Beer = Great Run

Apparently recovery and rest have nothing to do with having a good run, the key is drinking three beers and eating two slices of pizza.

Despite having the day off on Friday I decided on a rest day anticipating a longish run Saturday morning. Saturday I joined the group for a trip around the drives and from the moment I got out of bed I felt like it wasn't going to be a good run. I was tight and a little achy, my energy level just wasn't there.

it wasn't extremely hot but it was humid and the sun was in full force. I started off with Craig and Jim and we kept an easy pace up MLK. Jim dropped off at Falls Bridge and Craig and I continued on the return trip down Kelly Drive. Things heated up and sections in full sun really became uncomfortable. We finished up the loop in somewhere around 1:04 and after relaxing for a few minutes I tacked on a mile and half before getting back to the car. I was planning on 14 miles but I justs didn't have it in me. I didn't sweat it. 10 miles in 1:17.

Saturday night I had more than a few beers at some guys 50th birthday party and hit the sack around 1:00. Got up Sunday morning to check out the Commerce Bank "Liberty Classic" Bike race. The riders did 10 laps through Manayunk and I covered most of the route on foot including a few trips up and down "the wall". I drank a few more beers and stuffed my face with some pizza.

I talked myself into running a few miles late in the afternoon, I really wanted to get over 50 miles for the week. I started off on the trails in the Wissahickon and immediately I was feeling good. I kept a quick tempo up and down the hills, working up to a full sweat on a somewhat cool afternoon. In my mind a 5-6 mile run was turning into a 9-10 mile run.

I followed the trails to Valley Green, took a sip from the finally functioning water fountain and then went a little further up the park to "Buck Hill'. A horrible trail the starts just past the Valley Green restaurant and goes straight up for about 1047 feet, give or take 700 feet. At the top I started heading back home and after 1/2 mile dropped down onto Forbidden Drive.

I was still feeling fresh and fast so I just went with it. The first mile on Forbidden went by in 6:02, I know this mile is short so I'll call it a 6:10, much faster than it felt like the effort justified. I had one more measured mile go so I increased the pace and hit a 5:52. This time the effort felt appropriate for the result but I was happy. The remaining 1.5 miles I took at an easier pace and wrapped up the run on the 100 step flight of stairs near my house. About 9.5 miles in 70 minutes.

52.2 miles for the week. My longest week when not officially in marathon training.

Marathon Thoughts

I got down to the Thursday night run for the first time in long while yesterday evening. The plan was to run the singletrack in Fairmount Park and I was looking forward to it all day at work. Ian, Lee, and Chem Steve were at the Art Museum when arrived at 6:30. Sadly, Chem Steve was not there to run but to just say hi so that left three of us.

We took off for the park and after about 25 minutes we were on the tight, twisty, up and down single track that is all over the park. I think most of these trails were carved out by mountain bikers but they are great for running as well. It really breaks up the monotony of the roads but the trails are gentle enough that it doesn't kill you. They also aren't covered by large rocks that threaten to twist your ankle.

We spent about 25-30 minutes trying to get lost on the heavily wooded trails. When a run here is going well I feel like I could stay on these trails for about 4 hours, and last night was one of those nights. We eventually did have to head back to the Art Museum and finished up somewhere between 9-10 miles in 72 minutes.

During the run we discussed the NYC marathon and who was racing. I find out June 12th if I made it in by lottery and every day I am hoping a little more that I do make it. Heather has also thrown her hat into the lottery, for the second year in a row, and even if I don't make it I hope she does. It will give me a great reason to go to NYC for that weekend to see the spectacle and cheer on all my friends that are running. I am also very interested to see how Heather approaches marathon running.

I mentioned to Heather last night that Ian and Seebo were planning a 100 mile week in prep for a fall marathon and she goes "I've done that a few times" At first I thought she was joking but she was adamant about it. She said she did doubles all the time when she was training for marathons in the past and she is sure she must have gone over 100 miles a couple times. If she does get into NYC it'll be interesting to see how she trains.

If I don't get into NYC I think my fall back is going to again be Philly. I don't think I am going to have much time for travel to a distant city in the fall and I want to redeem myself for two poor performances in Philly in past attempts I pulled out Pete Pfitzinger's "Advanced Marathoning" this morning and was perusing he training programs. I am looking at the 70 miles per week, 18 week schedule.

My training this winter and spring has set me up nicely for the distance covered in the program and following it will hopefully keep me on course for my track and tempo runs. I like that it doesn't contain a lot of track work. Mostly long intervals as you get closer to race day and a lot of workouts with 100 meter strides. It also follows a very up and down distance approach with 13- 20 mile days in most cases followed by 5 mile recovery days and Mondays are off or cross training, a perfect day to go to the pool. I may add a few miles here and there and convert some of the harder runs into hill workouts. On paper I should be in top condition by race day, I just have to turn that into reality.

The weather was perfect for a run yesterday evening, low 70's, sunny, and a light breeze. I ran over to meet Raymond for a trip to the top of Forbidden Drive and back. The park was loaded runners, walker, and bikers. Our pace at the start was a little over 8:00 and increased as we progressed.

After a couple short easy days my legs felt great. My stride seems to have gotten a little better lately, tighter, smoother with less wasted energy. It may all be in my head but it seems like an improvement.

We ran about 8 miles togther and then Raymond turned off to head home and I picked it up for the last couple miles. I ran somewhere around 6:00 pace for a mile, felt good and then eased back to 7:00 pace to wrap things up. 12.5 miles in 95 minutes.

I work with a guy who was running during the late 70's and early 80's. We sometimes get into conversations about the sport. He pulled me into his office today to show me a tray he received for completing the 1978 NYC Marathon, his first. It had been stuffed in his attic and he happened upon it a couple weeks ago. A small, dark blue, tin tray with the marathon route traced in red against an outline of NYC in white. From what I know the route looks very close to what it is today. It is in almost perfect conditon.

He also mentioned that he got Doc Sheehan to speak at his last job to a packed auditorium. Apparently he knew Doc through a friend. Interesting stuff.

I should find out about my own NYC marathon sometime this month. I am waiting to see if I got into the race through the lottery. I have my fingers crossed.

Now on to my boring running. Two runs that were nearly identical.

Monday night, 6 miles with Heather on Forbidden Drive. My legs felt heavy and I was content to let Heather dictate an easy pace. I almost asked her to slow down a couple. I didn't feel horrible, my legs just weren't turning over to quickly. 6 miles in 48 minutes

This morning I went out for 5 miles on Forbidden Drive. My legs were asleep for the for the first mile or so but once I got warmed up the pace dropped down to the 7:30's. 5 miles in 39 minutes.

After a few to many beers on Saturday night I wasn't feeling a run Sunday morning. Instead of a run, I ran some errands and waited for my head to clear. Unfortunately this meant I would be running in the rain.

I didn't have a mileage goal in mind mind when I hit Forbidden Drive, was just going to take what my body felt like doing. The rain started out light, I actually don't mind running in the rain when it was warm out side, it defintiely beats 85 and humid. As the run progressed the rain incereased to a full downpour that waned at times but never really let up.

I felt better than expected and decided to run 11 miles and crossed the creek to head back on some trails when I got to the covered bridge. The trails are great in a downpour. Muddy puddles, rain laden tree branches at every turn, swollen streams and a constant worry that I am going to slip on the slick rocks. I was enjoying every minute of it.

I eventually made my way back onto Forbidden Drive for the final 4 miles home. On the way I passed at least a dozen frogs that were brought out by the heavy rain. 11 miles in 1hr 26min.

For the week, 47 miles running and 15 miles on my bike.

Arthritis 5K

Before the race report I want to log in my run from Friday evening.

I skipped my run Thursday night because I wasn't feeling well and woke up Friday feeling much better, not 100% but not really sick. Friday night I ran easy to Valley Green on Forbidden drive and finally felt like I had recovered from that trail run on Monday. I won't be doing that again anytime soon, it really put me on my ass. 8 miles in 58 minutes.

This morning I got up early and drove to Collegeville, a small town about 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The company I work for has a huge arthritis drug on the market and, this being a run for arthritis, sponsored any employee who wanted to run.

It was humid, the weather billboard on the way up read 72 degrees and 95% humidity. I got to the race 1/2 hour before the start and warmed up for about a mile, that was plenty as I was dripping with sweat after only that short distance. I had heard that this race didn't bring out to much competition and that sub 6:00 could win it. It is a somewhat hilly course but I went in thinking I had a shot.

