Thursday Double

I did an easy 6 miles in Boston along the Charles River this morning. I tried keeping the pace honest and slow. I never looked at my watch and just tried to run by feeling, making sure that nothing hurt and that I was not sore. I locked into a nice steady rhythm and had a very enjoyable run.

Tonight Brad and I put in another 4.2 in Claremont. We ran from my house down to the Junction and back to the base of Bible Hill. It was a great run. I haven't run with anyone in a while, and it was nice to be able to hold a conversation as we ran down the road. I am happy with todays workouts.

Frozen Beard

I did 10.5 miles this morning in Claremont. I went around Winter St extension and came back into town on Elm Street. This is one of my favorite loops. It is pretty hilly too, which added a nice element. It was 2 degrees when I stepped off, but thankfully there was no wind. When I finished I looked at myself in the mirror and my entire beard was covered in ice. It was the coolest looking thing. I managed to run 7:24 mpm pace as an average which is way faster than I thought I was going. I figured that I would have been around the 7:45 range. Well, I am very happy with the workout and thankfully I didn't get frostbite of any kind. A double session tomorrow in Boston.

Back Home

Today was an 8 mile easy run to start the week. The word "easy" is kinda strange. The pace was not fast (7:27), but the weather was terrible and it made for a difficult hour of running. The first four miles were fine because the wind was at my back. However, after I turned around at Craigue Hill Road, the wind almost knocked me over it was gusting so hard. It was so cold that it went right to my core and froze me solid. I had ice chunks stuck to my beard when I got back to my house. My legs were like solid rocks by the time I was running the final half mile. A hot shower, coffee, a dry hooded sweatshirt and a warm fire has made that run a distant memory. I can't wait to go out again tomorrow!

Day Off

No running. Scheduled day off. Another tough week coming up.

Running in Place

I did 16 miles today on the treadmill. I set the incline to 1% and left it alone. The goal of the workout was two fold: run long, and run progressively faster each mile; I accomplished both of these things. I started out by running slightly over 8:00 mpm pace. Each mile I increased the speed of the treadmill by 0.1 MPH (roughly 5-10 seconds per mile faster). I did the final mile in 6:58 pace. Overall, the pace was 7:39, but it was anything but even paced. This was the first time that I have run over 12 miles on the treadmill. It wasn't terrible, but I certainly prefer doing long runs on the road. 10 miles and under is definitely manageable on the treadmill. Gotta love New England! It was 30 degrees and pouring rain today when I wanted to head out the door. That, coupled with being strapped for time forced this workout to happen indoors, and like the title suggests I ran in place for a little over 2 hours.

So Tired

Last night was our first night with Connor. It felt like we were up every 30 minutes. It has been too long since we woke up with a baby throughout the night. The feedings/changings took upwards of 45 minutes each, meaning that our sleep was completely ruined. To make matters more interesting, Matt literally pealed open my eye lids this morning and told me that it was time to wake up. By 8:30 I was awake. I had a cup of coffee then headed to the road for a 5.5 mile easy run. The pace was easy, but the route I chose to run was super hilly. I ended up doing a 7:34 mpm pace, but it felt smooth. A hard 17 miler tomorrow morning.

Merry Christmas!

I did a real easy 10.85 miler out to Newton at 8:00 pace. I was pretty sore. It was a little bit longer than my run on Wednesday because I started at the Longwood/Brookline intersection. My hands got so cold that I had lingering pain all day on my left thumb. uh oh! I went out at 5:00 in the morning, and I snuck back into the apartment before anyone woke up. The other news of the day is that Connor was released from the hospital today. We will have a couple weeks with him before he goes back in.

Thursday Double

This morning I did a really easy 6 miles along the Charles River at 7:50 mpm pace. The weather was great, and the scenery was second to none. I feel really good after yesterday's run. I am going to sneak in another easy 4 miler this afternoon to get 10 in total for the day.

This afternoon I did another 4.65 miles on the Riverway trail. I ran super easy and just rocked out with music. In the end I think I was running around 7:45 mpm. It was a nice run. I didn't wait long enough after I ate and I had my whole lunch bouncing around my gut. My legs were a little bit sore. Stretch and relax for tomorrow morning's medium long run.

