quicker than expected because it was uphill and I really didn't feel like I was pushing.

Thought this might have been my fastest five with the group but surprisingly I found a slightly faster one last October and one in April of this year. This one might have been a little slower but looking back at my log I know I didn't have to work as hard to get it done.

Pretty much on cruise control from here on out.

Went out for a few miles yesterday in Wissahickon Park on a beautiful fall day. The miles went quickly and I put in about 6 of them at marathon pace. Things felt great. Nothing really of note. 8 miles in 58 minutes.

Back in Action

Last night I went out for 6 on Kelly drive. I wanted to push things a little more than the night before and that was easily done. I had a hard time keeping the pace slower than 7:30 and my leg felt fine. A little more than 6 miles in 47 minutes.

Things felt so good that I decided to get my ass up early to meet Seebo for 14 miles this morning. The weather was cold and dreary but luckily that had no bearing on the run or the company.

We fell into a quick pace from the start and hit 7:30 miles all the way up Kelly drive into Manayunk. The pace may have slowed a bit through here but we definitely weren't going slow. Conversation flowed and before I knew we were a 1/4 of the way up the first hill on Belmont Avenue. For some reason this section of hills felt different this time. We just kept up the conversation and a fairly decent pace They seemed less of a challenge than normal which I guess is a really good thing. ( This could also be because I had only run 16 miles prior to Saturday and my legs were probably fresher than they have ever been hitting these hills)

The remainder of the way was Fairmount Park where we ran into the a large group doing the Breast Cancer Three Day Walk. What a spread they had setup on the Belmont Plateau, with huge tents, tractor trailers, music, bathrooms, and tons of workers. With all the money they had spent on that it made me wonder how there was any left for the charity.

I cut through the Gardens and by the Japanese Tea House where I saw a lot more walkers and people in some other kind of race for research. Back down to MLK and I passed the Philly Runners group headed the other direction. They had a large group all with smiles on their faces and it made me wish I was on a longer run so I could jump in with them.

Eventually finished in front of the Art Museum for 14 miles in 1hr 44 minutes. A brisk 7:25 pace. I was definitely amped after the run having completed it with no pain. 2 more weeks :)!

I went out for a very easy run last night on Kelly Drive. Parked at the St. Joe's Boathouse and ran to the Art Museum and back. I was actually surprised at how slow I could keep the run. I don't think I had a mile over 8:30 pace, just plodding along listening to my iPod.

I could feel a little tightness in my calf but it seemed okay. I debated picking up the pace or adding some distance but stuck to my original planned and called it quits after 5.5 miles in 46 minutes.

Shooting for a slightly faster run this eveing see how things go.

The calf problem I complained about in the last post progressively felt better over a couple days off and was just about non-existent when I drove to the Art Museum for the Tuesday night group run. I decided to take it easy on the run anyhow just to see how things felt.

The first couple miles were at 8:00 pace and all was good. I picked it up a bit after that to about 7:30 pace and I coould feel a little tightness in my calf but in a different spot than it had occured on Saturday. This however got worse during the run and I had really slowed down by the end. I wasn't in aching pain but I just didn't want to push it.

It is a little tender at this point and my hopes of just a passing problem have been dashed a bit after tonights run. So now I am unsure of what to do. Should I ice it and take it easy running or should I just totally take off from running for a few more days? I could chalk this week up as a total loss and just put in a few 5 miles runs but I was hoping for a 45-50 mile week.

My plan now is to take it day by day and stick to short runs near my house so I can stop and walk home if I feel anything. Damn.

The Last Long

The final 20 miler of marathon training was on a beautiful late fall morning. The coolest morning yet this year and I could see plumes of smoke were streaiming out of runners' mouth as I drove down kelly Drive. I met up with Seebo, Kev J and E-mike at 8:30 in front of the museum.

We looped through Fairmount Park and Mike dropped off at Girard bridge around mile 7. Seebo and I continued on our way down 34th into University City, to South and then back up the path to the Art Museum where Seebo and I parted ways.

I had a nagging ache in my upper left calf that started on the downhill at Lansdowne. I stopped to relieve myself behind a tree and when I picked it up to catch up with the group I felt a twinge in my calf. Nothing bad just letting me know it was there and it was feeling to good this morning.

I could feel it tightening up as we continued on our way. I was heading up MLK and stopped at the first water fountain for a sip. When I started running again I could really tell it had tightened up. I debated on just running home from there and saving myself the 5 miles back to the Art Museum. Was this something bad or just an ache? Was it worth cutting my last long run short?

I decided to keep going. I ran into some of the Phily Runners group heading down Kellly Drive and fell into pace with Ben, a newer runner to the group that kept me company to the Art Museum and for one additional mile on the path exstension. 21 miles total in 2hr 45 minutes.

My leg was sore and after a 15 minute ride home in the car it was tight. I limped into the house and iced it up for a while, stretched and hoped for the best.

Thankfully this morning it isn't to bad. It is a little tight walking and sore to the touch. I had planned on 5 miles today, taking me to 70 for the week but not anymore. I'll take today and tomorrow off and depending on how I feel maybe Tuesday as well. No sense in pushing it if I don't have too. I guess it couldn't have come at a better time considering I start my taper this week.

286 miles for September, my biggest month by almost 30 miles. Yesterday was my 20th day in a row and my biggest mileage week. I am happy to take a break.

Wednesday & Thursday

Villanova 5K on Wednesday night. It was definitely the most informal 5K that I have run. No number, no clocks, just three laps around the campus on a circuit that was a little short of a mile. I ran fairly hard but not all out and I think I came in 4th or 5th. It was hard to determine because half way throughthe second lap you were passing the people walking the course. I finished somewhere around 17 minutes. With a 2 mile warm up and a fourth lap for cool down that puts me somewhere around 5 miles for the day.

Thursday was an event. The one and only Jim Mayo has returned in a big way from his foot injury. 8.5 miles all around Fairmount Park with Jim, Jenn and E-Mike. Relaxing pace and good conversation made a nice run. 76 minutes.

Monday & Tuesday

Monday was 10 out to the Art Museum and back. I wanted to take it slow and I am tired of looking at my watch so I started the stopwatch and didn't look at it for the rest of the run.

My lower left leg was very tight in the beginning of the run and I stopped a few times to stretch it out. Things eventually loosened up and the way home was a bit faster than the way out. 10 miles in 81 minutes.

Tuesday I put in 5.5 miles before the group run. Up over Lemon Hill, Girard, 34th to Spruce and then across the South Street Bridge and back to the Art Museum. My leg was again tight at first but loosened up more quickly and I felt fine most of the way.

I ran with Jenn and a new guy Travis from the group. Surprisingly the pace dropped down to about 7:00 flat and it didn't slow down. It turns out that the new guy is also running the Chicago Marathon and he has a a goal time about the same as mine.

After the group run I went out for another exciting 4 miles on the Kelly Drive to put me at 14.5 miles in 1hr 46 minutes. Much faster overall than I really anticipated and things felt good.

Tonight is a 5K at Villanova that a bunch of people from my work are going to run. I have promised myself not to race it. I think I'll shoot for 6:30's and take it easy.

10 miles out to the Art Museum Last night. I didn't really want to push it and I am tired at looking at my splits so I started my watch and just didn't look at it after that.

My left leg was tight right from the start. Around my ankle and up my calve a little bit. It wasn't a sharp pain just a sore kind of tightness. I stretched it out a few times on the way out but it wasn't loosening up. When I got to turn around at the Art Museum I really made an effort to loosen it up and spent about 5 minutes stretching.

It worked, steadily feeling better on the return trip and the looser it got the quicker I ran. I felt good by the end and I was probably in hitting 7:30. 10 miles in 81 minutes.

I have a planned 14 tonight but if the leg is really acting up I might cut it short and save it for Thursday.

Parkway 5K

Got up early and Heather and I headed down to the Parkway, for a 5K where I hoped to help team "EZ on the Eyes" defend their 1st place title from last year.

It was a large crowd, especially for a 5K, but I had no trouble picking up my race packet. Pinned it on and went for a 2 mile warm-up run through the city. It was warm and I was sweating profusely by the time I finished. Not the best conditions to race but not horrible.

I made a mistake lining up and ended up to far back. I should have forgotten about courtesy and shoved my way up front. I was in a hole from the gun that I had to climb out of by weaving, dodging, and dipping around people until I got to the outside and could make up some ground.

