Training Log: February 17-23

Sunday
10:10 AM - 17 miles. Old Fashioned 10 Miler (2nd, 53:03). 22:00 warmup, 30:35 cooldown. Goal for Ryan and I was to start at 5:25-30 pace and cut down from there. The wind altered those plans a bit but the effort was right where it needed to be. Solid effort, felt very strong and in control from start to finish. Full race report is in the entry directly below this one.

Monday
8:45 AM - 6.6 miles, 46:45. Note: Mileage totals from now on will come straight off the Garmin. No more Mario Miles so let's all get used to looking at decimal points. As for the run, it was windy and wet but since it was 50 degrees out I won't complain too much. Legs didn't feel all that bad, either.
5:00 PM - 6.9 miles, 48:40. Last run in the Inspire 5 before they get shipped back to Atlanta. These guys served me well during their short stint in my rotation.

Tuesday
8:15 AM - 12.1 miles, 1:20:25. Third day in a row wearing shorts. Looks like it will be the last day for a while, too.

Wednesday
7:30 AM - 8.3 miles, 56:15. Cold, windy and felt pretty sluggish to boot. 6 x 20-second strides on the way home.
7:00 PM - 4.1 miles, 30:00. Same ol', same ol' on the store treadmill.

Thursday
8:25 AM - 12.5 miles, 1:20:25. Had a tough time getting out the door for this one but didn't feel too bad once I got going. Need to try and get something of quality in tomorrow or Saturday.

Friday
7:35 AM - 10.5 miles, 1:13:10. Out-n-back into Millbury by way of the Bike Path. Tried to get out early and beat the snow but was greeted by an unwelcome 1/2 inch of the white stuff when I stepped out of the garage. Almost fell three times in the first 2 miles before finally hitting the ground about a mile later. Nearly went down again about 7 miles in but managed to stay on my feet. Fuck winter.

Saturday
7:45 AM - 8.4 miles, 53:45. 15:00 easy, 9 x [2:00 hard/2:00 easy], 4:45 easy back home. Hard stuff started at 5:30 pace and got down to 5:00-5:10 effort by the last couple repeats. Felt good to stretch the legs out a bit.

Totals: 86.4 miles, 9 runs. Alright week. Overall quality was less than I would have liked but I got in a good effort at Foxboro on Sunday and Saturday's fartlek was better than nothing. Motivation has plummeted along with the temperature and I feel like I've just been going through the motions of late. Hopefully I can turn the corner again soon.

Quote of the Week

"It's contagious. You don't put up any barriers. Anything's possible."
- Matt Tegenkamp

Race Report: Old Fashioned 10 Miler

Call me old fashioned but I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning in February than running 10 miles straight into a stiff headwind.

OK, so maybe I'm not thinking hard enough or I need to find a new hobby but that's exactly what I and 427 other people with nothing better to do did this past weekend at the Old Fashioned 10 Miler along the scenic backroads of Belichickville, I mean Foxboro, Massachusetts.

This is the third straight year I've partaken in this preferred form of tomfoolery and considering the absence of arctic temperatures and slush-laden roads, along with the fact I ran 44 seconds faster than last year, I really have nothing to complain about. OK, so the soup offering after the race was a little skimpy, but I'll stop there.

Moving on, the pre-race plan laid out by my running mate, Mr. Ryan Carrara, called for us to cover the first few miles at a 5:25-30 clip before gradually ratcheting things down to a pace we can only one day hope to hold for an entire 26.2-mile footrace. The aforementioned headwind altered those plans a bit but the effort was where it needed to be and nobody left with wind burn so I'd say we executed our strategy pretty well.

A large pack of multi-colored singlets hit the first mile in a dead-on nuts split of 5:30 before someone, likely me, got a little bit excited and towed that very same group through a faster-than-desired 5:13 reading for the second mile. The wind was a blowin' at this point, so much so that Ryan offered me a small sum of money for my NB skullcap, a deal that ultimately fell through, however, due to a lack of readily available monetary funds on the part of Mr. Carrara. I would have proposed a counter-offer for an apple-cinnamon Hammer Gel, but bartering for goods while skimming the road at 11.5 MPH is almost as dangerous as texting while driving. There's just no need for it.