Young at Heart

The photo that I attached is of the "Young at Heart" statue. It is a statue dedicated to Johnny Kelly, the Boston Marathon Legend. It sits at the 19 mile mark of the Boston Marathon route, and served as my turn-around point today. This week I am working on endurance, so no formal workouts. Just longer runs with some marathon pace running today and Sunday. This morning I was a steady 10.5 mile run out to Newton. The loop was quite hilly. I ran 7:33 pace on the way to the turn around, and 7:06 back to the finish. The second half of the run is where the hills were. I locked into a really smooth rhythym and ran a pace that I would have been comfortable holding for a long time. I am very happy with how this went.

A Good Start

I ran an easy 8 miles out through Roxbury to Franklin Park. This was not the nicest area of Boston. I am surprised that I kept my pace below 8:00 mpm because I was running through snow for some of this run. Not deep snow, but places where the footing was real lousy and it was hard to keep moving forward. There was a lot of traffic, and it was hard to negotiate intersections at times. I am probably not going to do this one again. Maybe, but I doubt it. However, it was nice to get in a leisurely 8 miles to start the week. A steady 10 miler tomorrow with some strides after. The schedule doesn't call for another tempo run until next week.

Day Off

No Running. Schedule day off.

Sunday Double

The weather was far too treacherous to brave the outdoors. I took my workout inside to the treadmill. Because of time constraints I broke up my scheduled long run into two parts. In the morning I did a steady 10.15 mile run at 7:41 mpm pace and I felt incredible.

In the afternoon, I did another 7 miles. This time the goal of the workout was to do the middle 3 miles at marathon pace (7:00 mpm). I did the 2 mile warm-up at 7:53 mpm, 3 miles at 6:57 mpm, and a 2 mile cool-down at 7:53 mpm. I felt incredible during the workout. I had zero soreness of any kind. All told this was a great week of training. 8 total runs and 61 miles, plus my body weight finally dropped below 170 lbs for the first time in years. Another 3 weeks at 60 miles and then I will pick up the mileage again.

Shake Out

I did an easy 5 miles this morning along the Charles River to shake my legs out after yesterdays workout. It was a beautiful run because I was out there during sunrise. It was still super cold outside. I was a tad sore at the start from yesterdays long treadmill session. Tomorrow's long run has the potential to suck real bad if we get a lot of snow. It looks like it is going to be bad weather all day, so I will probably just go at 7:00 AM after it gets light outside and get it over with. That way I can complain about it all day...

Medium Long Run

I did 11.5 miles this morning on the treadmill. I was really excited to run out to Newton and come back over Heartbreak Hill, but it was still way too cold to run outside. I woke up at 5:30 to workout and it was -4 degrees. The run on the treadmill was awful. I never really got into a rhythym and I was miserable and dizzy most of the time. The first 7.5 miles I ran random hills, the last 4 miles I put the incline at 1% and I worked on pace. All told I ran 7:49 mpm pace as an average. This is going to be an interesting weekend of working out with the storm coming...

Thursday Double

I started the day off with an easy 6 miles on my treadmill at home. We went back to NH last night to visit with Matt and to have Sara's birthday dinner at my parents' house. I was excited to run outside, but it's 5 degrees and with the windchill the meteorologist says that it feels like -5. I was all set with that. I am going to get in another easy 4 this afternoon to loosen up before tomorrow's medium long run.

I got in another 4 miles at the gym in Boston tonight. I took it really easy, and just cruised along at 7:45 pace. 12 miles tomorrow morning.

Tempo Run

I did the first workout of my Boston Marathon training cycle this morning. It was a total distance of 9.75 miles. I did a 2.55 mile warm-up to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, then did three loops on the trail around the reservoir at a hard pace. The total distance of hard running was 4.65 miles. I did a 2.55 mile cool-down after, which brought me back to the apartment. The hard running went very well, except for the 20 MPH wind and sub-freezing temperatures. My splits were: 10:03, 10:01, and 9:52. Total time was 29:57, and my overall pace was 6:26 mpm. I felt really strong and I had a lot more to give. Not only was this good for my fitness, but psychologically it was huge to start this program off on such a good step. I am thrilled! Double session tomorrow.

A Good Start

I did a nice easy 8.3 miles this morning out to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and back. I added on by going down some bike paths and heading towards Brookline to begin the run. I ran comfortably in anticipation of tomorrow's tempo run. Overall, it was a 7:34 mpm pace. Not bad, and like the title suggests it was a good start to the week.

Day Off

No running today. Scheduled day off.