I passed a lot of runners on the parkway as we raced towards MLK. The first mile went by in 6:07, I was hoping to come through this mile in 5:40 or so. The bad start and tired legs had slowed me down a bit.

I was still passing a lot of runners going out on MLK, turned around, passed mile 2 in 12:03, a 5:56 mile. Things had sped up. I was feeling OK and had setteld into a group of runners that I wasn't passing so rapidly. Back to the parkway where I passed a couple guys and tried to hold pace.

The last 1/4 mile or so I was slightly behind another runner. We went back and forth for the lead a couple times but he was able to pull ahead of me in the last bit. Looking back at these duels for position I always feel like I could have given a little more but at the time I feel like I am all out. I think hindsight is forgetful, or at least I hope it is.

Post-race there was a lot of good food, as promised by last years runners, and good laughs as some of the Philly Runners chatted waiting for the awards. The wait was long and I was getting antsy to get rolling, luckily I waited.

Our team again won first place, and the second place team was also composed of Philly Runners. A 1-2 finish. (This fucking underline popped up when I was making a link and now I can't get rid of it so I am not going to worry about it) Seebo finished 2nd in the race which I think was a big improvement from last year. Surprisingly my time was good enough for a 1st place finish in my new and improved 30-34 age group. My best race finish to date.

My time was not a PR, that being 18:20, but it was only my second 5K under 19 and it came after a long week of running. I am happy with it. Hopefully I'll hit a 5K PR after the marathon.

The week was 64.4 miles, my biggest yet by a whopping o.4 miles. 1 More week of training in which I hope to hit 70 miles and then it is time for taper. I am looking forward to it.


In other news I was able to find Ian's Berlin finish info on the web. A 1:22 1st half and a 1:31:30 second half for a 2:54:08 Maybe he had a little trouble in the second half or maybe he grabbed to many beers from those germans on the course. Congratulations on another good finish.

Friday night was an easy 8 on Forbidden Drive in prep for a long run Saturday Morning. Nothing really of note. Just putting in the miles.

Saturday I met up with E- Mike, Seebo and Elizabeth for a route through Fairmount Park , East Falls, Manayunk and then over the hills of Belmont back to the museum. I expected a slow run with E-Mike when we planned it on Thursday night but things turned out a little slower than I would have liked.

It started off easy, as expected, and I hung back with e-Mike as Seebo and Elizabeth pulled ahead a bit. The weather was cloudy annd humid but fairly cool and I was warming up to the run as we wound through Fairmount Park. We crossed Strawberry Mansion Bridge and made a left onto Ridge Avenue. At this point Seebo, and Elizabeth really started to pull away, not that they were flying but Mike and I weren't moving out to quickly.

I hung back with Mike and things just never really picked up. We took it slow through Manayunk and up Belmont back to Fairmount Park. There were times when I just really wanted to get moving but the conversation was flowing and I could tell Mike was having a rough go of it so I didn't want to leave him hanging.

In any case we weaved through East Fairmount back to the Art Museum in 2hr and 28 minutes. I am undecided if the slower pace was easier or harder on my legs. Slower paces usually do less damage but the total time had to take it's toll.

I guess I will find out tomorrow morning at a 5K on the Parkway. I am filling in a for a superior runner on a team that won the grand price last year, a meal for 10 at the Four Seasons. I think our chances are slim of repeating but I am interested to see how I do.

Set out with a good Thursday night crew, Alex, Stevus, E-Mike and I. The weather was again cool and perfect for running. The pace was easy and conversation was just about non-stop.

We ran through West Fairmount and then crossed Strawberry Mansion Bridge to finish through East Fairmount. We discussed Alex's up-coming marathon, his training, his goals and his near-death experinces in Boulder, CO.

A nice recovery run. 8 miles in 68 minutes.

Have you ever gotten that feeling when you are running that somehow your legs are disconnected from your lungs? Like they have found an alternate oxygen supply and they no longer need your lungs to do all the work. Once in a while it will strike, usually after a several miles, on a slight downhill, when the wind is at your back and the temps are cooler than they have been in awhile, like last night.

I started off easy from house up over the Bloody Nipple and through Fairmount Park winding my way around at a slowly increasing pace. The weather was perfect, cool, calm and the sun was low in the sky. A beautiful view of city skyline as cruised down Belmont Mansion Drive over St Georges and down South Concourse. I picked up the pace as I went behind the zoo and by the time I got in front of the Art Museum that feeling had arrived.

I was flying down Kelly Drive. At the beginning of the run I had planned for some fast miles on Kelly Drive, if my legs felt up to it. So I was shooting for sub 6:30 for 3 miles after a quick stop at Lloyd Hall. The first was 6:25, I laid off the pace a bit and the second came in at 6:15. Wow, I was definitely running hard but I was comfortable and this pace was coming more easily then I can remember. The third mile was 6:08 making miles 10, 11, & 12 tempo miles for the run.

I finished the last mile at a much easier pace. I passed Veena, going the other way, after Falls Bridge. I was tempted to say hi but it was dark and I don't think she really knows who I am.

I was elated when I got home. A conservative 14 miles in 1hr 45 min. I had hit a high on the run and it came right in the front door with me, I was bouncing of the walls for an hour or so. Seebo has reffered to these runs as "bottle days", that it would be nice to save a day like this for a race so you could take it off the shelf and run your best.

I'd like to think that I have been slowly filling that bottle over the past couple months and it will topped off by the end of next week. Just sitting there with a big Oct 22nd label it.

Monday & Tuesday

I surprised myself Monday night. I went out to run as far as my legs felt good. I thought it would be about 6 miles but I got 3 miles in on the trails in the Wissahickon and I didn't want to turn around. I went down to forbidden drive and ran out to Valley Green and back home. About 8.5 miles in 68 minutes.

Tuesday night I joined the group for 5. There are so many new faces in the group and I am slowly realizing that a lot of these new faces are now regulars.

The first 2.5 miles went more quickly than I wanted at about 7:15 pace and then I started to cramp up. The type of cramps I got when I first started running and my gut felt like it was in a knot. I was wondering why but I didn't really let it bother me... maybe it was the handful of pretzels I ate before going down to the run or the fact that I really really had to pee. Just took it easy on the way back and made a pit stop at Lloyd Hall. 5 miles in 38 minutes.

PDR

Sitting here watching the Eagles more relaxed then I have been over the last few days or even the last week. For some reason I was stressing myself over the run today. Happily my worries were unfounded.

My plan was 20 miles today with the race at marathon pace or a little faster. I got up early, followed my long run morning routine and took off running to the start at 6:45. I immediately felt like it was going to be a good day. The legs felt great and I kept the pace easy. 45 minutes and a little over 5 miles later I was at the start.

Lined up at the back of corral one, as planned, to meet with Steve G. who I was hopefully going to pace to a sub 1:30. First mile was just over 7 and the next several were a little faster at about 6:55. I was sweating like crazy but feeling great. It was nice not going all out and really taking in the run. The miles and pace came easy and before I knew we were on MLK.

At this point the miles started to slow down and I could tell that Steve was struggling. I tried to lead him by a couple steps and pick up the pace but I guess it just wasn't his day. After a 7:18 mile 7 split Steve told me to go and I picked up the pace. The next mile came in at just under 7 and things continually sped up from there.

I was cruising down Kelly, 6:50, 6:43, 6:38, 6:36 and the last 1.1 at 7:12. This is exactly how I had hoped the race would go. Finished in 1:30. A course PR for me. Afterwards Steve K and I cooled down with a couple miles that put me over 20 for the day and 62 for the week.

I looked at today as my last big hump in marathon training. I don't start tapering for two weeks but I have no fast long runs planned so they should be a little easier. The race gave me some confidence and fitness for the marathon, just like it was supposed to.

Congrats to all the Philly Runners in the race today. A special shout out to Seebo who ran a 1.5 minute PR with a 1:13:something. PR's don't come easy when you are running at that level let alone a minute and a half.


Ohh also. If you are bored and happen to look up my official time on the race website you won't see it. I forgot my chip :(. If had really been racing I would have been pissed but because I wasn't no big deal.

Two runs Friday and Saturday to rest up a bit for the Philly Half-Marathon tomorrow.

3 miles on Forbidden Drive running and then three miiles back walking. No particular reason to walk excpet that Heather and I just felt like it. My legs were a little zapped and walking home seemed very appeailing when she mentioned it.

Today was 5 miles on the trails. Short easy trail runs always seem to loosen my legs up and get rid of any lingering achiness in my ankles. Hopefully it worked today.