Anyway, Mile 3 came and went in 5 minutes and 22 seconds and our merry little group had been whittled down to a half dozen or so folks at this point, including myself, Mr. Carrara, D3 alums Adam Fitzgerald and Dan Vassallo, Timmy Tapply and a pair of BAAers, Eric "Mountain Man" Blake and Terry "Sandbagger" Shea, who was plotting a blitz of Belichick-like proportions at the back of the pack. Mile 4 dipped back below 5:20 and was marked by idle chatter and idle bodies unwilling to move, but that all changed a mile later when Dan the Man must've got sick of listening to Ryan and I babbling away and dropped a 5:02 fifth mile to take the lot of us through halfway a little ahead of schedule in 26:28.

17 seconds from one mile to the next wasn't enough of an adjustment for Blake and Silent Terry, however, as the two of them kept things up for another mile, putting 10 seconds on the pack with another low 5-minute split for the next 1,609 meters before Eric realized Terry was in no talking mood on this sunny Sunday morning and he'd be best served to rejoin the moving chatterbox that was idling on down the road just a few yards behind him.

And as for the race, my friends, that was all he wrote. I'll keep writing, of course, but by Mile 7 Terry had put his pen and notebook away and decided that this story was over. Our little chase pack stuck together though and took turns breaking the wind until Mile 9, which happened to fall at the appropriately-named Ryan Place, where Carrara got excited to see his name on a road sign and started to pick up the pace. Since I told myself before the race that I was going to do whatever Ryan did -- heck, if he stopped in the middle of the road to do a chicken dance I would have been flapping my wings right behind him -- I just stuck to my guns and went with the move, even though I knew he was only pulling such a stunt so I would break the wind for him the last mile. And if you look at the results, you'll notice Ryan entered the finishing chute exactly one second behind me. Now I'm no strategist, but I'd say his plan worked to perfection.

Training Log: February 10-16

Sunday
9:25 AM - 8 miles, 57:55. Only had time for an easy hour this morning. Didn't feel like doing much more than that anyway.
5:00 PM - 4 miles, 30:00. Round and round on the rat wheel after work. Started at 8 mph and got down to a blazing 8.5 by the time it was over.

Monday
7:30 AM - 10 miles, 1:08:30. Late start this morning but with the wind chill well below 0 I was in no rush to get out the door. Survived with all my limbs still intact, even threw in 6 x 20-second strides on the way home.

Tuesday
7:30 AM - 8 miles, 50:00. Easy running for the first 2 miles or so, 6:00 pace or faster the rest of the way. Left ITB screamed at me for the first 5 minutes before quieting down.
7:00 PM - 4 miles, 30:00. PR treadmill in my 826's. Other than the new shoes, same old shit - short and slow.

Wednesday
OFF. Spent 45 minutes shoveling my driveway this morning if that counts for anything. Planned to run on the treadmill after work but grabbed dinner with Jeff instead.

Thursday
7:25 AM - 8 miles, 54:45. Plan was to fartlek but ended up ice skating instead. Horrible road conditions. ITB, hips and calves all took a beating.
5:30 PM - 4 miles, 30:00. "Belt of death rumba" on the PR treadmill. Didn't feel like starring in Ice Capades tonight so I went belt dancing instead.

Friday
4:20 PM - 10 miles, 1:07:15. Busy day = late run. 6 x 20-second strides on the way home.

Saturday
7:20 AM - 8 miles, 56:30. First run using my new toy, the Garmin 205. Same loop as Thursday morning, which is precisely 8.39 miles according to the gadget.

Totals: 64 miles, 9 runs. Had a down week on tap which ended up sinking a little lower than planned thanks to a little inclimate weather from Mother Nature and lots of dicking around on my part. Any hope of quality work was washed away with the rain on Wednesday, so let's hope I can get my ass back in gear at the Old Fashioned 10-Miler in Foxboro tomorrow morning. The plan is to start out at 5:25-30 pace for the first few miles and cut it down from there.