Sunday Long Run

I ran from the intersection of Longwood/Riverway out to Beacon St, up Chestnut Hill, and onto Commonwealth Ave. From there I went to the Newton Fire Station which is at the intersection of Rt. 30 and Rt. 16. It was a 14 mile total trip, and I felt incredible. I pushed the second half pretty hard. I ran up the "Hills of Newton" on the way back. They consist of about 4 climbs through the town of Newton and culminates with "Heartbreak Hill" right near Boston College. I ended up running a 7:34 mpm pace overall. Tomorrow off, then I start the actual training program on Tuesday morning.

Shake Out

I did an easy 4.7 miler this morning out to Brookline and then west on Rt. 9 towards Newton. I ran real easy and just got the legs moving enough so that I am loose for tomorrow's long run. I am planning on running out to the Newton Fire Station which is at the intersections of Rt. 16 and Commonwealth Ave. It should be just over 14 miles and almost all of it is part of the Boston Marathon race course. It should be pretty hilly too, which will be good.

Medium Long Run

I did 10.15 miles this morning out to Newton and around Boston College. I added a few roads that had some substantial hills. I also had my first experience running on Heartbreak Hill. I ran down it today, but next time I do this loop I will probably reverse the direction so I get the experience of running up it. On the way down it didn't seem too bad. Not very steep, but a little long. It was a really good run except for the fact that it was absolutely frigid and the first half of the run was directly into the wind. I ran just under an 8:00 mpm pace which was exactly where I wanted to be.

Thursday Double

Well, I am finding it hard to log onto the internet around here. However, I have just found the Center for Families in Children's Hospital and they have computers that I can use. This morning I got up at 6:00 and did a 6.5 mile run out to Boston College and then I did a mile of strides on the Riverway trail.

Tonight I did an easy 4 miler on the treadmill at the FitCorp gym. The gym is about 400 yards from our apartment. Because Connor is a patient at Children's Hospital, we get free use of their facility during our stay. The people were super nice there. My legs felt pretty good during the afternoon run. I need to spend a bunch of time stretching tonight though or I am going to seize up. A 10 mile medium long run tomorrow.

Evening Jaunt

Todays run got pushed till way late in the day. As soon as I opened my eyes this morning I started to move all our stuff from the hotel room to the new apartment. By the way, super cool apartment. Not overly huge, but perfect for what we need for the next several weeks. Other than that we made trips to Children's Hospital to visit Connor, who is doing quite well. By 4:30 I finally got out the door to go for a run. 8 miles was on the agenda. I ran to the riverway path and did six loops on that again. I ran by a couple people getting high in the park. The first couple passes by them they seemed kinda sketchy about me, but as I ran more, and they got higher, I seemed to be less of a threat to them. Anyway, a great run tonight. A double session tomorrow comprising probably of 11 miles and some strides.

Riverway Loop

I did 8.1 miles on the Riverway bike path. It is a loop that goes about 1.35 miles around a small dirty river. There are some nice bridges and stuff that you run underneath on the trail. The trail is very nice, and it was not congested with other runners or bikers. I ran a bit harder than I wanted to. I wanted something around 7:40 mpm pace and I did about 7:24 or so. I did the last loop at a 7:00 pace. A great start to the week, and a bonus that I found such a good place to run so close to where we are living!

Rest Day

Day off. I had to fight the urge to go running, because I need the day to fully recover. This is the last building week before I start my training program. Need to stay rested!

Sunday Double

I ran from BIDMC out Longwood Ave to Beacon Street to Cleveland Circle, up Chestnut Hill then I did a loop around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. I then turned back towards Boston. It was a fantastic first run in the big city. The streets and sidewalks were still snow covered and messy from yesterdays storm. I had cramps because I was so severely dehydrated. I have been downing the water ever since. I am planning on geting in another run this afternoon.

I did another run tonight from the hospital up Brookline Ave to Fenway Park, down Commonwealth Ave to Mass Ave and onto the pedestrian trail that goes alongside the Charles River. It was a nice run. I took the wrong road on the way to the trail, but I found my way with a quick detour. All told I put in about 13 miles today.

It's a Boy!

Connor Ray Wilmot was born today at 6:48 PM. Labor started at 3:30 in the morning, and after 15 hours and three hospitals he was finally born in Boston. I snuck in a quick six miles today before I left for Boston. I ran it as a progression run, and did the final two miles at 6:58 pace. I was so stressed that I couldn't keep my thoughts. I figured I would try to sweat out the nerves. It helped for 45 minutes during my workout, but it all came right back as soon as I got done. I never got a chance to stretch or cool-down after so I got progressively tighter as the day went on. I am going to get out for the first time in Boston tomorrow morning. We'll see how that goes with snow all over the ground...