I am now headed off to join a bunch of other Philly runners for a little carb loading at Andy's house. He has promised carb-loading with some latino flare, I am looking forward to it.

Tomorrow will be an easy 7 miles to the start of the race and then 13.1 miles at marathon pace. I have been roughly approximating this on several of my longs runs already but for some reason I am a little more nervous for an actual race. I guess it is a better prep for marathon day.

Thursday in the Rain

I made it down to the Art Museum a little early to put in a bout 5 miles beforehand. The normal Thursday night PR crew was reduced to English Mike and I due, I think to a variety of factors. The rain, marathon tapering and worst of all, injuries.

We set off on a loop into West Fairmount Park over the Strawberry Mansion Bridge and then back over Girard to Lloyd Hall. The pace was easy and the conversation flowed as we made our way along in the dreary weather.

What had been a misting became a steady rain halfway through the run but at this point I don't think either of us really noticed. The pace steadily increased through the run as is often the case with E-Mike. He needs a few miles to get warmed up and into a run and then starts to pick it up. We were really cruising going down the hill at Lansdowne and back up to Girard.

I hate this intersetion at Girard and 34th. A ton of traffic and a lot of turning cars makes for a very unfriendly pedestrain crossing and it was amplified last night. Mike and I had the light and were making our way across the street. A car to our left was making a right off of Girard onto 34th and nearly took our legs out from under us as she inched forward waiting for a break in traffic so she could make her turn. Luckily she didn't get the break in traffic. My hand smacking the hood and Mike yelling at the car got her attention and she apologized out the window. I was inches away from her bumper and I don't even want to think about what would have happened if she hit the gas.

We finished at Lloyd Hall. 13 miles in about 1hour 45min. Now a couple of short easy days before the Philly Half-Marathon on Sunday.

10 easy miles out to the Art museum. I have been having a hard time running slow on easy days so I made it a goal to keep all my miles over 7:45. The legs felt better and I really enjoyed the run, especially with some Sufjan Stevens going on the iPod.

10 Miles in 78 minutes.

Run for Your Life 5K

I almost missed the start. I didn't really look at the race brochure to well and for some reason I thought it started at 6:30. I warmed up for 1.5 miles and then hit the bathrooms. When I came out of the bathroom I saw that the entire field was lined up and it was 6:00. Oh Shit.

I ran over to the start, got in line, said hi to Goat another Philly Runner that was in the race and the horn sounded. I made it by about 20 secs.

I wasn't feeling to great during my warm up and things continued that way. Almost immediately it felt like I pulled muscle at the top of my butt over my right leg. A little pain but I guess it didn't really slow me down. I quickly got towards the front and I saw that there were about 15 people in front of me after a 1/2 mile.

Fell into a decent pace that didn't feel like I was pushing to hard and went through the first mile in about 5:55. That would be my last split for the race because I had forgotten my watch and there were no more clocks.

Down a big hill, a couple of little out and backs and I had worked my way into 10th by the 2nd mile. I was racing okay but I just didn't feel good. I was forcing the pace and didn't feel smooth. A couple smaller hills and then it was a turn up the massive hill we had come down earlier in the race.

I passed one guy on the hill and came around the final bend to see I was going to miss last years time. Finished in 19:07, to last years 19:00. 9th place, the same as last year, and 2nd in my new age group 30-39. My work team came in third in the team competition, and I can happily say that I was the fastest on the team.

The mile cooldown after the run felt like total crap and I struggled through it a bit. I was tight sore and now I had a nagging muscle pull. Wahhh Wahhh Wahhh. Felt a little sick and somehow the race had really put me in a bad mood.

I woke up this morning with a better outlook. My legs feel better and overall I feel better. I raced a 19:07 on a bad day this year and last year I ran a 19:00 on one of my best days. I'd say that is an improvement.

Sunday was a planned day off to watch football and recover from Saturday's long run. My calves were a little crampy all day and threatened to charlie horse several times before I could change position and loosen them up.

Looking back I shouldn't have run the long run that hard. I had planned on a easier long run but the pace just kind of happened on it's own so I went with it.

Anyhow, today my legs were still tight and cramping although I felt fine running. 6 miles on Forbidden Drive in 47 minutes. Nice and easy.

I have a 5K at the Malvern Corporate Center tomorrow night. I ran this race last year, finished 9th overall and 3rd in my age group in 19 flat. Not the best time but the course is hilly and finishes on a 1/4 mile uphill. I was hoping to really race it and try and beat last years time but I'll have to see how the legs feel.

On a good note with tonights run I broke 1500 miles for the year and also topped my total mileage for all of last year with 3 months to spare.

Start Slow - Finish Strong

I started this long run, like many this year, with no idea of what route I am going to run. I got to the front of the Art museum at 8:00 am hoping I might find a couple other people who just felt like running 16-20 miles for the day but none were to be found so I headed of on my own.

A couple miles up MLK and it felt humid, and warm, the sun was beating down on me and I had horrble images of me crashing at mile 15 of my long run due to dehydration. I debated on just running the loop and pushing my long run to Sunday but then decided I was just being a whiney bitch and kept going.

I turned up MLK and onto the trails. I passed a large group of middle-high school students who must have been getting ready for a cross-country meet. I was hoping I didn't get passed by 13 year olds on the trails. Once I got into the woods, things cooled down a bit and fell into a good groove that carried me through the rest of the run.

Lots of winding through the trails in West Fairmount a water fountain stop and before you know it I was an hour into the run, headed across strawberry mansion bridge and feeling great. Ran through East Fairmount to Girard and then Lansdowne hill, North Concourse, Belmont and back down Montgomery again. Turned up MLK and was floored by my first 1/4 mile split indicating a 6:45 mile. I really thought I must have timed it wrong but it was true. I hit a 6:45, 6:40, 6:35, 7:12, 7:03 for my last five miles. Fucking-A.

I was definitely dragging at the end but I was dragging with a big smile on my face after hitting those miles. A conservative 19 miles in 2 hr 25 minutes.

Fall Trail Series

Back to Valley Green for the Wissahickon Wanderers trail races last night, every Thursday night at 6:30 this fall. Heather and I got there a little erly and I warmed up for a couple miles before signing up.

About 30 people toed the line for a 3.5-4 miles course that had just been chalked out by a guy who was now racing the course. I stuck to my plan of going very conservatively early and then picking up the pace as the race progressed.

Heading up the first hill I was in 6th place and taking it easy. I passed a guy on the hill and then got stuck behind another racer and biker on for next series of hills but the pace felt comfortably fast and I didn't mind. Eventually passed this runner and starting speedng up, dropped back onto Forbidden Drive and passed one more guy.

Crossed over the creek on the covered bridge, the only covered bridge in a large city in the U.S., and headed back down the creek on the other side. At this point I was really enjoying the run. Running hard enough to feel like I was really pushing, but not an all out effort. Kind of like a tempo run but it is hard to judge this pace on rocky trails that are constantly going up and down.

I passed two more guys along this length to get into second place. At this point I figured if I saw the first place guy I would go for it but for now I was just gonna keep it easier. I never did see the first place guy who finished about 30 secs ahead of me. I finished in a little over 25 minutes.

A fun race that was followed by a mile of cooldown and then a cooldown with a couple beers and some grub put out by the Valley Green Restaurant.

I don't know if I will make every race in September but I'd like to get out for at least one more. Some of the readers of this blog should join me. Seebo I know you are dying to hit some of those rocky rooty trails.

An uneventful 10 miles out to the Art Museum and back. The weather was beautiful and I felt good so my planned 8 turned into a 9, then a 10, then a 10 with a few trips up and down the Art Museum steps. Total time 77 minutes, not including the the trips up the steps.

I wanted to go a little shorter because the Wissahickon Wanderers trail series starts up again for September this evening. I will definitely be up there tonight for the racing and the beer and food afterwords.

I am a little nervous about going all out in a race on the trails. I think a faster pace makes injury a little more likely on the rough terrain. I'll back off a bit and keep things controlled. I really don't need any type of injury after a summer of training.

Two easy runs so far this week.

Monday was a 6 mile trail loop through the Wissahickon. Took my time and enjoyed the run.

Last night I met up with the group for another rainy Tuesday run. Put in a couple miles beforehand and then ran with E-mike out to the 5 mile turn around. We picked up the pace on the way back to about 7:10's and everything felt great. 7 miles in 49 minutes.