About 200 people lined up and off we went. There really wasn't any rabbits in the first mile and after a few quick turns early on I found myself in 4th place. There were to quick looking guys about 20 meters ahead, then a co-worker, Lee, who I train with on occasion, then me. The first mile was slightly downhill and at Lee's urging I tucked in behind him and quickly got into a groove, feeling good. The first mile went by in 5:38 but the downhill helped me out and the pace seemed just right.

I moved into third and I could see the guy in second slowing somewhat, I passed him on an uphill and then he passed me, back and forth a little until I was able to pull away for good before the second mile mark. The course was rolling up and down some hills nothing to steep but on a 5K they can really make you work.

First place was well out of reach, and I concentrated on holding 2nd as I went by mile 2 in 6:01. I was beginning to feel the heat and the hills. The remainder of the race I tried to push as hard as possible all the while keeping an eye on the guy behind me. With about 1/4 mile to go I knew I had second place, barring a catastrophe, and crossed the line in 18:32 Nowhere near a PR but I felt like it was a decent time for a challenging course on a hot morning. Just squeeked under 6:00 pace.

I was happy to finish second even though it wasn't my fastest time and was rewarded with a crisp $50 dollar bill. My first time making any money in a race. Not something that is going to happen often but damn it was nice to walk away with a real prize.

Many people in my company also placed well in the age groups and we easily beat another large pharma company that was a big sponsor. Overall, a very good morning and a nice way to start the weekend.

Another easy Wednesday run with Raymond. Memories from Monday's run came to the surface during the first couple miles, my legs were sore. The first couple slow miles loosened things up and I felt good. The pace started at 7:45 and gradually closed in on 7:15 near the finish.

I was going to run to the start and home to add 3 miles but I felt a little tickle in my throat this morning that has been getting progressively worse as the day goes on. I decided to skip the additonal miles. 8.5 miles in 65 minutes.

I am not ready to say I am sick as of yet, sometimes these things will pass. I am sure I'll know by tomorrow morning.

Happy Trails

I didn't run yesterday and due to a hectic work schedule and other obligations I won't be running tomorrow so I made sure today counted. The goal was to kick my ass up and down the trails of Wissahickon Park. I set out on a torturous route that combined the hilliest trails I could think of to get me from my house, through the park to Bells Mill Road and back. Temps were in the upper 70's and humid and for first time this year I set out with a full bottle of water to keep me company.

I have been running through this park for about 5 years and although I don't know all of the trails I definitely know a majority of them and it was fun to link up different routes to make one long run. At points where there was a choice between the low road and the high road I opted for the high, hillier route. I kept the pace moderately easy knowing that this run was going to be more of a marathon than a sprint and I didn't want to blow it to early.

I felt good from the start and was enjoying the rocky, roller coaster like trails that dominate the sides of the valley. I was soaked with sweat and by the time I reached the Valley Green restaurant where I refilled my bottle and kept going. The northwest portion of the park is more rugged with steeper longer hills but I really was enjoying the challenge.

When I run Forbidden Drive to Bells Mill it normally takes me about 45 minutes to cover the 6 miles. On the trails it took 72 minutes due to the hills and the additional distance due to the winding trail. This run was going to be longer than I imagined when I left the house.

I crossed the creek and I started heading back, again opting for the hills when I had the chance. I was really tiring by this point and slowed things down. Whew, my ass was kicked by the time I got back to Valley Green. There was a small wedding in progress and I stopped for a breather and to watch a little. In my opinion it is a beautiful spot to get married.

Even if I kept up a good pace on Forbidden Drive from here to home I knew the run was going to go over 2 hours so I decided to avoid the trails for the last portion of the run. Surprisingly I ran strong the last few miles and got home in 2 hours and 2 minutes. My longest run by the clock since Boston, and probably my longest by distance as well but it's hard to gauge on these runs. I made a rough estimate using google maps of the route but I can't really capture all the turns. I'll just call it 15+. The furthest trail run I have done.

Catching Up

My routine is to post to this blog sitting at my desk with a cup of coffee in the morning but work has been way to busy to allow that this week. So it is time for a week of catch. I needed to look back at my training log to remember what I did.

Monday- Off

Tuesday

I went out to the group run. I remember running with Ian and Jim among a few others. The pace was moderate on the way out and picked up a little on the return. The temps were warm and I was sweating profusely by the time we finished. I still had to run the 5 miles back to my house and I wasn't looking forward to it. I stalled by chatting after the run and I was afraid that things would have tightened up in the 15 minutes I spent talking.

I shouldn't have worried, I felt great on the way back and had to hold back my pace. I was pleasantly surprised to see the miles going by at just over 7:00 pace and it felt easy. The last half mile I let it fly. I was having a hard time judging how fast I was running and then thought "Does this feel faster or slower than Broad Street?" it felt a little faster so I guess it was around 5:45 pace. 10 miles in 70 minutes

Wednesday

A run with Raymond. This is becoming a routine and I welcome it. Raymond and I chat mostly about running related items and keep an easy pace through the park. a little over 8.5 miles in 87 minutes.

Thursday

I was going to go to the Wanderers trail race again but I just had to much stuff to do at home and decided on a quick run from my house. Since I missed the race I just ran hard on a trail loop. I definitely didn't hit race pace but kept it more in the tempoish range, which really wasn't that fast with all the hills. 5.7 miles in 40 minutes.

Friday - off

Saturday.

Took an early morning trip to my folks house in Egg Harbor to beat the Memorial Day traffic. After a quick stop at their house I drove to the local bike trail about 1.5 miles away. It is a straight and flat rail to trail route that cuts right through a few towns near the back bays outside of Margate. It is lined with well manicured homes, ball fields, and schools.

I got running at 8:30 and it was already warm. It was summer warm, the humidity was up and the sun was quickly getting into position right over my head. I'm not really used to these temps and I am definitely not looking forward to it this summer. Although I was feeling hot, I kept thinking how these temps would feel like relief by the middle of July. Ugh.

The first hour or so I felt fine, keeping things around 7:20 pace. I stopped at my car after a 1/2 hour for a long pull on some cold water and set off again. This was the longer portion of the path and when I reached the turn around point 30 minutes later I was really feeling the temps. I slowed things down and even took a few walking breaks on the rare shady portions of the path. My search for a water fountain at each school and playground had turned up negative and I was cursing the townships for not putting any fountains in.

I saw a very fit runner heading the other way and asked him to point me towards a water fountain. Luckily, there was one just a 1/4" mile up the path tucked behind a building. I felt better after a break there and finished up the run. 12.4 miles in 1hr 36 minutes.

Sunday - off. I spent it on my Fathers boat fishing for flounder, listening to the Phillies game, drinking a few beers and catching a lot of sun. A great way to spend Memorial Day weekend. The Phillies won and we caught 7 flounder, 2 keepers.

37 miles for the week in 4 four runs.

Easy Weekend

I took off Friday.

Saturday afternoon I went out Forbidden Drive to Valley Green. Things didn't feel great for the first few miles but after that I felt great. I wasn't splitting any miles but on the way back it felt like the pace dropped down to around 7:00. Overall it was an easy run that finished much better than it started, always a good thing.

On Sunday I did almost the same exact run with a few miles tacked on, out to the covered bridge before turning around. I ran with Heather who is finally done with school and is trying to push the miles to gain a little speed and endurance. Her extra effort as of late extra effort definitely showed and our pace stayed in the a consistent 7:45 tp 8:00 range for the entire run.

I also felt better at the end of this run than I did at the beginning. It's funny how 10.5 easy miles can actually make your legs feel energized and relaxed.

44 miles running and 15 on bike last week.

Wissahickon Trail Race

My plan for running was again disrupted by work on Wednesday night. It is not exactly the work hours that are killing but that damn commute from Malvern. I get out of my training class at 4:40 but don’t get home until 6:00 or a little later. Luckily, I don’t work out there any longer and the commute is only temporary for this class.

Anyway, it was raining when I got home, I waited for that to pass and then headed out the door with 45 minutes of running in mind but no real route. I wandered around Manayunk and Roxborugh on some familiar streets and some streets that I have never been on. I worked in a couple long hills but took them easy. 6.5 miles in 48 minutes.

The Wissahickon Wanderers running club holds trail races on Thursday’s in May and I had forgotten all about it until my own trail run this week. I saw the telltale signs of lime green arrows and bunches of flour to mark the route that changes every week. I ran a few of these races in September; they are challenging and easy-going at the same time. They are also followed by beer and food, so I joined the Wanderers Thursday night.