Shake Out

An easy 6+ miler out Washington St to the new Loewes parking lot. Cruised along at a 7:56 mpm pace. My legs were still a little sore from yesterdays double, which included the faster afternoon run. I am pretty excited for tomorrow's race.

Thursday Double

I did an easy 6 miles this morning on the treadmill. The weather was not condusive to outdoor running. For the first 5 miles I held a pretty consistent pace of 7:54 mpm. During the last mile I did 8 strides, of about 25 seconds each. I pulled a 5:18 mpm pace for the strides, and 10:00 pace for the length in between them. I feel really good now. I am going to get in a real easy 4 miles this afternoon.

I did another 4.25 this afternoon on Maple Ave. I ran 7:00 mpm pace which was a lot faster than I wanted to do. However, I felt really good...oh well. A really slow and easy 6 tomorrow morning to loosen up before Saturdays race. As these donations keep coming in I get super motivated and excited about this whole process. Thank you so much everyone!

Easy Run

I ran the same route as yesterday, but I did it a hair slower today. Yesterday I ran the 8 miles at about a 7:30 mpm pace, and today I did it closer to 7:35 mpm. It was an awesome run. Again, I got into a nice rhythm and lost myself in thought. I kinda like running when it is cold out too...not sure why. Tomorrow will be my first double session since the marathon.

General Aerobic Run

I ran for an hour this morning and put in a nice easy 8 miles. The route took me out Washington St, up Roberts Hill, and turned around at the Craigue Hill intersection. I got into a really nice rhythm and just went with a pace that felt comfortable. It was a great way to start the week, and I have no pain of any kind.

Day Off

No running today. Scheduled day off. After six days in a row it is nice to finally have a day off.

Sunday Long Run

Joel and I stepped off on this 12 mile run at 6:30. We went from my house through Kellyville via Chandler Mills Rd, up John Stark Higway into Newport then to my parents house via Pollards Mills Rd. This is one of my favorite routes to run. The first 6 miles are very easy, but the last 6 has very little flat ground. I ran negative splits (2nd half faster) today so I am pretty psyched about that. Overall pace was a 7:55 mpm. My body felt pretty good except for some muscle tightness in my calves, but I think that was related to the cold air.

Easy Run

I did an easy 6 miler on the treadmill. I wanted to run outside today, but the wind gusts were up to 30 mph. I decided that I would sacrifice the outdoors, and go for round two on the new treadmill. The run was good. I mixed in some hill running as well. I am trying to learn the different user settings and programs on the treadmill. It was a good workout in my new home gym before the family ever got out of bed. A twelve miler tomorrow.

General Aerobic Run

I did an easy 7 miler on my new Treadmill! It was fantastic. I threw in a half mile of uphill running every mile. Overall I pulled about a 7:40 pace. After I got done with the 7, I did an extra mile of strides. For this I did 7 repeats of .07 miles at 11 MPH and then .07 miles at 6 MPH. Next time I do treadmill strides I will probably do 20 seconds hard, 40 seconds easy and I will do that whole revolution 8 times to get in the extra mile. It will be a lot easier to control that way. An easy 6 tomorrow and then 12 on Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving

I did an easy 4.2 miler this morning that went out Washington St then cut back over the RR trestle and came back into town on the rail trail. I felt really good and comfortable. The goal was to run easy today, which I did for the most part. Tomorrow I am scheduled to do a 7 miler with about a mile of strides afterwards. I stretched a lot after I got done running this morning and I hope to stay real loose before tomorrow's run. I haven't run more than three consecutive days in a while. Knee is still pain free.

Onto non-running news, Heather went into labor last night so her and Chris won't be joining us for Thanksgiving. However, Logan will probably be joining us by the end of the day!

General Aerobic Run

I did a nice 7.4 mile loop that went out Sugar River Drive and around the Case Hill Rd area. I felt amazing and I really tried working on the hills. I got to the first mile at 6:55 and realized that I was running a bit too hard. I ended up running a 7:20 mpm for the run. Everything seemed to go right today. This run was like the one or two good golf shots that you have every round...it will get you coming back everytime. No pain of any kind.

Shake Out

I did an easy 6 miler on the treadmill at Twisted Fitness at 7:45 pace. I had three blisters on my right foot that were quite sore yesterday. After soaking them in epsom salts last night I started to get some relief. Todays run felt incredible and I had no pain of any kind. My legs were still a tad sore from Sunday's race, but overall not too bad. My knees felt great. I feel encouraged that everything is starting to get back to normal.