Quote of the Week

"You need to train hard for a long time to get good...The most incredible training means nothing if you are not healthy on race day."
- Nate Jenkins outlining his marathon training guidelines. Read this.

Training Log: February 3-9

Sunday
9:15 AM - 18 miles, 2:06:00. Backward version of yesterday's run with Ryan, Christy Mae and Uncle Fire. Tired, left IT band a bit tight the first mile or two, right soleus twinged on me a couple times but otherwise I didn't feel too bad.

Monday
10:15 AM - 8 miles, 56:15. Tried to come up with a clean 8 but fell a bit short and had to add on up the hill. IT band was doing some silly things again the first 1/2 mile or so but didn't act up on me again after that.
4:00 PM - 4 miles, 30:00. Short shakeout before dinner. IT band was well behaved this evening.

Tuesday
8:55 AM - 12 miles, 1:24:40. Bike Path into Millbury, back home via Greenwood Street. 6 x 20-second strides during the run. IT band tight early, then OK. Soleus OK early, then tightened up.

Wednesday
7:25 AM - 9 miles, 1:01:45. Shorts, light gloves and a non-waterproof jacket were probably poor choices of attire this morning. OK, so they were definitely poor choices. And to think it's part of my job to help people decide what to wear outside in this crap. I've only failed myself.

Thursday
8:55 AM - 10 miles, 1:07:15. Almost came up with a clean 10 but fell a bit short. Felt like a pile of dung but at least my IT band and soleus didn't give me any trouble. 6 x 20/40 strides on the way home.
8:00 PM - 5 miles, 37:00. Short shakeout on the treadmill after work. First time on this thing in a couple weeks and can't say that I really missed it all that much.

Friday
7:25 AM - 10 miles, 1:06:35. Reverse of yesterday's loop with a small addition to make it a clean 10. Tried throwing in a few pickups but they weren't very productive.
7:00 PM - 4 miles, 30:00. If the after-work treadmill shakeout is good enough for Brian Sell, then it's good enough for me.

Saturday
7:25 AM - 10, miles, 1:04:35. 6 x [2:00-1:00-0:30] hard w/1:00-1:00-2:30 easy jogs for recovery. First quality effort in a week - first time I felt good in a week, too.

Totals: 90 miles, 10 runs. Tough week but I got through it. Lessons learned:
1. Three 18-mile runs and two workouts in the same seven-day stretch is never a good idea.
2. Moving is an exhausting process.
3. There is nothing worse than running in a downpour in February. Nothing.

Quote of the Week

"We haven't had a day over 35 degrees since Christmas, and the other day when we did some speed work it was 7 degrees. We got about four inches of freezing sleet. It took me an hour to shovel the pure slush off of my driveway — we're getting hammered up here."
- Brian Sell, summing up the shittiest winter in recent memory. This week was no exception.

Training Log: January 27-February 2

Sunday
8:15 AM - 18 miles, 2:01:00. Solo in the snow before work. Felt like hell when I woke up but the legs felt pretty good once I got going and my energy levels weren't too bad either.

Monday
9:00 AM - 8 miles, 53:45. Felt kinda sluggish for the first 3 miles, better after that. 8 x 20-second strides on the way home.
7:15 PM - 7 miles, 50:15. Easy does it around Easton with Bergie. Short of 7 miles but I'll make up for it tomorrow.

Tuesday
8:25 AM - 10 miles, 1:06:40. Out-n-back fartlek on McCracken Road, 10 x [2:00 hard/2:00 easy]. Wanted to call it quits after #6 but managed to hang in there for the final four.

Wednesday
OFF. Since I don't have much stuff, I thought moving would be anything but time consuming, tiring or a big pain in the ass. Boy, was I wrong.

Thursday
8:45 AM - 8 miles, 58:00. First run from the new place. Like the current state of my living area, I was feeling a bit rough around the edges.
4:20 PM - 8 miles, 1:01:00. Easy run around town with Erin. Tired, but not as bad as this morning.