I ran four easy miles from house up Forbidden Drive to the race start at Valley Green Restaurant Based on the races last year I thought I had shot at winning as long as a couple people did not show up. Specifically, Stevus and another guy from their club whose name escapes me. When I got to Valley Green there wasn’t a soul from the club and I at first thought they weren’t holding the race, but many quickly arrived and it was on. The fast guy from last year also arrived and although I didn’t really know his fitness from the year before but he didn’t look any slower.

A 3.5 mile route that they tried to explain to me but mostly went in one ear and out the other as it quickly turned on to trails that I wasn’t familiar with. At sign up I was wondering why they wanted a 5K time with my name this year and found out at the start. It was going to be a wave start with slowest first and the fastest last. They started the first group and several more groups before my group of three started last, 14 mintues later. It was about 30 runners in all.

We took off and within 100 feet we were on a long hill. I was quickly huffing and puffing and wishing that there hadn’t been such a long cool down period between my run to Valley Green and the race start, things had definitely tightened up. Fast guy, Matt, and I pulled away from the third runner Chris on the first hill but ½ mile later we missed a poorly marked turn. With some yelling and screaming Chris let us know our mistake and we turned things around, only losing about 1 minute in the process.

Chris was, of course, ahead of us now and Matt passed me on a long hill. My hill workouts have been lacking as of late and it showed. I was forced to walk a little on a steep section. Matt continued to pull ahead and out of sight, Chris stayed within sight and made for a good rabbit for me to catch as the race progressed. We hit many trails that I was unfamiliar with and would have made Ron Horn proud, I was forced to use my hands to scale some especially steep and rocky sections.

The entire way I was slowly reeling in Chris and due to the wave start, we began to pass some of the runners that had started ahead of us. I eventually was able to get head of Chris and now was just trying to hold on to my lead. On the final downhill, I could hear his footsteps coming behind me and gave it all I had, nearly losing control on the steep and rocky path, but I was able to maintain the lead.

I crossed the line in 31 minutes in what I eventually found out was 3rd place. For my efforts, I was awarded a gigantic jug of lime Gatorade. Afterwards I enjoyed some beers and food with Heather, who met me at the finish with some dry clothes, and the rest of the wanderers club. I am already looking forward to next weeks race.

For the day 7.5 miles in 1 hour.

I ran the trails in the Wissahickon on Monday night for about 5.5 miles in 42 minutes. Pushed a little harder than I was planning because I was feeling good.


Tuesday morning I got up early and met my friend Lee for 5 miles on Forbidden Drive. This morning running thing seems to get easier every time. Knowing someone is going to be waiting for if I don't get up in time is also a huge help.

I planned on running a double with the group but I ended up not getting home from work until nearly 6:30. I didn't really feel like running so instead I jumped on my bike and rode to the top of Wissahickon Park. I exited at the top and then rode up that gigantic hill on Germantown Avenue. It is quicker on the bike but no less painful, especially with my limited mileage on the bike. I pushed fairly hard the entire way to make it a good workout. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 miles in 50 minutes

I expected to come out of the Boston Marathon burnt out on training. It was my second marathon in 6 months and I wasn't to gung-ho about training for it. I thought these feelings would just be doubled for a marathon this fall and decided to forgo another marathon this year.

In reality, I took a few easy weeks after Boston, ran Broad Street and now I am excited about training again. The thought of endless miles over the summer doesn't seem to bad at this point. Maybe it is a drive to get under 3 hours, maybe it is the improvement I see in friends and wanting to improve my times as well, maybe it's because I really do enjoy lacing up my shoes and getting out there a majority of the time, maybe it's because I have gotten myself this far into it and to turn back now is losing ground. I think the biggest single factor is the possibilities. What can I really do if I commit even more time and energy to already consuming endeavor.

The truth is I am often in a battle with myself over running. I feel that I just do it to much and it sucks up a lot of my time for other things. Family, friends, other sports, sitting on my ass, and Friday nights just to name a few. This has to be balanced with the positives; the great friends and people I have me through running, fitness, the sense of accomplishment you get when you cross the finish line with a PR, just getting outside almost everyday.

So with all this on my mind I think one more summer of heavy training (heavy for me at least) is most likely in the cards.

I mulled all of this over on a 13 miler through the Wissahickon on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The first 4 miles on Forbidden Drive with Heather to Valley Green where she turned around headed back and then I continued to the top of the park. The water fountain has still not been turned on but I found that the sink in the bathrooms just up the path makes a great alternative.

On the way back I jumped on the trails for a few miles and then back to the main path to finish up in 1:39. My legs felt great and I am beginning to get used to the heat that is has been slowly building this spring.

Sunday I joined a couple friends at the Race for the Cure, a huge 5K in Philadelphia for breast cancer.(the run for boobies) I think they said 1 trillion people attended and we walked a majority of the first half of this 5K. The rest of the way was very easy running as we dodged the crowds. I crossed the finish line in 46 minutes. Nearly a PR. It was nice to be out there for a good cause and pig out on the snacks that Wawa provided afer we finished.


45 miles for the week. A couple more than I was shooting for.

Joined up with a few Philly runners, Ian, Steve K, and Goat for 9 humid miles through Fairmount Park last night. It was warm enough to soak my shirt with sweat by the time we finished but not so warm that it ruined the run.

Things started off at a relaxed pace as we made our way around Memorial Hall and then down the Belmont Plateau onto the fire roads that cut through the park. We were outnumbered by mountain bikers that were constantly popping in and out of the woods on the singletrack trails. We eventually made it to the Strawberry Mansion bridge into East Fairmount Park where the pace picked up to a point that was right on the edge of easy. Returned to the Art Museum for a conservative 9 miles in 69 minutes.

This morning I got up to meet my friend from work, Lee, for a few easy morning miles. He was on my front porch when I stepped out the door and I think I was off and running about 8 minutes after I got out of bed. I am beginning to get into the groove of morning running and starting to enjoy it. Of course this is the easiest time of year to run early with the sun up and the temps cool but you have to start somewhere.

Runners tend to be a lot more friendly in the early morning and the few that we passed on Forbidden Drive all said hello. I saw Veena, a very quick runner who I am fairly sure runs 7-8 hours per day based on how often and where I see her. A little over 5 miles in 42 minutes.

For the second week in a row I met Raymond at the entrance to Wissahickon park for 8.5 miles on Forbidden Drive. This time I ran to and from the entrance which added on about 2.5 miles.

The weather was quite warm, about as warm as it has been so far this year, and I had a good sweat worked up in the 10 minutes it took me to run over there. However, once we got into the park the shade really cooled things off and it was a nice comfortable run. Both Raymond and I had memories of Broad street in our heads and in our legs. We discussed the race and kept the pace easy, right around 8:00.

Due to Raymond's very analytical approach to running and my somewhat analytical approach to running we often talk about training plans and what has or hasn't worked for us in training. Raymond has a goal of a low 2:50's marathon in the fall and was discussing his training plan to reach that goal. The conversation really got me thinking about my own marathon plans for the fall. Why shouldn't I be shooting for the same times that he is? My shorter races definitely indicate that it is within the realm of possibilty. Instead of "just" trying for sub 3:00 why not shoot for a 2:53.

It's a decision I am going to need to make fairly soon. If I want this to work I need to lay some groundwork for more intense traning in the late summer and fall by logging a bunch of easy miles now. If yesterday was any indication those easy miles shouldn't be to much a of a problem.

A little over 11 miles in 90 minutes. My legs feel much better today.

My legs were quite sore from the race on Sunday and I decided to take Monday off. I tend to be conservatice when it comes to aches and pains and avoid running if I am am even a little suspicious of injury. Tuesday I was on the fence but Heather was going out for an easy 6 on forbidden drive so I joined her.

Things felt OK once I was moving and I think a few easy miles helped loosen things up. We streteched at the turn around and headed back at a somewhat brisker pace but still well within easy range. A little under 6 miles in 48 minutes.

Broad Street Run

Another year and another Broad Street Run. I have been improving on my times consistently each year. The first, a 1:14 in 2000, to a 61 minute race in 2006. The goal this year was to break 60.

For the first time, I got to the start area with more than 5 minutes to spare and warmed up with Seebo, Steve K, and Ian. It was a windy day but luckily it was blowing the same direction we were headed. Just before the race started I was able to work my way into the seeded area up front and I took off with Steve K at the gun.