Hanover 10K Turkey Trot

Today Mark Chase and I braved the 10K Turkey Trot in Hanover. I've wanted to run this race for a long time, but I've never been in shape this late in the fall. After getting registered I did a warm-up that was just over 2 miles, then changed into my racing flats and did some strides on the Dartmouth Green. My plan was to tackle this like a long tempo run and be just under a 6:30 mpm pace. Well, the mile markers were not very accurate in the middle of the race, so I couldn't tell exactly what my splits were. I knew I was in the low 6:00 range by the way my body and stride felt. I settled into a really nice rhythm about 2 miles in and held it there until mile 5, at which point I had to summon everything I had to hold my pace. I finished in 38:37 (6:13 mpm) which was a personal best by a long shot. I am quite happy with the race, and remarkably, I had zero acute pain in my knees. The race was also a bit of a surprise, because I haven't really done any hard core workouts since before the marathon. I feel like I am in great shape right now, and I am really interested to see how this next training cycle pans out. Up next, a couple fast 5Ks then 2010 Boston Marathon training full speed ahead!

Easy Run

I did an easy 6+ miler which went out Washington Street and turned around at the new Lowe's parking lot. I felt really good, and I pushed the last 1/2 mile or so. The pace felt comfortable, and I think I am set up pretty good for tomorrow's Turkey Trot 10K in Hanover. I am planning on running somewhere just under 6:30 pace, unless of course that feels easy. It will be a good solid workout either way.

General Aerobic Run

I did 7 miles on the treadmill at the gym. I was planning on running outside so I laid out all my clothes last night in order to leave the house without creating too much of a disturbance. When I got up it was raining so hard that I thought I would need flippers instead of running shoes. I decided to hit the gym instead. The run went amazingly well and I had zero knee pain. When I got done I worked on ankle stabilization for a little bit. The pace was comfortable during the run and I decided to do my final mile at 7:00 pace (marathon pace). I felt strong and in control. An easy run tomorrow and then my first post-marathon race on Sunday!

Day Off

No Running. My knee feels incredible today. I am now working on ankle stability exercises to help correct this problem. My physical therapist believes that the ITBS is most likely caused by ankle instability. Light at the end of the tunnel......

Hills

I did 6 miles this morning on the treadmill at Twisted Fitness. My schedule didn't call for a workout, but I wanted to do something a little harder than normal. I chose hills. I put the pace at 7:53 and chose a hill session with an intensity level of 10 on a scale from 0-20. The "workout" went something like this:

60 second recovery at 1.5% grade
60 seconds at 4.5% grade
60 second recovery at 1.5% grade
60 seconds at 5.5% grade
60 second recovery at 1.5% grade
60 seconds at 6.5% grade
60 second recovery at 1.5% grade
60 seconds at 7.8% grade

I did this whole revolution 6 times, and I put in 6 miles and a cooldown. It wasn't too bad until the last revolution when I was really getting sick of running the grades. All-in-all, a great run with very little pressure on the knee.

Easy Run

I did an easy 10K on the treadmill at Twisted Fitness. My knee felt pretty good. I rocked out with the iPod. I am finding it very easy to run on the treadmill when I have music. Time goes by super fast and I am not really bored when I have tunes. I am going to run 6 miles on the road tomorrow morning.

10 Mile Progression Run

Joel and I did a 10.4 mile progression run that started at his house and went along the rail trail the whole way until the finish at The Home Depot. We stayed together for the first 7.4 then ran our own paces the last three miles. I ran a pace that felt hard, but one that I could control for a long time. I was in a nice rhythym and pulled just under 7:00 pace for the final three miles. I am still having some knee issues, and it is starting to annoy me. It is good to get back into harder running again.

Easy Run

I did an easy 10K on the treadmill at Twisted Fitness at 8:00 pace. I felt really good and just got into a zone listening to my music. I had a little knee pain on the left side. I noticed that the pain is no longer on the outside of my knee, but it is now just below my knee cap. Tomorrow off then 10 on Sunday.

Fartlek Run

Brandon and I did a 6 mile fartlek run on the superhighway. We did a 1 mile warm-up then did intervals of 30s, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 and 1:00. Equal rest between the intervals. The goal was to run 8:00 pace for the cooldowns, and 7:00 pace for the hard intervals. I think I was probably closer to 6:30 and 7:30. Overall, the workout went very well and I had very little knee pain at all. It was a good first workout after the marathon, and something to build from. I am finding that I didn't lose nearly as much fitness as I thought I was going to. I still feel pretty strong and snappy.