Saturday night I headed out with Heather down Kelly Drive to retrieve her car that was aprked on 19th and Green. I twas nice to have a destination when you start a run. We ran 6 miles through soem very light mist in 50 minutes. The only highlight was a police chase of some asshole that was flying up Kellly Drive and around the Art Museum.

The 6 miles was uneventful and slow, the way a recovery run should be. My legs felt strong.

Sunday I went out on Forbiden Drive... again. All of my routes are seeming a little to regular lately, especially Forbidden Drive, but the softer path and the shade are just to nice to stay away. I planned on about 12 at a moderate pace. The first mile was a little slow but after that I got into a groove and was hitting 7:00-7:05. A little faster than I really wanted to go but I felt good and attempts to slow down just didn't go to well so I kept it up. I decided to go to Northwestern Avenue and back. 13 miles in 93 minutes. Dead on marathon pace.

I didn't split the miles on the way home and didn't realize the pace had been this quick until I logged in my run. 13 miles at marathon pace after a 22 miler on Friday . Good stuff.

I was happy to break 60 miles for the week in just 5 days and also to hit 40 miles in one weekend(Fri-Sat-Sun) . My biggest weekend yet.

Next week I am going to pull back to about 50-55 miles for a little recovery before my final 3 week push to taper.

20 on Friday

Thursday was a DNR and I only have 21 miles so far this week with three days left. I am going to need a big weekend to hit 60 miles for the week.

My planned Saturday morning 20 miler was looking very wet and windy beacause of a little storm named Ernesto. I remember an 18 miles last year in similar weather and it wasn't pretty, I didn't want to repeat that. I could either push my run till later Saturday after the rain had stopped or wait until Sunday morning. Niether option was very appealing. I like to get my long run out of the way early in the weekend beacuse I tend to dwell on it and worry if it is going to go well.
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Thursday night Heather had the brilliant idea that I should just do my long run on Friday. I was off from work and the weather was cool so why not. For some reason this never crossed my mind, my long runs have always been Saturday and that's the way it is.

I debated it in morning and decided to go out for 10, if I felt good and the rain had held off I would do 20. The first 5 miles on forbidden drive felt great and although it looked like it might rain any second it was still dry so 20 was looking more likely.

I made it to the end of Forbidden Drive and at this point just to get back to my house was a total of 13 miles so I was comitted. I looped around in the park, took some trails and rehashed the same route a few times to get my mileage up to 20. My pace the entire way was between 7:15 and 7:45 with most of the miles longer than 7:30.

It threatened ran the entire way, some sprinkles here and there and an occasional gust of wind but it just never came. Thank God. Sometimes the rain can be refreshing but this wasn't one of those days and I was glad to finish with a shirt damp with sweat but not with rain.

I ended with a little over 20 miles in 2 hr 36 min. The first of 3, 20 milers this year and it went very well. Not a bad way to start of September

I headed out to Kelly drive for a tempo run last night.

1.5 mile warm up and then I picked it up just past the Falls Bridge. 4 miles as follows; 6:20, 6:11, 6:13, and 6:12. The last mile was uphill to the Art Museum and I was really pushing to keep the pace up.

I took a little breather in front of the museum and then continued on the path exstension to the turn around. Headed back home at a fairly easy pace. 12.5 miles in 1hr 28 minutes.

Overall a geat workout.

I may not get a run in tonight because of an obligation after work. If not, that will make 247.0 miles for the month of August. A few less miles than July but July had 5 weekends and August 4.

Deluge

I planned on running 11 miles last night. 3 Before the group run at easy pace, 5 miles at tempo pace with the group, 3 miles after the group run at easy pace.

I started running under overcast skies around 6:00 and not long after a light rain began. It steadily increased and by the time I was 2 miles in had become a total downpour. I had a hard time even running with my head up because of the rain in my eyes. I was totally drenched in minutes and decided at that point a tempo run wasn't going to happen.

Instead, I just enjoyed the rain. On a regular basis runing in downpours would get really annoying but every once in a while it is a blast. I made my way up to the Art Museum where I met about 6 other Philly runners for our evening run. The rain continued to pour and the skyline was totally obscured by low clouds and rain.

The rain had lightened a tad before the group set off but it had left gigantic ankle deep puddles along some portions of the path. I had gingerly jumped puddles when the rain first started but now plowed right through them. Heather and I ran out to the Strawberry Mansion bridge and back. 9 miles in 83 minutes.

I almost pulled a DNR for the day. I was a bum in the morning, drank coffee and watched TV, than ran some errands. Before I knew it 2:00 had rolled around and it was Fantasy Football Draft time at my house. 12 friends, 4 beers and two cheeseburgers later I wasn't really feeling a run.

A cup of coffee gave me some energy and I decided to head out at 7:30. I was trying to think of a route but nothing really seemed appealing. Set off through Manayunk and tried to find streets I haven't been down before.

Things felt good but tight and by the time I was ready to finishI was really getting into the run. It had started to rain and my iPod doesn't take to well to that so I called it quits. 5.4 miles in 42 minutes.

63 miles for the week and it was defintiely a good one. With the track meet in the begining and a great long run at the end. Hopefully I can string together 5 more good weeks till taper.

The Long and Sweaty Road

As planned I met up with Ian, Chem Steve, and Jim for 10 miles through Fairmount Park. The pace started off fairly leisurely for about the first 6 miles. The weather was cool but humid and I quickly built up a good layer of sweat on my brow and soaked through my shirt.

Ian began to push the pace a little as we neared South Georges Hill and we were probably running about 7:15's by the time we hit 10 miles back in front of the Art Museum. We dropped off Jim who was runnig 10 for the day and continued on Kelly Drive.

A quick stop at my car to chug some Gatorade and lose my shirt and we were back at it. Hitting about a 6:55 mile than a 6:45 then a 6:40. Steve turned around at Strawberry Mansion and Ian continued to the Bloody Nipple as I turned around at Falls Bridge. On the way back I quickly caught up to this young guy who as I was passing, picked it up and got ahead of me again. I wasn't about to push it so I let him go. A 1/4 mile later the same thing so I decided to drop the hammer, however small that hammer was after 14 miles, and ran another 6:45 mile.

I stopped for a drink of water at the fountain and he again passed behind me. I caught him a bit later and this time instead of passing I decided to talk. I asked him if he was in Kids Run Philly Style, a high school program in philly that is designed to get inner city kids involved in running, and he chuckled and said "No, I am a little older than that". We chatted it up a bit and I find out he has run 8 marathons and is planning on 2 in the fall. I am really wondering his age at this point and he tells me31. It was my turn to chuckle and apologize for thinking he was in highscool.

Finished up with him in front of Lloyd Hall. 18 miles in 2:15. Another quick long run. My longs runs have gone very well so far and I am glad I can pick up the pace . I am a little worried that these fast runs are not giving me enough time on my feet and I think I will slow it down for my first 20 miler next week.

Also, I passed Alex going the other way on what I imagine was the early miles of his first 20. I hope all went well.

The Stevus Route

6 miles through Wissahickon Park tonight on a route I always refer to in my head as the Stevus Route because I was with him the first time I linked together these particular trails.

Ran it nice and easy in prep for a long run tomorrow. It was a good sign that I had to conciously slow myself down several times during the run.

18 tomorrow with what looks to be a nice sized crowd. I find myself looking forward to the long run a little more knowing I'll have some good company.

Last nights run started off like many lately, my legs feel tired and achey prior to the run and I wonder how things are going to go, the first few miles I don't feel to hot and then everything loosens up and I really get into the run.

I met up with some Thursday nighters, Jim, Steve, and Alex for a 7.5 mile trip through Fairmount Park. I planned on doing 10-12 for the night but with the way my legs were feeling before the run I didn't think it ws going to happen.

Over Spring Garden and down 34th past the zoo, up the Lansdowne hill, Concourse to Parkside and I was feeling a lot better. Alex had to dropout early in the run due to some issues and we continued on our way chatting mostly about past races. Sometimes I really don't feel like talking about running while running but last night it was nice to hear some others experiences.

We finished up in front of the Art Museum in 63 minutes and we were sure we had gone 8 miles but a check on Gmap indicated 7.6. I guess the legs just weren't moving as fast as we thought.

At this point I was feeling great and decided to tack on a few more miles by myself on Kelly Drive. I ran to the normal Tuesday night turn around at the John Kelly Statue and back. The first 3 miles at marathon pace and the last one at 6:50. Cruising along. 12 miles in 93 minutes.