Friday
8:55 AM - 10 miles, 1:08:50. Hit the roads before the rain hit me. 6 x 20-second strides on the way home.

Saturday
9:50 AM - 18 miles, 1:53:00. Squires long run # 2 with Ryan from his place in Hudson. 30:00 easy, 6 x 8:00 on/2:00 off for the next hour, 23:00 easy to finish up. "On" stuff started at ~5:45 pace and got faster from there. Felt real strong which was encouraging given how crappy I was feeling earlier in the week.

Totals: 87 miles, 8 runs. Solid week, even with the day off. Since I had the week off from work my plan was to try and hit the century mark for the first time in a couple years but I didn't think moving would be so time consuming, not to mention tiring. I still managed to hit all my key workouts though, so I didn't miss out on anything other than some nice looking numbers in the old log book. S'alright - no harm, no foul.

Quote of the Week (this one's sticking)

"It just takes something a little more, a lot of faith, diligence. You have to keep at it all the time."
- Jen Toomey

Training Log: January 20-26

Sunday
9:20 AM - 16 miles. Frostbite 15K (1st, 48:40). 23:00 warmup with SKinney, 23:00 cooldown with Andy McCarron and Nick Weidman. Solid race, best one in a long time. Complete race report is in the entry below this one.

Monday
9:40 AM - 7 miles, 51:15. Easy run with Hodgie-San on the wind-strewn roads of Sterling, Mass. Loop was probably a hair short of 7 miles. Legs didn't feel all that bad.
5:05 PM - 7 miles, 52:15. Took my new Glycerin 6's on their maiden voyage, my first run in a non-posted shoe in quite some time. The loop came out to 7.6 miles according to this online tool.

Tuesday
7:50 AM - 10 miles, 1:09:00. Out-n-back to the Horgan track w/8 x 100m strides on the back straightaway. A crisp 14 degrees out there this morning.

Wednesday
8:30 AM - 10 miles, 1:02:30. First 6.5 miles easy/moderate (42:36), last 3.5 steady (19:54 - 5:43, 2:58 [0.5], 5:47, 5:26). Felt real good from start to finish.
4:25 PM - 7 miles, 51:55. Fallon Clinic out-n-back with a stop at Summerhill Road on the way home for 6 x 30-second hill charges. Needed to let the legs and lungs burn a little bit.

Thursday
8:30 AM - 14 miles, 1:30:00. First 7 miles in 46:46, last 7 in 43:14. Planned on a fartlek but felt way too tired and flat to go through with it.

Friday
7:25 AM - 8 miles, 55:30. Face went numb but everything else felt good. 6 x 20/40 strides on the way home.

Saturday
7:30 AM - 14 miles, 1:26:25. Course work with Ryan and Liam from Loring Arena in Framingham. 22:10 warmup, 8 mile PMP from Miles 3-10 and back to 9 in 43:40 (5:47, 5:35, 5:25, 5:27, 5:26, 5:21, 5:27, 5:12), 20:35 cooldown. Solid workout, felt comfortable and in control from start to finish.

Totals: 93 miles, 9 runs. Another good week in the books, nothing super crazy just super consistent. The race was a great way to kick things off and this morning's PMP wrapped it all up very nicely. Ryan and I will continue to kick the poop out of one another for 10 more weeks with a steady diet of long runs, a few more PMPs, a couple of track workouts and a handful of races before resting up for two weeks and crossing our fingers for a good day on April 21. Feel free to join us at anytime - or at the very least, cross your fingers.

Quote of the Week

"But the team motivates you to get out the door in the morning. Of course, my teammates will also hammer me into the ground if I slack off."
- Brian Sell, U.S. Olympian

Race Report: Frostbite 15K

Yesterday marked my first race of 2008, the appropriately named Frostbite 15K in Raynham, MA. This is the second straight year I've contested this midwinter classic, and I think this race has cemented its spot in my winter road racing schedule. Ridiculous entry fee aside, it's well organized, draws a good crowd, features a nice course and offers a generous post-race spread. Bottom line, you'll get your money's worth, and then some.