10 miler

I ran the Sugar River 10 miler with Brandon. It was a really good run, and we pushed the last two miles a bit harder. I had no soreness in my legs, but I did have some tightness in my left knee still.

Bald Hill

Ran my favorite loop with Brad in Bellows Falls, VT. This is an amazing run with some great sections of road and trail. The loop is pretty secluded so you don't have much traffic. My knee was sore for most of the run, but that is probably because it hasn't had much rest since last night. We hammered the last mile, and my knee actually started to feel better during that part. I am taking tomorrow off, then I will probably run 10 miles with Brandon on Monday.

Medium Hard Run

I ran the Ainsworth Road loop. I started out real hard and did the first mile in about 6:45 pace. I slowed after that a bit, but I still ended up running a pretty hard clip. My legs and left knee felt really good. My diet has been terrible the last two days, and I had Ramunto's pizza 2 hours before this run that was bouncing all around in my gut. I actually thought that I was going to throw-up for a little while. Overall pace was about 7:20. Tomorrow off and then 6 or 7 on Sunday.

Easy Run

I did just over 5 miles today on the treadmill at Twisted Fitness. My knee was a little sore at the beginning, but by about 2 miles into the run it was relatively pain free. After I got done running I went home and stretched quite a bit. Following the stretching I had zero pain or pressure in my knee at all! Yehaaaaaaaa! The actual run went very well. I built from an 8:00 pace to a 7:30 pace and held 7:30s for the middle 2 miles. During the last mile I started picking up the pace a bit more, and I finished the last 1/4 mile at my goal marathon pace for Boston...7:00. I felt amazing! Have I beaten the IT band?

Shake Out

My first run since the marathon. I had some minor pain still in my left knee. I did a half mile warm-up on the track then stretched for about 10 minutes. I then ran 2.25 miles on the track, alternating the direction each mile. I noticed that the turns were still putting a lot of pressure on the outside of my knee. I decided to get off the track and I ran about 2 more miles on the rail trail heading towards Market Basket. By the time I got to about 3 miles my legs got super tight and it was similar to the soreness I experience at the end of a long run. I love the marathon! I am going to spend a lot of time stretching, icing, and I will take tomorrow off. 5 on Wednesday.

Cape Cod Marathon

Coming into the race, I was feeling really strong. Joel and I met in Falmouth on Friday night and we ran the last 4.2 miles of the race course. It was pretty hilly, but I thought that it would pale in comparrison to the hills of Sippiwissett. I had very little knee pain during that run. I took Saturday off, and my knee finally felt close to normal. My body felt rested, and mentally I knew that I was ready.

As the cannon went off to start the race I held back so much that I felt like I was almost walking. At one point I heard a guy who was running next to me tell his son that we were running 7:00 pace and I almost broke out in laughter at his pathetic attempt to judge pace. As I got closer to the mile mark I saw the clock and to my horror it read 6:50. I thought I was doomed. I tried slowing down, but I couldn't go much slower than I was already moving. I decided that I would try to lock into a good rhythym and see what happened. Ultimately, that worked well, and I was hovering around 7:00 pace for much of the first 17 miles.

The knee pain held off until about 13 miles, at which point I could start feeling twinges of pain come and go. It was nothing serious, but it made me cognizant that there was still an issue. By about 15 miles the knee pain was a little worse, but still nothing like my run 7 days ago. When I got to the water stop at 15 miles I ate my second GU pack. I had a real hard time keeping anything down, water included, and I could have thrown up at any given moment. By 19 miles I took my last cup of fluid, then went for the finish on whatever fluid I had left in my system. At this point the hills were still not having a huge effect, but my pace was coming down a little bit.

By 22 miles I was working so hard and was getting nothing in return. The last 4 miles of the race were terrible, with me pushing for everything I had and sneaking out 8:30 miles. Also, I was so dehydrated and sugar deprived that I was starting to get dizzy. Anyway, I finished in 3:11:55, which was a 20:00 PR. I am extremely happy. As much as I wanted to qualify for Boston, I certainly will take the 3:12. Next goal is a marathon at 7:00 pace! A week of rest and then another building phase before Boston on April 19, 2010. Here are my splits for the race:

Mile 1- 6:51
Mile 2- 7:07
Mile 3- 7:07
Mile 4- 7:09
Mile 5- 7:16
Mile 6- 7:19
Mile 7- 7:15
Mile 8- 7:07
Mile 9- 7:07
Mile 10- 6:56
Mile 11- 6:58
Mile 12- 7:09
Mile 13- 6:52
Halfway- 1:33:06
Mile 14- 6:57
Mile 15- 6:52
Mile 16- 7:18
Mile 17- 6:46
Mile 18- 7:00
Mile 19- 7:07
Mile 20- 7:19
Mile 21- 7:19
Mile 22- 7:29
Mile 23- 7:49
Mile 24- 8:18
Mile 25- 8:22
Mile 26- 8:59
Finish-3:11:55

Wow!