The idea was to to run slightly under 6:00 pace for the first 5 miles and then see what happened from there. Steve and I started off well with a 5:55 and I quickly settled into the pace. Running a 10 mile race is never really comfortable and by mile 3 I was feeling it, not struggling but not on autopilot.

The miles went by quickly and before I knew it we were through 5 in about 29:33. Steve and I had built a 27 sec lead on that 60 minute goal. Again, as it was in 2005 & 2006, the second half of the race was more about hanging on to the pace then getting any further ahead. I usually fall off miles 6 through 8 and I was determined not to let that happen this year. I accidentally erased the splits on my watch but I didn't fall off badly during this section. The splits were coming in at, or just slightly slower than 6:00 and I was working for every one of them.

Steve was running a little under his ability and it seemed that he really wanted to push it, but he graciously kept pace with me and helped to pull me through the last few miles. This isn't the first time that someone from Philly Runners has helped me in a large race and it is always greatly appreciated. So with Steve keeping the tempo up we cruised through mile 9 in 6:00 flat. At this point, barring a catastrophe, I knew we were going to go under 60, so I just tried to push to the finish.

We crossed the line at 59:41. SWEEEEET! Sub 60 in this this race is a big milestone for me, close to a 3:00 marathon, and I am just totally amped that I was able to pull it off. After the race I ran into Ian who also had a big PR but missed most of the other Philly Runners. Congrats to all that ran.

I ran over to the Green Lane entrance of the Wissahickon Park to meet Raymond for an 8 mile run last night. We planned an easy run from the entrance up to the top of the park. The weather was great and we have been promised more of the same straight through the weekend.

We started at a slow and comfortable pace and I was really enjoying the run from the first step. Having not run with Raymond much we had plenty to talk about besides running and the conversation was flowing the entire way. Things slowly picked up along the route but I don't think we got much below 7:30 pace at any point.

8.5 miles in 65 minutes.

I ran with a runner last night I only know as Marita's Uncle during the Tuesday Night group run. I never caught his name but I have heard of his running past from his niece Marita. He has won the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon on a couple occasions and I was eager to chat with him about running.

The pace was generally in the 6:50 to 7:05 range and it felt very comfortable. I found out that Marita's Uncle once ran a 2:21 marathon in an attempt to qualify for the 1980 Olympic trials in Buffalo. That Buffalo race was the deepest field ever for a marathon trials and I was wishing he had qualified as well just so I could get a few stories from the race. I think the qualifying standard was 2:20 in those days. It's funny how the standards have gotten a little lax over the years. 2:20 is still the "A" standard but "B" standard is 2:22. To bad they didn't have that in 1980.

As with most runner's he was very modest and kind of held back about his past accomplishments. Perhaps it isn't modesty and just the fact that those days are past and why dwell on them, he's a great runner today as well.

5 miles in a little under 35:00 minutes. It was the first time since Boston that I really felt back back to normal and the effort I was putting into it was giving me the pace I expected. It was a good run.

Friday was a planned day off.

Saturday morning I joined the Philly Runners group run for a trip around "The Loop". Easy miles until the Falls Bridge turn around. Raymond and I then picked it up to 7:00 pace for a couple. Raymond commented how this pace was just junk mileage for him, to fast to be easy and to slow to be an interval or tempo pace workout. He was right. We either had to speed it up or slow it down so we did the former. The last couple went by in 6:40 and 6:25. It felt good. 10.5 miles in about 80 minutes.

Sunday I hit the trails in the Wissahickon. I stayed away from the very hilly portions and headed for the flat technical section across from Forbidden Drive. I tried to keep the pace relaxed and easy but it can be difficult for me on the trails. I was hot and sweaty by the time I turned around at Valley Green and looking forward to the water fountain... that was not turned on yet.

What the hell? This has irked me for years about the Fairmount Park system. How hard is it to turn a valve and get the water fountain running? The water fountains seem to sporadically get turned on across the Fairmount Park system. Give me a truck and a wrench and I'd easily have all the water fountains turned on in a single day. Instead we have to play a guessing/hoping game for functioning water fountains. By April 29th I think the chance of freezing and bursting pipes is pretty negligible.

Enough ranting. Finished up the run on Forbidden drive. A little over 8 miles in 65 minutes.

For the week.

34.4 miles running and 17 miles biking.

Sub 14:00 5K

Last night Heather and I headed over to Franklin Field to check out a few events at the Penn Relays. We saw several steeplechase events, a women's 3000 and then the 5000 meter championship for college men and women. The highlight of the evening was definitely the mens 5000 meter championship.

Two runners peeled away from the lead pack in the last couple laps. The leader in the final lap was passed going into the last turn. It looked like the race was over and the guy who got passed was going lose. Suddenly, with about 60 meters to go, the runner who had been passed had an explosion of speed. A surprised and cheering crowd saw him blow by his competitor to edge him out for the win in just under 14 minutes. Wow. A truly inspiring performance. Watching events like that just make you want to run more to improve your own performances.

As for my running... I have only 6 miles on Thursday morning to report. An easy out and back along Kelly Drive. Things started off at 8:00 pace and slowly increased to about 7:20 by the time I finished. I passed Veena, Chris, and Craig on his bike while on Kelly Drive.

The morning running is nice, it's almost like I sneak in a workout. I have my evenings open for whatever I want, including another workout. I tried to get out the door this morning as well, but the sound of thunder when I woke up made for an easy decsion to roll over and go back to bed.

Marathon Pace

Drove down to the Tuesday night run with Heather on a beautiful spring evening. I started off more quickly than I would have liked and the first mile went by in 6:45. I fell into step with Stevus and a couple other guys and we kept this pace up through the turn around. I was pushing to hold the speed and it seemed really fast. It suddenly dawned on me that it was almost exactly marathon pace (for the first 18 miles of the marathon at least) and damn if it didn't feel about twice as hard as it did in Boston.

I kept it up for about 1/4 mile more and thought "Why the hell am I doing this to myself?" Dropped the pace into the 7:15 range and took it easier the rest of the way to the Art Museum. For some reason Boston seems a lot further back than 9 days but my legs definitely remember it.

I want to run well at Broad Street on May 6th, but I think taking it easy would be much more of a benefit that pushing myself right now. It feels like I have no chance in hell of breaking my 61 minute time from last year. In my head I know I have gained a lot of fitness in the past year and I should be able to break my time but I just can't wrap my head around 6:00 minute pace or better for 10 miles. A couple guys who ran Boston in 2006 had big PR's at Broad Street and I am hoping for the same despite how far fetched that pace seems at the moment.

Monday Morning

I got my ass out of bed to run by myself this morning! To the morning runners out there this doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment but for me it is big.

I had reset the alarm to 6:25 and planned another 35 minutes of sleep but as I tried to fall back asleep I was yelling at myself to get out of bed. It actually worked and I threw on my clothes and got out the door. Once out there the beautiful morning made me very happy with my decision. 4.5 miles in 33 minutes. Felt good.

I rode my bike down to the Art Museum to watch the 5K for Clean Air that Both Ian and Seebo happened to be running. Seebo was chasing a so far elusive sub 16:00 5K and Ian was testing out what seemed to be a new pair of bionic legs.

I missed them at the start but saw them finish, both solidly under the 16:00 minute mark. Watching friends run a good race is almost as good as running one yourself. This especially holds true when you know how much work went into hitting those goals.

As for me, I ran 4.5 miles Friday morning with Lee, a guy I work with. Lee is traning for an Ironman in September and I don't really think he knows what he is in for. I guess I don't know what he is in for either but I sure as hell wouldn't want to run a marathon after a 2.4 miles swim and 120 on the bike.

Hopefully this will turn into a twice weekly morning meeting. It's is tough for me to get out of the bed to run in the morning and this might be just what I need to get into morning mode. My legs felt tight but okay and teh run really seemed to loosen them up for the rest of the day.

Boston

The dreary weather outside the train window was forecasted to get even drearier but that couldn’t put a damper on my excitement to finally be on my way to this race. Boston has been a goal of mine since finishing the Baltimore Marathon in 2004 and now after many miles, many new running friends, and many high’s and low’s, I was on my way. Fuck the weather.

I was rooming with English Mike and we were headed there together, we got to our room, went to the expo and got our race packet, got a big plate of pasta and got to bed. The wind was howling outside and the rain was pounded against the window but the local forecast called for clearing conditions just before race time. I think Mike and I both went to bed with out fingers crossed.

In the morning we made our way down to Copley Square and lined up for the bus. It was pouring rain and quite windy but our spirits were still high as we chatted with a few other people in line. As promised the ride out to Hopkinton seemed like forever and I think it was compounded by the fact that you could not see out the fogged up windows.