Anyway, onto the race itself. I'm not gonna lie, this was a very good result for me, as good as any I've put up in the past couple of years. The win, and the 100 bucks that came with it, were added bonuses. I improved four places and 57 seconds from last year, which was a bit of a surprise since it was about 30 degrees colder and a lot windier out there yesterday morning. I felt strong from start to finish, ran pretty consistent splits but most importantly I raced well. I haven't been able to say that too many times since 2004, so yesterday's effort has me feeling pretty good about the direction I'm heading. This was definitely a good first step toward Boston. Hopefully I can keep the momentum moving forward over the next 13 weeks.

As for how the race played out, here's the Cliff's Notes version...I led the pack through the first mile, spent 2-6 chasing after fellow Central Masser Andy McCarron, finally caught him at 6 miles and pulled away over the last 5K. Here's the mile-by-mile data from my watch, along with the self talk going through my head at the time.

1. 5:03 - That was quick. Oh well, nothing you can do about it now.
2-4. 15:42 (20:45) What...the hell...is McCarron doing? Don't worry about it. It's way too early and way too cold out here to do anything stupid. Relax Mario, REEELAX!
5. 5:15 (26:00) Right on schedule and he's coming back. It's just you and him, no one else. Close the gap!
6. 5:11 (31:11) Got him! Here comes the hill...use it!
7. 5:34 (36:45) Houston, we have clearance. Relax and roll, relax and roooollllll!
8. 5:10 (41:55) Man, this wind sucks! I wonder if Tilton's arms fell off yet.
9.3. 6:45 (48:40) Quit thinking and keep fighting! You're almost there - bring it home!

Quote of the Day

"That is, you are enjoying the act as much as the outcome."
- Yolanda Flamino, women's Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier

Training Log: January 13-19

Sunday
8:45 AM - 19 miles, 2:05:00 - Westboro. Backroads long run from home to Westboro, ending at Casey's place to shower before opening the store. 6 x 100m strides @ WHS track. Felt great!

Monday
10:15 AM - 10 miles, 1:14:40 - Auburn. Easy run around town in the snow; last 3 miles in 7:03, 6:59, 6:37. Footing was less than ideal.

Tuesday
8:05 AM - 10 miles, 59:50 - Jarrin 10. Fartlek before work. 15:00 easy, 25:00 of pickups, steady mile in 5:19, easy 1/2 mile in 3:23, 2 miles of pickups back home in 5:42, 5:21. New PR for the loop!
7:00 PM - 4 miles, 30:00 - PR Running. Short shakeout on the treadmill after work. Need to get an iPod.

Wednesday
7:30 AM - 8 miles, 57:45 - Horgan Track. Easy out-n-back to the track. Cold and tired but otherwise no complaints.
7:00 PM - 4 miles, 30:00 - PR Running. Rat wheel after work. Started out real slow and worked my way down to slow.

Thursday
7:55 AM - 13 miles, 1:24:10 - McCracken Road. Out-n-back on the McCracken Road rollercoaster. First 3 miles easy in 21:35, then 10 miles steady progression in 1:02:35. Last 2 miles in 5:47, 5:34.

Friday
7:25 AM - 10 miles, 1:08:10 - Jarrin 10. Easy does it in the rain and slush. Too sloppy for strides.

Saturday
7:30 AM - 7 miles, 47:00 - Rockland 7. Relaxed run before work. 6 x 20/40 strides on the way home.

Totals: 85 miles, 9 runs. Solid week on the whole. Mileage was good, long run went well and the fartlek and progression run both served their respective purposes. I'm racing the aptly named Frostbite 15K tomorrow morning in Raynham and I'm excited to lace my flats back up again, even if I won't be able to untie them afterward.

Storming ahead

10:15 AM - 10 miles, 1:14:40 - Auburn.
RockPak 8 with a Shaw's add-on, plus 8 minutes of looping around the AHS parking lot mid-run. Hit 4 miles in just under 29:00 and clocked the last 3 in 7:03, 6:59 and 6:37. Likely north of 10 but definitely short of 11.