Since my last post I have had two sessions of physical therapy and two full days without running. I am not going to say that the knee pain is gone, but todays run was definitely the best I have had in weeks. I noticed that the pitch of the road is what triggers the pain. It seems like running on the left side of the road, which is obviously sloped to the left, is the worst. However, even compensating for that, there are times when my foot strike just doesn't agree with the IT band. Anyway, I did 6 miles today at marathon pace. I wasn't trying for this, but it just happened. The pace felt really comfortable. If I can make it through the race without my knee totally going to crap, I think I am capable of something special (for me).

Knee Pain

I headed out the door with the belief that I was going to run 10 miles at a fairly easy pace. However, about 1.5 miles into the run, I started contemplating whether that was a good idea. My knee hurt, and it was causing my whole left leg to ache. By 2.5 miles I decided to scrap it and turn around. By the time I got to 3.5 miles the pain was real bad and it was starting to effect my stride. I noticed that my right leg was now starting to ache from doing more of the work. As a result, I stopped and walked back home. I am definitely not excited about this, but I am not totally in the dumps either. I am keeping a positive attitude. I know that in time the pain will subside and I will be back to myself again. I am going to take at least the next three days off. I have physical therapy Monday-Wednesday. I will probably try to run something real light on Thursday and/or Friday, but my goal is simply to get to the starting line in Falmouth 7 days from now. I will probably have to adjust my race plan because of this, but I recognize that this isn't the pinnacle of my running career and I will have other opportunities to run marathons. With that said, I still want to PR!

Day Off

Today was a scheduled day off. I contemplated running because I already took a second day off on Wednesday. However, I thought the cost of doing a short run would far outweigh the benefits of another day off to rest my knee. I am going to try and get in an easy 10 tomorrow morning before work.

Easy Run

I ran for an hour, most of which was along the superhighway. I thought that this would help with the pain in my knee, but I am starting to think that the trail is only aggravating the situation. I noticed that running on the softer parts of the trail is where I had the most pain, and running on the pavement I had the least. I think that the connective tissue and muscles are having to do a lot more work on the trail, thereby aggravating the ITB. I ran a pretty good clip on the way to the turn-around, but pulled back the reins on the way back.

Easy Run

I ran an easy 5 miler on the superhighway. My leg felt pretty good. It was stiff towards the end, but definitely manageable. I have my first round of physical therapy tomorrow morning. I am going to shoot for an easy 5 or 6 in the afternoon.

Day Off

Unplanned day off. My knee is really bothering me today. It is worse now than it has been since the onset of the injury. I don't want to aggravate it anymore before the race. Not happy about taking the day off...

Easy Run

Joel and I did a nice easy 7 miles on the superhighway. My knee felt pretty good, and in comparrison to last week it was much better. I am taking a lot of time stretching and rehabing this injury in hopes that I will be 100% recovered by race day. The good news is that today was a step in the right direction. What horrible timing to develop an injury in the first week of the taper!

Day Off

Scheduled day off. Spent a lot of time icing and stretching my IT band.

Long Run

I did a really nice 16 mile loop that went over Dump Hill and came back into town on Chandler Mills Rd. It was pretty cold outside and this was the first time that I have worn a winter hat. The foliage was perfect and there was very little traffic. Now for the bad news...my knee is still bothering me, and it was a constant dull pain the entire run. As a result, I was forced to run real easy. I think tomorrow's day off should definitely help. The good news about the pain is that it never really intensifies, and it is absent unless I am running. Furthermore, the pain didn't start to ache today until I was about 2 miles in, which is better than previous runs. I will take more time off this coming week if it doesn't start to feel better.

Easy Run

The title doesn't do this justice. I did 4 short miles this morning before going to work for the day. I felt terrible. I played basketball last night and now I am sore. That compounded my soreness from yesterday's 10 miler. My left foot near the small toe hurt, both knees were achy, and my hips felt like they had been grinded with a Dremel tool. I soaked my feet in Epsom salts after and I am going to ice my knees several times this afternoon.