My legs wouldn't let me forget the track meet on Tuesday night as I achingly started a recovery run after the sun had set a bit yesterday evening. Things started off slow and didn't get much faster as I ran down Henry Avenue and tried to get myself lost in East Falls.

Although the speed didn't increase my legs got happier and I started to loosen up and enjoy it, the exact reason you are supposed to do one of these recovery runs. I was looking to do six and winding my way through unknown routes is a good way to make yourself do the miles, you're never really sure how far ou have gone and how far it is to go back. 6.4 miles in 52 minutes, just right.

Track Meet

Went over to the Roxboruough High Track last night to meet up with several Philly Runners for the Wissahickon Wanderers Track meet. This was my first track meet and having a little expereince on the track I was excited and a little nervous at the same time.

I signed up for the mile and the 5000 meter (which for some reason on the road can be called 5K but on the track you have to call it 5000 meter).

I was shooting for sub 5:30 in the mile which would be a PR, mostly because I have never raced a mile. The first lap went quickly in about 72 and in the shuffle I fell towards the back of the pack. I laid off the pace a bit because I felt I was pushing to hard to early. It was a mistake. I should have just kept pushing it.

For the remainder of the race I concentrated on trying to reel in the lead I had given to everybody else and it just never happened. I finished in 5:22, a time I was very happy with and it falls pretty much in line with what I expected to run. I learned a bit in the race and in a year from now when I might run another mile race I'll have a better idea of how to race it.

The 5000 was a much smaller field with about 7 runners. In the first lap Seebo was quickly in the lead with another guy right on his tail and then Stevus, Me, and Kevin J in a bunch behind them. It was clear after a couple laps that Seebo had the race wrapped up and the fella that was on his tail quickly lost ground. I fell in behind Stevus and tried to keep him close and distance myself from Kevin J.

The next 8 laps or so nothing really changed. I kept banging out 90-92 sec laps and stayed close to Stevus. I began gaining on Stevus around lap ten and was able to pass him and the guy in second place during the last two laps. It felt good to finally beat Stevus in a race after several close ones. He always seemed to be able to pull away in the end but luckily, this time, I pulled it out.

Second place, it made me feel a bit better about my mile finish.

A great night, I wish something like this happened a little more often. Maybe a bi-monthly meet with stopwatches keeping time and friends racing against each other.

I need to get my ass out to the track more often!

A stroll up and down Kelly Drive was on order for tonight and I headed out for a fairly easy 9 miles after work. Nothing to exciting to report. Just listened to some tunes on my iPod and let my mind wander. I mixed in 4-5 short pickups in the second half just to mix thing up a bit.

Passed Jim Mayo on the way out, then bumped into Kevin and Amanda at Lloyd Hall, again passed Jim on the way back and a 1/4 mile later Craig caming whizzing by in the other direction. Many familiar faces on a Monday evening. A little over 9 miles in 70 minutes.

Tomorrow night will be my first ever "Track Meet" at Roxborough High put on by the Wissahickon Wanderers. I wish I was a little more rested for this so I'd really see what I can do in the mile but 41 miles in the last 4 days are sure to hold me back a bit. It should be interesting.

An easy 8 miler through Wissahickon Park/Mt. Airy/Roxborough. I have been a little tired of running the same old routes and I mixed it up a bit tonight running streets I have never been down before.

My legs felt good despite the 16 miles yesterday and I stretched a planned 6 miles into about 8 in 62 minutes. This puts me at 61.7 miles for the week at an average 7:37 pace.

I was looking back over my training log this evening and comparing last years marathon build up to this years by distance and pace. I noticed that my average pace for all of 2005 was 7:46. My average pace so far this year is 7:45. I've gotten an entire second quicker per mile. I knew all of these miles were paying off.

An easy 16?

Met up with the group at 8:00 in front of the museum and fell into a good pace with Jenn as we head up MLK. The miles clicked off between 7:30 and 7:40. Conversation came easy over a lot of topics and I enjoyed the trip around the drives.

We finished in 64 minutes, I bid adieu to Jenn, slugged a half quart of gatorade that I had in my car, stripped off my sweaty shirt and headed down Pennsylvania avenue intent on 7-8 miles more through Fairmount park. I a foot bridge over pennsylvania and the railroad tracks and it dumped me on Sedgely, up over the Girard Bridge where I was surprised to see Mr. Yellow Shorts, Jim Mayo in appropriate attire for his name. Said a quick hi and continued down Lansdowne, North Concourse, St. Georges Hill to Chamonioux. A very familiar route.

I took Chamonioux for a short distance and then cut into the first field to drop onto Parachute Hill. While crossing onto the lawn I somehow didn't see a large dead branch hanging low from a tree. It caught me in the head and then gave me a good gash on my neck. I screamed a very girly "owwww' and then followed it up with some expletives. Hurt like a bitch but it wasn't bleeding and I just kept running.


Down parachute hill to Montgomery, for the second time hit the water fountain at Montgomery and MLK. I realized that I felt much better now after 14 miles than I did at 2 miles the first time I stopped, it made me happy.

Down MLK and cut under the bridge to go behind the Art Museum to add a little distance and make sure I hit at least 16 miles. The last mile I could feel the dehydration and heat getting to me a bit but I finished strong. 16.5 miles in 2hr 5 minutes.

I am always apprehensive at the beginning of these long runs, hoping everything will go well. So far so good this year.

It was time for some speedwork last night. I headed out for 12 miles on Forbidden Drive and mixed some mile intervals in with a lot of recovery in between.

Took the first few miles easy and then hit 1.5 miles in just under 8:55. I pushed a little harder than I should have so after a mile recovery I lightened up for the next interval, 1 mile in 6:02. Again a mile recovery and my 3rd interval was 1 mile in 6:13. I ran a couple more miles and then towards the end of the run I hit a 4th mile at 6:15. I didn't push to hard in the last two intervals and I was very happy with the time.

Most of the miles in between were run at a fairly brisk pace and I finished 12 miles in 83 minutes. Very pleased with the pace and the run overall but I am glad I have a DNR today due to a Fantasy Football draft after work. Everything is tight and the day off will feel good, although I can't help but wonder if I might be able to squeeze in a few miles when I get home late tonight.

Splinter 10

I planned for 10 miles last night and I had originally wanted to get in 5 miles before the group run to meet my goal. I quickly realized that I wasn't going to get out of work in time to do that so I asked if anybody was willing to join me for a splinter 10 miler from the group run and luckily Jim and E. Mike were up for it.

We stuck with the group on the way up Kelly and continued on up to the Falls Bridge, over the BN and then through Fairmount Park back to Girard Ave. Jim and I really picked it up till we were almost sprinting the last 20 yards to the Art Museum. A little over 10 miles in 84 minutes.

The pace was very comfortable the whole way (until the very end of course) and it was good to just run along and bullshit with these guys.

I had not route in mind when I went out last night, I just knew I wanted to run at least six and any additional distance would depend on how my legs felt. I took a familiar route through teh narrow streets passing many runners along the way.

Eventually I ended up on Umbria Avenue and followed this to the end, Shawmont Street. I hadn't planned on running the Shawmont hill but I ended up there so I just took my time and eased my way up the hill to Ridge Avenue. Followed Ridge all the way back to my house. A little over 7 miles in 51 minutes.

8 Down 9 to go

6 miles at dusk through the Wissahickon. Heather and I ran a loop that was one of the courses in the Wanderers summer trail series. I let Heather lead the pace and she was moving a much quicker than I had expected her too. A long 6 miles in 51 minutes

I thought I would have been a little more beat up after the run yesterday but everything felt realtively good., I hope this continues into next week. 60.4 miles for the week. I came in on the low end of my 60-65 goal but I am going to blame that on abbreviated run on Friday night. All in all a very good week. 9 weeks till Chi-Town

Things are Back on Track

Thursday night was an easy 7-8 with the normal crew. We didn't take the normal route however. After a trip down Pennsylvania avenue and then winding through the top of north Philly we ended up crossing railroad tracks that led to single track. At this point I was totally turned around and figured I was in a secret little area of park in North Philly. The trail suddenly stopped and I was face to face with the Girard ave bridge where it crosses the Schuylkill. I quickly realized we were standing on top the the "Rock Climbers Rock" where Kelly Drive goes through a tunnel in the rock. A nice surprise. It made me wonder why all these people are trying to climb up there. You can just run around a bit and end up on top.