Apparently running in this shit was photo worthy.

Quote of the Day

"One of the biggest things I’ve learned over the years is that there is more than one way of doing things and no single workout works ideally for everyone."
- Matt Folk, Team Good River, and 39th place at the 2008 men's Olympic Marathon Trials

Run long, then get a ride home

8:45 AM - 19 miles, 2:05:00 - Westboro.
Long commute into work, ending at Casey's place in Westboro to clean up a bit before opening the store. Took the backroads through Auburn, Worcester, Millbury and Grafton, adding on 2 miles at the WHS track (6:06, 5:58) toward the end of the run with 6 x 100m strides mixed in for turnover. Solid run.

My normal commute into work usually takes me about 20 minutes, 25 tops if I stop for coffee and get stuck in a long line. This morning I decided to take the roundabout route into Westboro, spending just over two hours cruising at an average speed of 9.5 miles-per-hour through the scenic backroads of Auburn, Worcester, Millbury and Grafton. It was by far the most pleasant trip I've had into work in recent memory. I didn't use a drop of gas, just a packet of GU. I didn't sit in traffic but ran right by it instead. I didn't stop at red lights, I just ran through them. And best of all, I didn't wait in the drive-through line at Panera, just walked in and out of there in less than two minutes. I did, however, catch a ride home after my shift ended. Something tells me taking the long way home wouldn't have been so pleasant.

Quote of the Day

"It's amazing when you're in front, you feel nothing can stop you."
- Michael Aish, winner of today's Rock-n-Roll Arizona Marathon

All together now

10:40 AM - 14 miles, 1:25:00 - Windham Road.
Out-n-back in Pelham/Windham, NH with Casey Moulton. 2 miles easy (6:46, 6:28), 10 miles in 56:09 (5:37, 5:48, 5:41, 5:40, 5:33, 5:37, 5:34, 5:26, 5:24, 5:25), 2 miles easy (15:37). Solid workout, talked the entire way. Felt strong and in control throughout.

Casey Moulton and I aren't teammates. No, we're not coached by the same guy. We don't work together. Hell, we don't even live in the same area code. We do, however, share a similar goal - to go as fast as we can on April 21.

It's not a Hanson's, Team USA or Zap Fitness, but there's something truly unique and special about the New England running scene. Regardless of the singlet one wears on his or her back, runners from this region really do support one another like nowhere else in the country. Need proof?

Head out to the marathon course any Sunday morning from now until early April, or the Reggie Lewis Center on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, or to a rainy backroad in New Hampshire on a Friday morning in January and you can see it for yourself. All for one, one for all. It's a beautiful thing.

Quote of the Day

“He’s like the guys on the auto assembly line. You just keep doing the same job, over and over, but it’s what it takes to build the car."
- Keith Hanson on Brian Sell, U.S. Olympian

40 degrees of separation

8:15 AM - 13 miles, 1:26:00 - Worcester State.
Same loop as last week only much more pleasant weather conditions this time around. Man, what a difference 40 degrees makes.

Today was a long day and tomorrow will be a long workout so I'm gonna do the smart thing and get some rest.

Man, I'm even boring myself to sleep. Oh well, goodnight.

Quote of the Day

“Right now I don’t feel any pressure. That will change as we get closer. I just go out and prepare myself to run on the track and that’s all I can do. The amount of pressure I put on myself is usually enough.”
- Gary Reed, Canadian 800-meter stud

Fart-lekin' good

7:25 AM - 8 miles, 51:45 - RockPak 8.
15:00 easy, 5-4-3-2-1 minute fartlek with 1/2 time recovery, 14:45 easy back home. Good little workout, 5K effort or thereabouts on the fast stuff. Felt pretty strong.

7:20 PM - 6 miles, 43:00 - Westboro.
Post-work shakeout through the affluent streets of Westboro with a stop at the high school for 6 x 20-second hill charges mid-run. Hit the hills at a good clip, otherwise just plodding along.