After about an hour I was itching to get off the bus, we unloaded onto a mud covered field. The rain had let up a little but the mud was everywhere, unavoidable, especially when you really didn’t know where the hell you were going. Luckily we had planned ahead and I had my dry running shoes and a fresh pair of socks to throw on before I handed over my bag and headed to the start.

The rain had been sporadic and light since getting off the bus but it started coming down heavy as I headed to my corral. I got into the corral with a few minutes to spare and miraculously the rain stopped just before the start. I didn’t know it at the time, but it would only return for a couple brief periods during the race.

Actually, during the race the weather didn’t seem like a huge factor. The wind was virtually nonexistent for the first 5 miles and then popped up hear and there often at especially bad times such as a big hill but overall I didn’t think about it much. It was 48 and overcast, great racing conditions. It obviously had an effect when you look at the male and female winning times, the slowest for the males since 1977, but for me it was hard to notice a big difference during the race. So I am going to shut up about it.

I promised myself to hold back in the first couple miles but it was hard to gauge on the steep downhill. First mile went by in about 7:20 and the second was just over 6:40. I was feeling great, finding my groove early and was plugging away. It was mostly downhill for the first several miles with some uphill mixed in. The course passed by a lot of single homes with families out there cheering us on. It was nice.

Surprisingly I saw Devon at about mile 4, said a quick hi and tried to ignore a cramp that had popped up in my stomach. A ½ mile later the cramp was gone as quickly as it had come and I was just trying to take it all in. The miles were going by quickly and they were all at, or just below my goal pace of 6:48. Before I knew it mile 10 passed, I was on pace and was feeling OK. Not terrific but definitely not bad. My breathing was smooth and I didn’t feel like I was pushing to hard.

I was concentrating on splits as we went by mile 12 and I had forgotten all about Wellesley College. The wind was blowing from that direction and on the wind I suddenly picked up the sound of a 1000 screaming girls. “My God! People aren’t exaggerating; you really can hear them a ½ mile away.” Like a distant roar that grew louder with each step. Despite the build up from past runner about this part of the course I was still floored.

I couldn’t help but join in the excitement as I ran by. I was giving out high fives like they were going out of style, cupping my hand to my ear and getting bowled over by the increase in screams. It was more than I thought it would be and the perfect pick up as you head up a hill and into the second half of the race. It's also the reason mile 13 went by in 6:37 despite a hill.

This was where the marathon really started and I was just counting up the miles we approached Newton. Mile 14-16 were fairly uneventful, generally downhill and I just tried to keep an even pace and save some energy for what I knew was ahead. The first real hill was in mile 17, up and over Interstate 95.

I was feeling decent and I tried to slowly pass people as we went up the hill, not flying just making sure I wasn’t falling off the pace. Mile 17 went by in 7:05. I was happy with that. This was followed by more downhill and then a hard turn at the fire house and on to the Newton Hills.

At mile 18 in a marathon you are never feeling terrific but I knew I felt decent enough and was confident I’d able to get over these hills without losing to much. Thinking back about these hills I can’t really remember everything exactly. I was getting a little hazy as can sometimes happen later in the marathon. I can remember repeatedly thinking “This ain’t over until you pass that mile 21 marker, keep on it” Mile 18 – 7:05, mile 19 - 6:55, mile 20 – 7:11 and mile 21- 7:20. I didn’t want the miles to go below 7:15 but I wasn’t going to worry about 5 seconds. The hills were about as hard as I thought they would be after balancing all the hype you hear about them against the experiences of people who actually have run them.

So now I have 5.2 miles to go and 35:53 left before the 3 hour mark passes. I wasn’t feeling to hot at this point but I knew if I kept the pace sub 7:00 I was going to break 3 hours. Before the race I had imagined this exact situation and thought if I could get myself to this point I would be able to hold until the finish. What you imagine isn’t always what comes true.

My body was revolting, it wasn’t a sudden thing but slowly building with every mile. I was pushing and pushing just praying that the splits wouldn’t start to tail off. I remember passing Boston College and turning onto Beacon Street but my concentration wasn’t too great. When the crowd kind fades off into the back ground both audibly and visually I know I am pushing myself into territory where things can quickly get bad. I was worried I was hitting the wall but didn’t want to drop off the pace.

In the Chicago marathon I never got to this point. I was fatigued racing towards the finish but always in total control. Chicago had dulled the memory of how things can get when you are pushing yourself at the end of a marathon and now in Boston I was getting a strong reminder. Mile 22 – 6:52, “one down, 4 to go”. Mile 23 - 7:07, “Shit, pick it up”. Mile 24 - 6:57 “Maybe I have a shot”.

I now had 15 minutes left and 2.1 miles to go. I couldn’t precisely calculate things at the time but I knew I was going to need to speed things up to pull this off, it just was not happening. It wasn’t a total collapse I just couldn’t seem to move faster or even hold my pace. Mile 25 - 8:03. 3:00 was now out of reach. I was let down and whined about it in my head for a minute or two but quickly realized I was going to PR in Boston, on a shitty ass day, and I had less than a mile to go. I am going to enjoy it.

I forced, what must have looked like the smile of madman, onto my face and concentrated on keeping up my 8:00 minute pace until I crossed that line. My mood followed the smile and I turned onto Boylston, saw the finish and despite how I felt physically, I was mentally elated. I crossed the line and waddled through the finish area. 3:02:45

Missed my goal but I still felt great knowing I had PR’d and it was done. Boston was done. We got word of the winner’s time as I walked through the finishing area and realized that it was 7 minutes off of the pace from the year before and easily 5 minutes slower than the average winning time over the last 25 years. That fact made me even happier. I felt like I had given it all I had out there. I raced just about exactly the race I wanted and it just didn’t come together in the end. I’m cool with that, I don’t think I could have done much better.

I looked through all other Philly Runner finish times and it seems everybody had a decent day despite the weather. Congratulations to all the racers and big props to Michelle, Ryan, and Devon who came up to cheer us along on a nasty day.

Tip Top

I'll tell you what, this taper thing really works.

I went out for an easy run after work, temperature was about 50 and the winds were light. Against my better judgement I hopped on the trails promising myself an easy pace on the flats and an especially easy pace on the technical portions. I don't need any trail running injuries at this point.

I felt like a well oiled machine on my first step out the door and that stuck with me for the four miles. I kept things easy until the very end where I couldn't resist a little sprint up the hill to the finish. 4 miles, untimed. My left calf has been tight at the end of my last two runs this week but there wasn't even a hint of that today.

As usual I feel like I am not doing near enough the last week of taper, I won't even break 20 miles. However, I don't think I have ever felt this good in the final week. Mentally I haven't felt that focused but physically I feel tip top. With a little weather luck I still might be able to pull this sub 3:00 hour thing off. I just have to get my mind into race mode.

Old Man Spring?

When there is a big event on the horizon, like say the Boston Marathon, you picture it in your mind for months leading up to it.

I have a picture in my mind of race day in Boston. Waking up early and taking the T down to the Bus Pick up zone. Being totally wired at 6:00 in the morning as I wait with all the other runners to hop on the bus for the long drive out to Hopkinton. I've never been to Hopkinton but I picture a large field or park surrounded by homes and filled with thousands of runners with buses dropping off more every minute. A bunch of thin people milling around with nervous excitement in their stomach, eyeing each others bib numbers and discussing race strategy. Snacking on this and that as I worry that I drank to much and get ready to line up.

Squeezing into the corral and trying to shake off the chill because I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt and it is 40 degrees out. The gun goes off and true to my word I hold back the first couple miles, keeping a short gait and saving energy and my quads on the first couple miles of downhill. People are lining the streets and cheering us on. After a few miles I get into the rhythm of the race and really open up my eyes to what is going on around me. Cheering fans, smells of bar-b-q, a lot of runners that look like they are a lot faster than me.

At the halfway point a mountain of screams from the girls at Wellesley. I have heard about these girl so many times that I think anything at this point can't meet my expectations of supermodels with skimpy outfits and bullhorn amplified screams. I am feeling good, in control but my mind is worrying about what is ahead. How bad are these hills going to be, do my legs still feel good, can I keep this pace up? I'd probably have some idea of how hard I can push on the hills at this point and I'd hopefully push over them leading up to Heartbreak Hill. Another part of Boston lore that just cannot be as bad as all this buildup indicates... Or maybe it can.