The remainder of the run was on a more normal route in the confines of Fairmount Park. I didn't have a watch but I am guessing about 7.5 miles in an hour.

Friday night I went out for 5 with Heather on the trails in the Wissahickon. We had gone about 2 leisurely miles when that damn pain in my foot struck again. A sharp pain right behind my toes that quickly gets worse if I keep running. I decided to stop as soon as I felt it and hoped that it wouldn't hinder the 18 miles I had planned for the following morning.

Saturday morning I headed out a little apprehensive of the pain I was sure would pop up once I started running. One step, two steps, 300 steps, and all was fine not even a twinge. I don't think I will ever figure this one out. I counted my blessings and kept moving.

The first 6.5 were at about 7:40 pace and I was really feeling great. The weather was cool, I had my iPod, and the park was crowded. I got to the end and the plan was to pick up the pace to sub 7:30 for the following 5 miles. I hit about 7:15-7:25 miles the entire way. I was cruising and found myself having to hold back my pace to keep it where I wanted it.

The next 5 I was shooting for marathon pace (about 7:10) or better. I hit the 5 miles in 34 minutes, the last one came in at 6:36. I was really pushing at the end but I was ecstatic when I saw my time, sub 7:00 for the 5 miles. The remaining 1.5 miles I dialed back to about 7:45 pace. I was totally spent by the time I finished but I was very happy with the run. 18 miles in 2hr 15min.

Low Dew Points and Cooler Temps

The weather is back to normal and I am loving it.

It was in the low 80's and not humid when I went out last night for a trip up and down forbidden drive. I took a long a water bottle but I realized at the turn around that I was barely using it. I might have been betetr off with my iPod and some good tunes for company rather than a bottle of water.

Anyhow, I did 6.5 out in the 7:30-7:50 range. Just cruising along, enjoying the weather, and checking out all the people walking in the park. On the return I picked it up for three miles hitting a 6:30, 6:20 and a 6:30. I wasn't pushing to hard and I wouldn't consider it tempo pace, just enough effort to feel it but not enough to tire me out.

I finished up with a few easier miles. 11.7 miles in 83 minutes. A good run.

I am way behind on posting again. I have four runs to catch up on so here goes. Will see what I can remember, runs quickly get hazy a few days out unless there was something very memorable.

Friday was a day off. My legs just didn't feel good. My legs were beat and I felt a day off was in order.

Saturday morning I was excited for a 14-15 miler but even with the day off it didn't start out to well. I reached an hour and was wondering how I was going to keep it up for one more. However I entered Fairmount Park in this stretch and I started getting into a groove going up over St. Georges. I made my way through the park, down the lawn at Belmont Mansion and into the woods for a trip on the trails. Popped out at Ford Road and then jumped on MLK for the trip home. About 14.5 miles in 1:52. I was happy that the run ended much better than it started, always much better than the other way around.

I was at the folks on Sunday morning and I got up at 8:00, rolled out of bed, and started running. A rare occurence for me. The weather was warm for being early and the sun was in full effect. I ran about 7.5 miles in a little under an hour. Never really felt great and I was glad when it was over.

Monday night my legs weren't feeling so hot. I waited till almost 9:00 to head out the door for what I thought was going to be a difficult run. However, depsite the heat and my achey legs, everything went great. An East Falls/Roxborough loop that was highlighted by a lightning storm off in the distance. 8 miles in 62 minutes.

Tuesday night I met up with the group. My legs felt drained and I had a nagging muscle cramp in my left calf, although it wasn't sore, during the work day.

I didn't expect much out of the run that night. I got there a little early, stretched out and was pleasantly surprised at how well the firts mile felt. By mile 2 I wanted to go longer and Seebo and I headed up over the Strawberry Mansion Bridge for a longer loop. This was the first time in about 10 days that I have run with anybodyelse and it felt good to have some company for a few miles. Seebo headed home at sweetbriar and I continued to the Art Museum for 7 miles in 53 miutes.

I was a little discouraged by the torpid legs over the past few days but things feel much better right now and I am looking forward to a long run on Forbidden Drive tonight.

11 weeks till Chicago.

I was debating a DNR yesterday but I am a little down on miles for this week so even a shorter run is better than nothing.

5 Miles in and around Manayunk with Heather. We took it slow and I think the heat/humidty might have abated a bit. Maybe the slow pace just made it feel that way, who knows.

Although I haven't really logged to many miles this week my legs feel a little beat up. Coming off of a lot of miles last week my legs felt great on Monday and then I did a track workout. The track really seems to take a toll. The remainder of the week is filled with nagging aches and pains.

In my mind I really want to hit 60 miles this week but when I look back at the rough training plan I devised prior to the start of marathon training I am only scheduled to run 50-55. I think I should follow the plan a little more closely and make sure I am still in good shape to log solid training miles in the weeks to come. Also, I have to account for the heat, it is a bitch, and can really put a dent in weekly mileage.

The 15 day forecast (which is notoriously inaccurate but when it looks good I like to believe it is correct and when it looks bad I blow it off knowing they never get it right) shows normal to cooler than normal weather all the way through. I am saying a little prayer that they are right

Waited until 8:30 yesterday evening and went out for a loop through East Falls and Roxborough. A semi-regular route that has one decent hill but the rest is just a little up and down. I always enjoy this run. I don't do it that often so it never becomes to familiar and there is usually a little twist because I can't remember the exact route I took last time.

Nothing to exciting to report. 7.5 - 8 miles in exactly 1 hour.

F U Heat

Goddamn it is hot. This is record heat, kill 100 people in California last week heat, cause the highway to buckle heat, record electricty usage heat, hasn't reached 100 since August 9th, 2001 heat. It is supposed to reach 103 degrees today and in my head I think of anything above about 90 degrees as about the same, hot, but it isn't really true. 93 to 103 is a 10 degree jump. A 10 degree jump from 80 to 90 is from a fair day to a hot day. A jump from 30 to 40 is a snow storm to nasty cold rain. So a jump from say a 93 degree day to a 103 degree is substantial and it really makes for some horrible running.

Ian and I went off into Fairmount Park last night to hopefully escape the heat in the shade of the park. I am sure it was a little cooler than a trip up and down the drives but the heat still got us. It was there, laughing at me for thinking I could escape it, surrounding me in a cocoon that I couldn't shake no matter where I ran, pressing down on me when I stopped for a breather making me wish I had just kept going.

I only made it 42 minutes and probably a little over 5.5 miles. Tonight will be more of the same, if not worse. Maybe I will setup my treadmill in my cool air-conditioned living room and give the finger to the heat through the window as I sip an iced tea and listen to my iPod. (which I cannot take out in this heat because I sweat so badly and I am afraid that I will fry it).

Most likely though I will wait until later, 8:00-8:30, try to escape the worst of it and curse it as I run and drip through the streets Roxborough. It can't last forever.

The forecaset for the week is to start hot and then get hotter. So I decided to head to the track last night while at 89 degrees it was still relatively cool.

Two mile warm up to Roxborough Track, there was a good crowd goign around which graciuosly stayed on the outside lanes while I did my workout. I can't help but size up the other runners while I am out there. This track doesn't usually have to many quick runners and last night was no exception.

The plan was 800's until I was really uncomfortable, with the heat last night I was thinking 5. I am still a total novice on the track and I can't seem to string togtether a month were I make a few trips there which would allow me improve a bit so it is always like starting from scratch. I wanted to run at 5K pace or just a little under. I was going to shoot for 5:50 miles or about 2:55 for an 800. My math skills and my running were not really up to speed last night and for some reason I was going for 2:40's.

I hit the first one in 2:40 and thought I couldn't imagine one more let alone 4 more. I decided to drop down 400's in 1:20. I nailed 5 of them but on lap 6 I just couldn't keep it up. It was hot, I was sweating ridiculously, I didn't feel like hurting anything so I stopped at that.

It wasn't until I got few easy miles under mile belt on the way home that I realized I was running a bit to fast. If I had slowed down to what I initially expected to run I am sure I could have squeezed out a few more but I still am happy, I at least got out there. On a night like last night that was good enough for me. A little over 9 miles in 68 minutes.

I really would like to make at least bi-weekly trips to the track. The weather will get cooler, I'll get fitter and my times and reps will improve. At least that is the plan. I may even start to enjoy it at some point... but probably not.

252 miles for July, the most yet.

I didn't post over the weekend because my cable company, Urban Cableworks, is staffed by inept fools who don't understand that my builiding is a duplex after about 75 explanations and repeated problems. Comcast is taking them over and I never thought I would say this but I can't wait to have Comcast as my cable company.