It's getting late, I'm pretty tired and to be honest I really don't have much to babble about, but I stumbled upon this website today and it's chock full of cool links and other dorky running stuff worth giving a look. Check it out!

Quote of the Day

"I love running, so that in itself keeps me logging the miles. In terms of training at a high level, though, I guess I ultimately want to see how fast I can become."
- Josh Ordway, 21st at the 2008 men's Olympic Marathon Trials

Zapping my fitness

8:15 AM - 10 miles, 1:06:40 - Jarrin 10.
Reversed the regular direction just to switch things up a bit. 7:40, 7:17 and 6:40 for three of the early miles, no clue after that but apparently I picked up the pace. Legs expectedly tired but the effort felt comfortable.

That's right Rob, I named this loop after you brother. It will be a staple from here on out.

So I was feeling pretty tired when I rolled out of bed this morning, no doubt a direct result of an increased training load the past few days. Once I got going my legs felt a bit zapped but my stride felt smooth and aerobically I was never laboring. Combating the effects of cumulative fatigue will be the overarching theme from now until early April, so since I'm expecting it I'll try and keep my complaining to a minimum.

Heading into this training cycle I've got 15 months of mostly uninterrupted training under my belt, unlike before Vermont City last year when I was working off a few months of mediocre mileage and purposely conservative workouts. The end result there, given my abbreviated period of preparation, was both successful and encouraging, but now that I'm healthy, strong and structurally sound it's time to up the ante a little bit.

I'm coming off a fall of consistent training with some average cross country results and an unexpected half marathon PR, a combination of positive factors which has me excited about what I'll be able to do on the roads this spring. Over the next 12 weeks I'll be increasing my mileage, introducing some heftier workouts and racing some longer distances which will hopefully have me in rip-roaring shape come April 21st.

Another thing I'll be trying to do more of over these next few months is sleeping. A little rest goes a long way when one is training hard, so I'm going to make a real good effort to hit the hay at a decent hour from now until April 20. And now is as good a time as any to practice what I'm preaching. Goodnight.

Quote of the Day

"Then the guy whacked me in the face with a two-by-four. Talk about a buzzkill."
- Mark, physical therapist extraordinaire who refers a buttload of patients to the store, telling Rich and I about one of his adventures in Providence.

Dub 7's

8:50 AM - 7 miles, 46:45 - Rockland 7.
7:12 first mile, 27:10 for the middle 4, 6:15, 6:06 to finish things up. 6 x 20/40 strides on the way home.

7:05 PM - 7 miles, 51:00 - Easton Y.
Pre-Owen's jaunt from the Y with Bergs. Beelined it down Main Street and cut through campus before looping back. Clocked a 7:08 for the marked mile along outer perimeter.

15 weeks till Boston - one, five - in case you were wondering, counting or lost track.

Quote of the Day

"I always believed that not everyone could be a great natural marathoner, but if you had some ability, motivation might well get you there. I felt that in particular that the longer the event became, the more willpower, a lot of mileage, work and luck became the major factors."
- Bill Rodgers, Marathoning, page 85

An epic morning

Sunday, January 6th

8:30 AM - 17 Miles, 111 min
Back roads of Hudson, Stow, Maynard and Bolton w/Ryan

Today I had a chance to experience running along the backroads of the forgotten towns of Hudson, Stow, Maynard and Bolton. You likely have never heard of any of aforementioned towns, and that's unfortunate because they're home to such slices of Americana as the Horseshoe Pub, the Honeypott Hill Orchard, Mark Mayall and numerous Indian uprisings during King Phillips War, respectively. Well, more importantly, these towns are also prime running real estate during the winter months, governed by none other than the elder statesman of New Balance Boston, Ryan Carrara.