I crest Heartbreak Hill and I know that I have 5 miles of downhill or flat roads ahead of me. I'm checking my watch and attempting the mental calculations to see how fast I need to run to get under 3 hours. Of course mental arithmetic is nearly impossible at this point and I'm probably going to get it wrong anyhow, so I decide to just keep pushing and get those mile splits as low as I can. Can I do it, how am I feeling, where the hell is that Citgo sign I kept hearing about?

I cruise by all the drunken fans that were at the Boston Red Sox game and wish I was one of them instead of in the agonizing pain that accompanies the last 3 miles. Maybe I am close to my goal time or maybe I am a little behind but I am just happy to know it is all going to be over in 10 minutes. I cross the finish, hopefully with a fat PR on the clock, and a smile on my face. Hobble over to the post-race refreshments and then start looking for friends to finish.

In none of my imagining was there a gigantic winter storm in the forecast. I worried about it being to hot but I wasn't thinking Nor'Easter. I just have to take all the mental images from above and remove cheering fans, drunken red sox attendees, bar-b-q's and PR's. In their place I can put tropical force winds, driving sheets of rain, numb limbs and most likely one hell of a story.

One forecaster stated that if things turn out like all of the weather models are suggesting this will be the worst storm that he has every seen in April. I think he looks about 105 yrs old so that pretty much means worst storm ever. This should be fun.

On to my runs.

Monday Off

Tuesday 5 miles with the group. about 7:00 pace for the first three and then I slowed it down.

Wednesday. 5 miles in the Wissahickon. I really felt great on this run, bouncy, fast. Like I was ready to go.

Getting My Taper On

With only a week to go until race day I am in the heart of tapering. No run Friday, 9.5 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. A very easy weekend.

Saturday morning I joined the group to go around the loop. Ran easy pace for the first 6 miles and chatted with Kev, Rob and new guy Andrew. The miles were around 7:50 pace and my legs felt great. Once we got to the St. Joe's Boathouse I pick things up to marathon pace and comfortably cruised to the finish at the Art Museum. A half mile before and after the group run gave me to 9.5 miles in 70 minutes.

I enjoyed one of the many bonuses of running with a group on Saturday night. A team that one of the Philly runners put together, won a 5K back in September and we enjoyed the spoils from that win. A dinner for 10 at the Fountain Room Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel. Five courses of good food, good wine and good friends. My first experience at a restaurant of that caliber and I enjoyed every minute of it. I just hope that the team needs me as a replacement this year too.

Friday was 6 easy miles in the Wissahickon. I didn't even glance at my watch until I finished. 6 miles in 46 minutes.

Falling into Place

Joined the Thursday nighters for a windy and flurry filled run through Fairmount Park. Definitely cold for April but it felt good as Ian, Jim, KJ, Ben, Alex and I made our way behind the zoo and over to Fairmount Park. A few people dropped off until it was just KJ, Ian and I. Then Kev had an extended stop with Silas on Belmont Mansion and it was just Ian and I to wrap it up on the MLK.

We both were looking to get in some speed for the last 2.5 to the Art Museum. I kicked it up to 6:00 pace and Ian pulled away at a much quicker pace. Hit a 5:58 for the first mile and a 6:10 for the second. I felt controlled and relaxed for both miles despite the pace. A good sign that I am recovering and that things are falling into place for the marathon. Wrapped it up at the Art Museum, Ian headed home and I headed up the steps a cool down lap around the museum. About 8 miles in about an hour.

8 easy miles on an out and back course along Kelly Drive last night. Just my iPod and I gliding along the riverbank as the sun set over the trees across the river. The weather has again taken a turn towards the cold and temps were in the mid-40's. The damp and chilly air had a feeling of late fall instead of early spring. Budding flowers on the cherries tress were the only telltale sign that this wasn't the case.

During runs lately my mind consistently wanders (I guess you can't call it wandering if it is always going to specific thought) to race day in Boston just under two weeks away. All of this build up over the last couple years is finally coming to head in a 3 hour stroll from Hopkinton to Boston. It almost feels like I am closing a chapter on my life, as if things will be different afterwards. Not that I think I am going to have some revelation upon crossing the finish line but maybe that this thing I've been doing 5-6 times a week over the past couple years just won't be as important anymore. I like the thought of that.

Early, inaccurate weather forecast for race day. 47, intervals of clouds and sunshine. I'm hoping that he forecasters have it right.

Pedals

For the first time in the two years that I have been joinning the Philly Runners on Tuesday nights, I biked to Art Museum. It seems odd to me that I haven't done it in the past. It's just a 5 mile ride down a bike path. I only have to cross 2 streets to get there.

I haven't ridden my bike in a long while, maybe last June, so I pulled it out to make sure everything was in working order. It's a well worn mountain bike that I bought about 6-7 years ago. I've replaced rims, tires, brake pads, and the pedals but everything else is 7 years old and it is starting to show. A couple years back half of my exercise was done on the bike. I spent hours riding up and down the rocky steep hills of the Wissahickon Park. I hope to get back into this mode but for the next couple weeks at least I have to concentrate on running.

Before hopping on to go to the group run I wanted to change out the pedals. The bike has "clip-in" style pedals that require special shoes which lock into place . To ride these pedals in my running shoes would make things uncomfortable. It's hard to keep your foot on a 1" square rolling piece of metal. The first pedal came right off, the second pedal wouldn't budge. I spent 20 minutes trying to wrench it off of the crank. My temper rose every time the allen wrench would slip. Mechanical things really can frustrate me when I can't get it to do what I want. It's a part of my personality that I don't really like but it can be hard to keep my cool, I have gotten better.

I planned on leaving by 6:00 to make the run. It was now 6:05 and I still didn't have the damn pedal off. The intelligent thing to do at this point would be to put away the bike, get in my car and drive down as normal. But I was angry and I didn't care if I had to duct tape the f'ing pedals to my sneakers I was riding this bike to the group run. So at 6:10 I hopped on the bike, did my best to keep my feet on the tiny pedals and raced to the group run. I had to really hustle to get there before it started and I was only going to make if the run started a little late.

Luckily it did start late and I was there just in time. There was a huge group on a sunny 65 degree evening. I joined Ian, Stevus, and Ben for the first mile or so. First mile in 6:30, quicker than I wanted and I debated dropping off the pack. The next 1/4 split was at 6:10 pace and I quickly dropped off of the pack. Mile 2 still went by in 6:36 and now I really decided to slow down. Dropped down to about 7:40 pace and kept this going the remainder of the way running with English Mike.

I rode the bike home after the run at much more leisurely pace. My legs are not at all used to biking and although I wasn't breathing heavy on the ride down my legs were burning like I was riding all out. It's going to take a little time to get used to the bike again.

12 easy miles in Wissahickon Park today. I really wanted to keep things at an easy pace so I set a target of 7:30s or better and if any miles were under 7:30 I would force myself to do a mile at 8:30 pace. This is a little different than my normal easy pace philosophy of run at what feels like an easy pace and if the miles are coming faster than you think they should, just go with the flow.

It worked. I was checking my watch as if it were a tempo run, making sure the miles were relaxed enough. In fact, it worked so well that I was soon running 8:10's without thinking about it to much. I made my way out to the to of the park and turned around. I ran into Heather at Valley Green and joined her for the remainder of the way. We stopped about 1 mile short of the end and went onto the trails to hike the last portion. 12.2 miles in 1hour 40min.

40.8 miles for the week. A week that started off horribly and ended very well. At least as far as running is concerned.

In topics other than running things weren't so hot.

Heather and I decided to get a dog several weeks back and diligent planner that she is, Heather had been scouring the web looking for puppies that fit the bill. Medium sized mutt, good disposition, liked to run and hopefully wouldn't drive us nuts with energy. Of course you can't tell all of these things in a puppy and the dog was bound to drive me nuts regardless but she found what looked to be a good set of puppies.

It was a rescue in Mechanicsburg PA, which is directly outside of Harrisburg. We drove out on a beautiful Thursday afternoon, looked over the many puppies they had and settled on a lab/collie mix that was 8 weeks old. She was a cute little thing with a very fluffy sable coat and white paws. She seemed calm and sweet, licking our faces and just generally had a good demeanor.

We filled out some forms, paid the adoption fee and we were heading back home with the puppy on Heather's lap. She was well behaved the entire way although she looked a little ill. Dogs tend to look ill when they ride 110 miles in a car, they just don't take well to driving sometimes.

We finally got home after stops at a couple stores to pick up items for the dog. Got in the door set up shop with a crate, food, toys, a little bed and of course played with the puppy. After a lot of debate, mostly on her part because it was more her dog than mine, we settled on the name Haley.