Anyhow, my runs...

Friday was an easy 4 miles around Manayunk in the afternoon heat. 4 miels in 32 minutes. Just wanted to get a run done for the day.

Saturday was the first real long run of my marathon training. When I woke up Saturday morning I still had no idea of the route I was going to take. Wiss Park? Kelly Drive? Fairmount Park?

My first decision was Kelly Drive to hopefully meet up with the group as they made their turn at Falls Bridge. I went a 1/2 mile down Kelly towards the bridge in the full early morning July sun. I decided it was ridiculous to try and run on the drive in this heat when I had a perfectly cool Wissahickon Park to run through so I tured it around and headed back to the park.

The plan was 7.5 easy miles to the top of the park and then to pick it up some for the remainder of the run. I kept a steady 8:00 pace until Valley Green where I ran into the halfway turn around point of a race. The Chesnut Hill "Run for the Hill of It".

Suddenly I was surrounded by 100's of runners all running a slightly slower pace than I was doing. I slowly weaved my way through the crowds enjoying the chance to pass people on my long run and I was still actually able to hold my pace. As I approached the top of the park and the end of the race I had fans cheering me on telling me to "keep it up", "just a little further".

I crossed the finish mat for the race and started turning around. I was quickly yelled at and told I needed to turn in my chip. "I'm not in the Race" I yelled back and continued on my way to a few chuckles from the crowd.

From here I quickened my pace to near marathon pace at 7:20, feeling pretty good I kept this pace up for a mile and half back to Valley Green. The remaineder of the run consisted of another easy mile at 8:00 pace and then 3.5 miles at sub 7:00 pace. I ended with a mile easy. 16 miles in exactly 2 hours. Overall a great run.

I was ecstatic that I was able to push the pace in my long run, especially in the heat. I don't plan on running hard in all long runs but I really feel it is a piece I need to add to my tranining this year to give me more confidence and fitness for the marathon.

Sunday my legs were feeling great. I have added a good bit of stretching post runs and I think this has helped me feel a little looser the days after hard workouts.

I still kept it very easy on my run. 5 miles in 42 minutes on a mix of trail and Forbidden Drive in the park.

64 miles for the week.

Happy Trails

Hit the trails in the Wissahickon Park last night. All day at work I was lookng forward to this run and I wasn't disappointed.

Things were a little stiff for the first mile but once I loosened up the miles came easy. I didn't push to hard but didn't take it easy either. I was in that sweet spot in between for most of the run.

The first 4 miles were a familiar route and I decided to tack on a couple more before heading back. The trails eventually dumped me onto Forbidden Drive where I had a 5 miles to go back to my house and I was already almost at an hour of running. A little further than I had anticipated but I was really feeling good so I just went with it.

Heather was out on her own run and I caught up to her with about 1/2 mile to go. I finished in 1:32 for about 12 miles. Good stuff. I just hope I am not paying for an 11 and a 12 miler later this week.

Another Tuesday night and another group run. The weather is working its way back to unbearable but isn't there yet so the run last night was only mildly uncomfortable.

Got to the run a little early and added a 3 mile loop on the path exstension down to South Street. We have been getting some good crowds out to the runs despite the heat and yesterday about 30 people headed down the path. I fell into a decent pace with Kevin G and cruised along till I reached the 5 miles turn around.

Slowed it down a bit for the return trip. Not really beacuse I couldn't keep it up but I had planned to make it an easy run. 8 miles in I don't know how long because I forgot my watch but I am guessing about 62 minutes.

After only running 8 miles over the weekend I was really hoping Monday would turn into a good workout. The weather cooperated, around 80 and not to humid when I headed out the door at 7:00 pm. My legs also cooperated, they were feeling great after a week of 40 miles and from the start I felt like it was going to be a good run.

A run up Forbidden Drive. 1.5 mile warm up, then 2.5 miles at tempo pace of around 6:20. I had to push it a bit to keep up the pace but things went smoothly. Then 3 miles of easy pace during which which I really got into a rythym and I was easily ticking off 7:10 miles. The return included another 2.5 miles of tempo pace which took a lot less effort than the way out. Ended with 1.5 miles of cool down which again just wanted to come at a low 7's pace. 11 miles in 77 minutes. Best workout in a couple weeks. It's amazing how much better a little drop in humidity can make you feel. To bad it isn't going to last.

Wednesday night I squeezed an easy 4 before heading out to dinner for the night. I really don't like squeezing in runs because I am a bit obsessive about the time if I need to be somewhere and it forces me to constantly think about how far along I am in the run. 4 miles in 30 minutes.

Thursday night I skipped the run with the Thursday Nighters and decided to head out after sunset when the temperatures would be low enough for a good workout. 5 miles down to the Art Museum at 7:30 pace and then 8 repeats up the Art Museum steps. There happened to be few other guys doing reps up the steps too. It made for a little competition and a better workout.

I was a little drained on the way back but I kept the miles under 8 minute pace and took the long way back to my house about 11.5 miles in 80 minutes.

Friday a DNR :(. My legs felt good all day today depsite a tougher workout last night. I kept postponing the run because of a ton of errands and things around the house. Before I knew it 10:30 had rolled around and the run just never happened. I had a 20 day streak going that has come to end.

The remainder of the weekend involves a large 30th b-day party. I know I'll get in a few Saturday morning. Sunday might be a little tough but we'll see.

A bit of a drop back week for me, I don't expect to break 50 miles and I'll really be surprised if I hit 45. Not the worst thing considering the past three weeks have been my highest mileage to date but I really need to come back the following week with some quality workouts and a good long run on the weekend.

Driving to the group run yesterday eveing I knew it wasn't going to be a good run. My legs were tired from Monday's run and the heat/humidity was approaching unbearable.

A 7:07 first mile was faster than I could handle and I dropped off the lead pack into 7:30 pace, something that was sustainable with a a lot of mental effort. I caught up to Jenn near the turn around and I just stick with her the rest of the way. I don't think she knew it but she definitely pulled me through that run. 5 sweaty miles in 37 minutes. I was actually surprised that I had completed it that quickly.

The highlight of the evening was the storm that blew in after run. The walk back to my car was filled with swaying trees, falling branches, and dirt being blasted into my eyes by the wind. I was seriously nervous about a branch breaking and cruching me on it's way down. Perfect calm had turned into one of the windiest storms I have ever seen in about 5 minutes. When I began my drive home the thermometer in my car read 90. When I got home about 12 minutes later it read 81. WOW.

Catching Up

I guess I am behind a few runs,

Friday:

Went out with Heather on a route that the Wissahickon Wanderers used in their summer trail series. A nice trail run with varied terrain and just enough hills to make you work. Running it at an easy pace was much more enjoyable then it was while racing it. 5.2 miles in 45 minutes.

Saturday:

I actually made it up for an 8:00 run starting in front of the Art Museum with Erin, Seebo, Ian, Jim, and E-mike. A trip out to Mt Moriah cemetery and back to the Art Museum. Ian and I tacked a few miles onto the end of the run by going over Lemon Hill and then back on West River. I remember hoping that Ian wasn't going to pick up the pace on West River, running faster once we got on West River and then just trying to hold on as we hit the last 1.5 miles in about 6:30 pace. Many times I wanted to stop during that last bit but I was able to hold on. A little over 14 miles in 1hr 48 minutes.

I find myself recovering more easily from these longish type runs now. 10-14 mile runs seemed like long runs in the past but now they are becoming routine.

Sunday:

I was fairly hungover from a long Saturday night and held off running until the evening. I almost bagged the run but was able to get out the door with Heather for about 4 miles. Once I was running I felt much better and sort of wanted to keep going but decided against it.

56.3 miles for the week and on track with my marathon training.

Monday:

A hot ass day, maybe the hottest day of the summer. Delayed my run till the sun was setting and left my house at 8:30 for an out and back along Kelly Drive to the Art Museum.

Things felt great from the start and easily fell into 7:15-7:30 pace. Ran into Craig at the water fountain and we ran together the remainnder of the way to the Art Museum. Despite the heat I was feeling great on the return trip too and the miles were ticking off at 7:15 pace. One of those days where you feel like you could just keep going like this for miles.

3/4 mile from home I got a pain in my left foot. It is an odd thing that striks me every once in a while and not only on runs, sometimes just walking around. One step it isn't there and the next it is, like I hit a nerve in my foot. Just a small spot behind my toes, feel almost like I have a lump in my sock but with more pain. It only hurts when I put pressure on it so it forces me to run on the inside of my foot.