On a gorgeous January morning, we started the run from Ryan's house and ran down scenic Route 62 for a skosh until we reached solace of the backroads of Stow. We followed the scenic asphalt trail through Stow (about 5 miles long), cut briefly through Maynard and Bolton and looped around to eventually follow the same way back to historic Hudson. It was a really great run and I couldn't have asked for a better location. I now know why it is one of Ryan's favorite places to run for hours on end. After the run, we concluded our morning by going to brunch at Christy Mae's cafe in the dining room and had some great home style food, including the infamous Swedish tea ring, reheated waffles with real maple syrup, canned pineapples and the best instant coffee this side of 495. Overall, it was a great morning and gave me some quality time with quality friends.

Training Log (Dec 30-Jan 5)
Sunday: 18 Miles, 125 min
Monday: AM- 8 Miles, 56 min. PM- 6 Miles, 45 min
Tuesday: 6 Miles, 48 min
Wednesday: AM- Miles, 36 min. PM- 1 Mile, 7 min
Thursday: 13 miles, 88 min
Friday: AM- 5.5 Miles, 40 min. PM- 8.5 Miles, 60 min
Saturday: 10 Miles, 66 min

Total = 81 Miles, 10 runs
Great week. Daily runs are feeling easy, I'm recovering well after one-mile treadmill runs and can't wait for April 21st.

One at a time

7:15 AM - 10 miles, 1:06:00 - Jarrin 10.
16:00 easy, 10 x 1:00 hard/1:00 easy, 31:00 easy back home. Felt good to stretch the legs out a bit.

81 miles for the week, one good long run, one easy maintenance workout and one minor lapse in focus. Got back on track pretty quickly though and managed to put a decent chunk of steady mileage in the bank before things really start kicking into gear this coming week. The fun gets underway roughly nine hours from now at la casa de Carrara with the first Squires fartlek of the Boston buildup. Better get my ass to bed. Goodnight.

Quote of the Day

"I would like to see how good I can get. There’s only a short window to find that out. I do not want to live in regret years from now, wondering if I could have run a faster race."
- Pat Rizzo, Hanson's stud

Friday fun

8:35 AM - 5.5 miles, 40:00 - Hopedale.
Many a loop around Hopedale with Mark and Katie, just counting down the minutes to a long-awaited Town Common breakfast.

3:30 PM - 8.5 miles, 1:00:00 - Stonehill.
Random romp around campus and the sheep pasture with Sean and Di. 6 x 100m strides afterward, alternating between turf and track.

Got in some good miles today with a bunch of great friends, a fitting end to what has been an awesome couple of weeks.

My exhausted ass is going to bed. Goodnight.

Quote of the Day

"C'mon man, even Babe Ruth got to play at Yankee Stadium."
- Sean, justifying jumping the fence to do strides on the brandy new Stonehill track this afternoon.

Chillin' out

8:30 AM - 13 miles, 1:28:10 - Worcester State.
Worcester State loop with Sean, which came out to exactly 13.1 miles on his Garmin. Good run - cold as balls outside but my Sugoi wind briefs worked like a charm. Nice rebound from yesterday.

You know a guy's your best friend when he meets you without hesitation for a 13-mile run at 8:30 in the morning when it's 6 degrees out with a windchill that made it feel 15 degrees colder than that. I can't think of too many people, never mind someone with a mailing address in San Diego, that would be up for such a ludicrous endeavor.

And believe me, 90 minutes out there on the roads this morning was indeed ludicrous. Still, it was a helluva lot better than the 7 minutes I spent on the dreadmill last night. The fresh arctic air soothed my soul and froze just about everything else, and by the end of the run I was slurring my words worse than Joe Namath trying talk to Suzy Kolber. Hey, at least the roads were clear.

Quote of the Day

"We will either find a way, or make one."
-Hannibal

Sad 6

7:15 AM - 5 miles, 36:40 - Pakachoag.
Easy run on the roads before scheduled meeting with the electrician, who inconveniently decided not to show up - again.

7:25 PM - 1 mile, 7:15 - Treadmill.
Planned on doing a progression run on the treadmill after work but realized after about 5 minutes it just wasn't happening. Pathetic.

Quote of the Day

"Circumstances - what are circumstances? I make circumstances."
-Napoleon Bonaparte