We got her out in my backyard and Haley promptly vomited. We chalked it up to the car ride and nerves, she seemed fine in every other way. Running around the yard, in and out of the house. She however wouldn't eat a thing, even treats, and seemed to be a little lethargic. Not really having a feel for the dogs personality we didn't think to much of it and just decided to keep an eye on her.

That night passed without incident, she was sick one more time and had diarrhea but she still was a happy little puppy. In the morning we were both a little concerned but we didn't want to be rash and take the dog to the vet just than, so I went to work. Heather was home with Haley and she continued to get sick and have loose stool. She made the call to go to a vet.

The vet gave her some fluids under the skin, looked her over and not much else. Said to keep an eye on her and if she continued to vomit, bring her back the next day. That night things got worse. The dog was starting to get slightly bloody stool and was still throwing up. She was getting less peppy and it was obvious that this was more than just passing distress.

We rolled back to the Vet on Saturday morning, with stool samples in tow. Up until that morning I hadn't been to worried but the dog now looked very sick. I didn't know it at the time because I had gone out in the morning for a run but she also had horribly bloody stool. Heather had quickly gotten attached to the dog, you couldn't really help it she was just so cute, and was getting very upset.

The vet took one look at the stool sample and sent us directly to the Hickory Run Animal Hospital out by the Plymouth Meeting Mall. The vet seemed to think that Parvo virus might be the cause. Parvo attacks puppies before they can be fully vaccinated and just rips up their intestines, and bone marrow.

Heather had already been suspicious of this and had been reading about it online that morning. If an infected dog can get cared for by an animal hospital it has about an 80% chance of living. Decent odds but I was still hoping that Parvo wasn't the case.

We got to the hospital and they quickly got her into an examining room. They took a look at the stool and did a test for Parvo. The dog came up strongly positive for the virus. Suddenly a puppy that had been just fine when we got her on Thursday afternoon was now being placed in hospital care on Saturday morning. The vet at the hospital gave her a 50% chance but I didn't feel to assured by her body language and tone of voice.

We headed home and went about our day just hoping that things would turn out ok. I got a call at 6:00pm. The dogs heart had stopped and they had done CPR. The dog was now intubated and they had given it a shot of epinephrine and atropine. Who even knew they could do these things for dogs. The vet said there was still a chance and she wanted to wait and see what happened.

Sunday morning I called and things had not gotten any better. The next step was an infusion but it would take a miracle and the dog was really suffering. We decided to end it then and have the dog cremated. I couldn't believe it. Just really bad luck for a sweet dog. We called the shelter to let them know and they told us that no other puppies had come down with the highly contagious virus. Strange.

I don't usually move to far from running topics on the blog but it has just been playing in my mind all day and it felt like I should write it out. I think we will get another pup soon but not for a few weeks.

City 6, 5K

It's amazing how three little miles can change your outlook on entire week.

I didn't run Thursday and Friday my legs were feeling better. In the evening I went for an easy run with Heather. My legs felt pretty good except for a twinge in my left thigh, and I wanted to go faster but Heather was there to keep that urge in check.

Saturday morning was the City 6 5K. A race held by 6 major local Universities along the Kelly Drive River path,a route that is all to familiar. I went into this race with no expectations knowing that I might not be running at my best and not wanting to push anything for a race that wasn't even on my radar 3 weeks ago.

I did a couple miles with a guy from work beforehand and thinsg felt good. The sky was gray and the air was cooler than I had expected, about 50 degrees, but the wind was calm and it was a good day for a race.

About 300 people toed the line and I got up close to the front about three people back. There didn't look to be a ton of quick people but I saw a couple guys warming up that made me think I didn't have a shot at winning this.

The race started and I went out at what felt like a conservative pace. As usual a large group was ahead of me, 3/4 of which faded before we reached 1/2 mile mark. I passed several people within the first mile and I could see the leaders pulling away up ahead. I had a few guys within striking distance as I went through the first mile in 5:40. Faster than I expected but that is the way things are in a 5K. Passed one guy in this mile and got right behind another right before the turn around.

I had slowly been catching him and I bided my time for about a 1/4 mile behind him before trying to pass. He met my surge and we were literally neck and neck for about a 1/4 mile. This had a lot of runner going the other way cheering us on and also kept the pace quick in what normally is a slower portion of the race for me.

He pulled a little ahead of me but I thought I had him if I just held tight for a few and tried to pass again. On the second attempt I was able to get ahead and then concentrated on putting some distance between us and keeping the pace up. There was a third guy ahead and I thought I had a shot at him but upon hearing me he kicked it up a gear and I knew I didn't have shot unless he slowed down.

3/4 of a mile to go and now the watch checking began. Could I break my PR of 18:20? Could I got sub 18? Trying to do the mental calculations when you are running all out can be difficult and although I wasn't sure until 1/4 of mile to go I thought I had a shot at sub 18:00.

As I raced along Boathouse Row and I started to realize 18 was in the bag and I think a huge smile popped up on my face. Crossed the line in 17:45 for a 35 second PR and much quicker that I really thought I would race.

A great cap to a shitty week. A huge PR that is on par with the performance I put in at Broad Street last year. I was ecstatic. Things seemed back on track and my lets felt good the remainder of the day. Sweet.

My Legs Have Given Up

Yesterday was more of the same for running. I planed on a 10 mile run with 6-8 of the miles at marathon pace. I should have scaled back the distance based on yesterdays run but I didn't.

My left hamstring was acting up when I started but it quieted down after about a mile. I decided to try for marathon pace and see what happened. 1st mile in 6:36, second mile in 6:36. Even with the marked 1/4 miles on Kelly Drive I was having a hard time holding pace.

I stopped to stretch things out and decided to slow it down a little for the remainder of my trip out to the Art Museum. Got to the museum, stretched a little more and took in the beautiful day and headed back. Things got progressively slower as my legs continued to feel worse. Towards the end I was at 8:00 pace and just dying for it to be over. I even walked a 1/4 mile. 10 miles in 1:15.

I really don't know exactly what is up. I am guessing that 21 miles on Saturday took a lot more out of me than I first thought. Based on the run I did the day after (Sunday) I felt good. Since then, not so good. My legs doesn't feel any better then it did on Monday.

So, no run tonight, easy run tomorrow and hopefully I still will be able to race a planned 5K on Saturday morning. That will be a call I make Saturday morning. If things still don't feel so good I'll run it slower and turn it into a tempo run. If I feel better it will definitely be an all out effort.

I hopped in my car to drive down to the group run last night and at the top of my block I saw a couple runners hitting the trails in the Wissahickon. The idea of trail running on such a beautiful sunny evening enticed me to bag the group run, park my car, and head into the park.

In my mind I had visions of myself quickly cruising over familiar trails, up and down the valley of the Wissahickon Creek. However, in the back of my head I could hear a mocking laugh coming from my legs. "Your running where? how fast? hills? Yeah right". I told my legs to shut up, and got to running.

My legs have been achey the past few days, specifically my upper left leg. My left hip and hamstring have been really tight and sore especially after sitting still for any more than 20 minutes. I think this has a lot to do with the miles last week and a little to do with the massive yard cleaning operation I did on Sunday. I was climbiing, lifting and cutting for a good 3 hours. After nothing but running for a few months I am just not used to that. I took Monday off and I had an easy 8 miles planned for last night that I was trying to turn into a trail run.

Things were far from smooth right from the start, felt more like I was taking my legs out for a run than they were taking me out for a run. Pulling them a long with each step. Sometimes things will loosen up and feel better once you get moving but not last night. After 1.5 miles of trails I decided to head down to Forbidden Drive, a very smooth, flat, wide path that follows the creek. After 3 miles I turned around. Towards the end of the run things were feeling a little better but I was happy to be done after 6 miles.

Upper leg still tight and sore today, even to the touch. I can tell it is nothing major just a little whining from my legs. I'll just take it easy. Had this been three weeks ago I would be nervous about it but I am tapering so I'm not going to sweat it.

Other tapers (tapirs)

Yesterday was a beautiful afternoon, temps in the mid-50's with no clouds. I wanted to get out out around noon for a run but I got sidetracked with cleaning my yard. What started as a small clean up project of old leaves hiding behind my trash cans turned into me, with a saw, cutting down the junk tree branches which overhang my yard from the empty lot behind my house. So 4 hours, lunch and 9 million tree branches later I finally headed out.