I hobbled along with an altered gait for about another half-mile and then just decided to walk the remainder. I went from a running high to a running low in about 3 minutes. 10 miles in 77 minutes, including the walk.

I barely feel it today and I think things should be fine for a run tonight. I just hope it doesn't become a more frequent problem.

A 1000 Miles and Running

Any hopes that I had of a cool summer are quickly evaporating in the hot July sun. Steamy, sultry, disgusting, muggy and sweaty are a few of the words that come to mind this week and I saw the forecast this morning, things are just going to get worse this weekend. Okay, that is enough, I will not speak of the heat again for the rest of the summer... but I have been known to lie once in a while.

Thursday night with the group, I planned on doing 8 but that turned into 5 miles. After wrapping up with the group at the Art Museum I just couldn't get myself motivated to add those extra 3.

So Monday/Tuesday was a total of 11 miles. I look at Mon, Tues runs as miles in the bank for the week, they can be counted on if you miss a run later on. So far my account is a little light and I'll have to make it up in the remainder of the week.

Last night things were back on track despite a high rate of kinetic energy in an atmosphere that was almost completely saturated with water vapor. 5 miles on the trails in the Wissahickon and the 5-6 more on Forbidden Drive. Despite conditions I felt much better at the end of this run, the way it is supposed to feel.

Last night's run also put me over 1000 miles for the year. A number I didn't break until Sept 14th of last year.

Slow Going

I had to drag myself through 6 miles yesterday on a loop through Roxborough. My legs weren't sore and they really didn't feel tired during the day but when I started running they just didn't have any kick.

It was to be expected after a long week so I just plodded along and tried not to think about how the run sucked. I forced myself to run 50 minutes, knowing it was going to take at least that long to get in my goal of 6 miles for the day. Usually things will loosen up but it just didn't happen this run and it was exactly 6 miles in 50 minutes. Oh well, thats why they call them recovery runs.

G5Kizzy

Sunday morning I jumped out of bed to participate in the second annual Guerilla 5K. A wonderful race put on by some guy in the local running scene. A beautiful sunny morning and a lot of good running friends made a great race.

I had no warm up and a lot of miles earlier in the week so I decided to take it easy during the race, especially the first mile. I hung a little behind the leaders, Steve, Steve and.... Steve, for the first mile and surprisngly I felt good so I pushed it as we approached the Mann Center. Up over South Georges where I was actually able to pass Steke K. I think a lot of miles and a soccer game the night before combined to give me a fighting chance of beating him.

With about 1.5 miles to go I decided that I just wanted to try and hold onto third place. I quickened my step on the downhill back towards Belmont and tried to make it as hard as I could for Steve to pass me. Luckily I was able to hold on, we made the turn back onto North Concourse and I could see the finish in the distance. Stevus and Seebo were finishing together up ahead, hand in hand. I came in a little behind in about 19:08. A good race made even better by an excellent t-shirt and Mardi Gras beads also supplied by some guy.

The morning was capped by a trip to Jim's for breakfast, Tour de France and some good Banter between runners.

As for the rest of the weekend....

Friday was an easy 6, out and back on the Manayunk Towpath. I think it was about 49 minutes, nothing special about the run, just putting in some easy miles.

Saturday I debated getting up earlier and meeting up with some folk for a morning trip around Fairmount Park but my urge to sleep in won and I delayed my run till afternoon. 11 miles up and down Forbidden Drive in 72 minutes. A bit faster than I expected to go but I was cruising along easily at the pace so I stuck with it.

Sunday was the G5K and a 7.5 miler in the evening with Heather. My first real "2 a day". I hadn't planned it but I needed 2 miles more to hit my weekly goal and my legs felt fine so I went for a few more. 7.5 miles in 64 minutes.

Total for the week was 60. Marathon training is going about as well as I could have hoped at the end of week 2. It's still very early. I hope it keeps up.

Yesterday was 8 miles with the "Thursday Nighters" through Fairmount park. Finished in 67 minutes for a very easy run on a cooler and less humid night than we have had lately. It still isn't as near as cool as I'd like it but relative to Monday and Tuesday night it was beautiful.

Jenn was back out after her month long excursion in Central America to learn Spanish. Tim was back after his winter/spring long absence from Thursday night runs. A large crowd made the time pass quickly and the run much more enjoyable than my legs initially told me it was going to be. It's always nice to end a run feeling much better than you do at the beginning.

I have a pair of yellow Asics Speedstars that I bought at the Philly Distance Run Expo last fall. These are supposed to be my "fast shoes". I'd take them out for track workouts, tempo runs, and shorter races. They're lighter, flashier, with a little less cushion and I guess they somehow make you faster.

Sometime they work just as expected, the lightness of the shoe and the quicker response, if not actually making me faster at least they fool me into thinking I am. Other times they just make me feel like a fumbling idiot. My running gets thrown off, my feet smack the ground incorrectly, I get shin splints, and I have to either slow way down or call off the run. I then place them in the corner for a month or so until I forget how badly my last run in them went and the bright yellow color and lure of limitless speed call me back. (It also helps when my normal pair of running shoes are sloppy and soaking wet). Putting them on last night after work I was hoping for a fast run not a fumbling one and luckily they worked out.

I planned 10 miles out and back to the Art Museum with 2 miles of tempo in each direction. The first couple miles were quick and felt pretty good. I then did 2 miles in, 12:24, a little faster then I wanted to go but still a good tempo pace. I could feel some tightness in my right hamstring after the two miles and I decided to call of the tempo on the way back.

I had promised myself nothing faster than about 6:50 pace for the first few weeks of marathon training until my legs were used to the additional running. I went ahead with it last night because I have been feeling really good but even a little soreness in my hamstring was enough for me to call it off. The remainder of the run was done at about 7:15 pace for 10 miles in 71 minutes. All in all a good run. My leg stiffened some in the evening but feels pretty good this morning and I think I made the right call.

It not the Heat it's the Hu... Shut the Hell Up!

A ridiculously humid 5 miles with Heather on Forbidden Drive. There was an argument over which day was more humid, Monday or Tuesday, but it really didn't matter they both sucked.

We finished in 43 minutes so the pace was very easy but I was still a sweaty mess by the end of the run. Dripping shorts and soggy shoes are par for the course after summer runs. However, the weather forecast looks promising over the next week or so, it'll be warm but it looks like the humidity won't be around. I'll believe it when I see it.

I missed a run on Friday, the world cup in the morning along with a errands and a movie in the afternoon left me totally unmotivated so I decided to skip it.

Saturday morning I was able to get out of bed, put on my shoes, and go for a long run. Someyhing I haven't ever done before. I didn't think I was able to forgoe coffee and a few pieces of toast before 15 miles but Saturday changed my mind. A trip up the bloody nipple and led to some trail running in the Farimount and then West River Drive.

I met up with the running group at 9:30 with 72 minutes and over 9 miles under my belt. There were a few faces I knew and I few I didn't. Altogther not a good crowd on a hot sunny Saturday morning but I fell into a easy pace with a couple guys, Jeff and Rob, that I hadn't met before.

Talk was light as we went back up West River and I parted ways after crossing the Falls Bridge. Anotehr mile back to my house and I finished 14.5 in 1hr 54 if memory serves me right. A decent run. If felt good at the finish and the rest of teh day felt great.

Sunday night was 7.5 miles with Heather in an hour flat. Luckily we waited till after that nasty thunderstorm blew through and the temperatures had gone down a couple notches. A loop through Roxborough and Manayunk that include a few decent hills. My legs were a little tired but nothing was really sore.

Monday was hot and steamy. I have been doing a lot of work around the house all weekend and I waited till I completed painting my living room and dining room ceilings before heading out at 6:30. It was HOT. Not blistering hot like at noon but that sticky hot that occurs after the temps go down a bit and the humidity goes up. I slugged tons of water on a 10 mile out and back route along forbidden drive. The first 6-7 miles felt great at around 7:00 pace although I was trying to go slower. The heat took it's toll and slowed me down for the last few miles. All of a sudden I was running 8 minute miles and I felt liek I hadn't slowed down. Probably for the best.

First week of training down, 54 miles, mostly at an easy pace with a few marathon pace miles. I was planning 50-55 miles so ths was perfect. My biggest mileage week ever and things feel good, a little tight but nothing is really hurting.