My legs felt better than I expected after Saturdays run but I had every intention of keeping this a recovery run. Took Forbidden Drive from my house and headed out to Valley Green. The parked was packed with people enjoying the fine weather.

I was was itching to get on some of the rougher trails on the sides of the valley but knew it might not be the best decision on a recovery run. I compromised by running a mile and half of trails that I knew were for the most part flat. It's been a long while since I went out for a long trail run in the park and the nicer weather has really piqued my interest in getting out there. After Boston I plan to spend a lot of time catching up on my trails running and biking.

I stayed on the main path after reaching Valley Green restaurant where an outdoor wedding reception was in full swing. 8 miles in 63 minutes.

Taper Time

The final 20+ miler of marathon training is complete! For me it is always a great feeling to have this done. To me the long run is the most demanding and of course the most time consuming workout of training. I think it is also a likely spot to get injured so to have finished them is a relief.

Friday night I kept it easy and ran a little over 6.5 miles in an on and off rain on Kelly Drive. I don't mind the rain so much when it is in the 50's and it stopped half-way through the run so all was good. My legs were a little tight but I thought this easy run would be just the thing to loosen them up for a long run on Saturday morning. I also did two non-consecutive miles at marathon pace and everything felt ok.


Saturday I jumped on a route that Ian had posted on the group message board. It included most of the the major hills in Fairmount Park. I was going to wait for Sunday to do my long run but the possibility of doing the first 13 miles with a good group on a hilly course was to tempting.

A very light rain was falling when we started but this quickly ended and the rest of the way was dry. We somehow missed our first hill and instead of taking the longer hilly sharp turn to Lemon Hill we took the short less hilly wider turn and cut a little off the route. Plenty of hills ahead to make up for losing a couple.

At about 2 miles my legs were feeling strong and I knew it was going to be a good day. We moved on to the Lansdowne hill and then St Georges. Down to the Belmont Plateau and into the woods on the fire road for Parachute Hill back down again and then up the "Worst Hill". I don't know if Worst Hill is Ian's name for an unnamed hill or something that other people call it to.

Back to MLK and then up the Bloody Nipple. A 1 mile hill that varies in grade but drags on and on. The rest of the route was either downhill or flat. At this point it was Chem Steve, Ian and I and the pace picked up. I figured we were near my marathon pace of 6:48 and my thoughts were confirmed when we got on MLK and measured mile went by in 6:45. We kept this pace up till the Art Museum where Ian and Steve headed home and I headed up Kelly drive for 8 more.

There are good and bad things about leaving a group to run the remaining portion on your own. The parts that sucks is of course the fact that you are no longer running with friends, conversation is gone, and you don't have people around to join in the agony and keep things moving. I think it is good for training though. This is the portion when you are most fatigued and you now have to rely on yourself to keep the pace up and finish the run strong.

We had already done 3-4 miles at or near my marathon pace so I slowed down for the last 8. I was kind of aiming for 7:25-7:30 but the miles kept coming faster than that. 7:01, 7:07, 7:07. After each mile spilt I'd say to myself "Slow it down" but the splits kept up. I was feeling quite tired at this point but not really dragging and my legs were going strong. It's how I like to feel at the end of a long run, drained but still with some left in the tank. 7:08, 7:10, 7:15, and a 6:35 for the last mile going up to the Art Museum. I pushed a lot on the last mile but I definitely could have gone faster.

This run left me feeling really good about my training. The first 2/3 of this run were fairly difficult but I was still able to finish strong. This was also my third run of 15 miles or greater in 7 days. 18 on Sunday, 15 on Wednesday and 21.5 today in 2:38. It also makes for over 85 miles in the last 7 days. Time for taper. A slight drop to about 55-60 miles next week and then more after that. Here we come Boston.

Nice and Easy

The final week of marathon training before taper is going well. I joined up with the Thursday Nighters for 7.5 miles through Fairmount Park. Heather came out with us, which means a slower pace, but my body was happy about that. As we made our way past Memorial Hall, Heather, E-Mike and I quickly fell behind Ian, Deidre and Chem Steve but that was to be expected.

The weather was warm, the pace was easy and the conversation was good. All the ingredients needed for a relaxing recovery run. Even a light rain shower was welcomed on a 65 degree evening. Just enough to dampen our shirts and cool us off a bit as we made our way down Belmont Mansion towards Montgomery Ave and MLK Drive.

We got back to the Art Museum in about 65 minutes and due to a shorter route beat the crew that pulled ahead of us.

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I have been patiently waiting for my Boston bib# in the mail but broke down and took a peak at the website to see if it was posted there. #3402

I am not even slightly superstitious but for a second my mind tried to draw some postive inferences from the digits. None quickly appeared but no negatives either. I'll just leave it at that.

Feeling Vernal

Spring has sprung and it feels good. I took the opportunity to clear out my running clothes drawers. It's amazing how quickly I can pile up a bunch of running shirts and shorts that I never wear. I went lean and tucked away a bunch of things that I normally leave in there. These extra clothes will sit in the closet for about 1 year at which time I will decide that I really am not ever going to wear them and I'll send them to charity.

I ditched all winter running clothes except two long sleeve shirts. I may be a bit optimistic about the temperatures but I think we must be in the clear as far as cold weather goes by this point.

My spring running so far...

Tuesday night I didn't have time to put in any miles before the group run so I settled for the normal 8. I hoped to do 6:20 pace tempo run for a majority of the way and luckily so did a lot of other people. Ian and Veena were shooting for the same pace so I tucked in behind them along with Chem Steve, Stevus, and Chris. Ian and Veena were dead on with a 6:25 on the first split and things increased slightly from there. 6:24, 6:18, 6:04. Just about exactly what I hoped to run that evening. I didn't get all the miles I would have liked but I definitely got the ones that counted.

Tonight was my mid-week long run. I have been steadily building these runs up from 10 miles in the beginning of training to this week which was a 15 miler. That number seemed insane for a mid-week run a year ago but now it is sane enough that I can out and do it.

Back out to Chestnut Hill for this run on a route that I have been adding a little bit to each week to get the miles I want. I had Sufjan Stevens' "Illinoise" album on the iPod and without me realizing it, the dark and gloomy middle section of this CD had gotten me in a dark and gloomy mood. However, the CD suddenly takes a turn to a more poppy and upbeat song towards the end that puts a smile on my face and makes me pick up the pace. It's a strange feeling when that song comes on and cheers me up, I'm really not paying any attention to the music and suddenly I realize it had me in a bad mood when this upbeat song comes on.

My legs were a little fatigued but as the run progressed they actually felt stronger. I got back to Manayunk and did a little bit of looping around to make what I felt was 15 miles. Got home and mapped it all out. 15.0356 miles in 1:49. for 7:16 pace. I really didn't think I had been moving that quickly but the numbers don't lie.

Then I Got High

I headed back to the river drives for my run last night only because I knew the path was clear and I really didn't feel like dodging piles of snow and traffic on the roads. I Parked in the same exact spot as I did for my run on Sunday and set off on the same exact course.

My legs felt great from the start. I felt like I had some kind of energy buzzing around inside me that was coming out through my legs. I didn't want to push the pace to much because of the 18 miles yesterday but I hit a couple miles under 7:00 on my way to the Art Museum. When I got there I did 3 quick trips up and down the steps and was still floating along.

Followed the path extension down to the turn around and started heading back. I couldn't believe how great I was feeling. Like a runners high from the first step that just kept on going. Kind of weird but I swear I wasn't on any mood enhancing additives.

With a about a mile left I came back to earth and started to feel a little fatigued. 8 miles in 58 minutes. Maybe this will continue through the week.

Then I Got High

I headed back to the river drives for my run last night only because I knew the path was clear and I really didn't feel like dodging piles of snow and traffic on the roads. I Parked in the same exact spot as I did for my run on Sunday and set off on the same exact course.

My legs felt great from the start. I felt like I had some kind of energy buzzing around inside me that was coming out through my legs. I didn't want to push the pace to much because of the 18 miles yesterday but I hit a couple miles under 7:00 on my way to the Art Museum. When I got there I did 3 quick trips up and down the steps and was still floating along.

Followed the path extension down to the turn around and started heading back. I couldn't believe how great I was feeling. Like a runners high from the first step that just kept on going. Kind of weird but I swear I wasn't on any mood enhancing additives.

With a about a mile left I came back to earth and started to feel a little fatigued. 8 miles in 58 minutes. Maybe this will continue through the week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Racing the Rain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spring is in the Air

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

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

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

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