Medium Long Run

I ran a new 10 mile loop that went up Winter Street to the end and came back into town on Elm Street. It was a really good route, and I will definitely do it again. It was dark so I didn't get much scenery, but it was still enjoyable. I did have that same left knee pain again, but it would come and go and was definitely not as painful as yesterday. The pain is the worst immediately after stopping, and then it completely goes away for the rest of the day. I am going to treat it vigorously over the next couple days.

Recovery Run

I ran a nice easy 6 miler down by the St. Mary's Cemetery. I am really glad that the taper is upon us, because I am starting to have tweaks and pain all over. My left knee was real sore, and my right achilles tendon was still a bit sore as well.

Tempo Run

I ran a 7 mile loop and did the middle 4 miles at tempo pace. The weather was terrible; it was raining, windy and cold. I didn't sleep very well last night, but with all these excuses I still ran pretty well. I managed to pull a 25:51 total time, which is a 6:27 pace. I am unsure where the mile splits were exactly, but I think I was pretty close. I estimate that my splits were: 6:33, 6:20, 6:35, 6:23. I finally finished a tempo run without getting ill! The last 3/4 of a mile was really hard as the lactic acid was in full effect and I felt out of breath and struggling to maintain pace most of that time. Overall, I am pleased with the workout and I am glad that I got it in.

Recovery Run

Ran an easy 7 miler this morning to get things started for the week. I had some minor pain in my left knee and right achilles tendon. Nothing too concerning, but nagging after Sunday's long run. I ran a loop that went around Green Mountain. It was very enjoyable. Nice weather this morning.

Day Off

Took Monday off after yesterdays 22 miler. I feel better than expected.

Sunday Long Run

My dad, Joel and I took the trip to Falmouth today to run the first 22 miles of the race course. It was a very early morning, as we were southbound at 4:00 AM. After getting to Falmouth and driving the course, it was time to run at 9:00 AM. It was in the mid 60's which was unusually warm.

Once we started our run, I found that I was really having to hold back. I felt great and I could easily have held a pace around 7:00. However, I needed to conserve energy for the hills in the second half so I held consistently around 7:30 at the beginning. By the time I hit 15 miles the hills began and I was working hard to keep my rhythm up. The final 5 miles were a real test of fitness. I ended up finishing in 2:46:32 which is a 7:34 pace. I am most happy that I ran negative splits through the hills. Joel finished ahead of his goal marathon pace, and aside from his incredible pain he was very pleased.

This course is not to be taken lightly. The hills through Sippewisset are absolutely punishing and there is no getting away from them. Once they start, they go for 8 solid miles. It was an awesome run, and I now feel completely ready for the race...except for my taper. Thanks for the crew help Dad!

Saturday Shake-Out

I did a real easy 4 miler in Belmont. I haven't run this short in about a month, and I felt like I was cheating myself. I stayed the night with Kevin and Ashley and got up at 5:30 to get my run in for the day. It was cold, windy, and pouring rain when I went out. However, my body responded very nicely after yesterday's semi-long run. I am definitely ready for tomorrow's 22 mile pinnacle run on the marathon course in Falmouth!

Medium Long Run

I did my medium long run for the week starting from 590 South Main St in Newport and running along the superhighway to Chestnut St and then finishing at CPD. It was one of the more enjoyable runs I have had during this training cycle. It was so serene to be running on the trail at sunrise. I must outline why this was a great experience: 14.4 miles at sunrise, on a nice trail through the woods, along the river, at peak foliage season, in the crisp cool morning air, all by myself, with nothing but the sounds of wildlife and the pitter-patter of my feet on the trail. This is what running is all about!

My effort was good. I had a bit of soreness in my hips, but overall nothing unmanageable. The only problem was that there were times when I struggled to maintain a good rhythm when I was running through sections of soft gravel on the trail. Anyway, I managed to pull a 7:54 overall pace and I closed the last 2.5 miles in 7:30. Once I hit Washington St, I ran on the pavement until I got back on the trail to cut over to Chestnut St. I felt good on that short section of road and I was really able to hammer out a nice pace. Only a couple more runs and the taper begins!

Thursday Double

I did a nice 6 mile run this morning with Joel in Newport. We ran slow, but held nice conversation the whole time. I am going to do an easy 5 this afternoon on the superhighway.

I did a leisurely 5 after work on the superhighway. I was a bit sore, and couldn't seem to find a rhythm. There were times on the return trip when I felt good, but overall it was nothing special. I did manage to run a 7:52 pace with little effort. Tomorrow is my longest mid-week run of the program and it will be about 14.5 miles.

Long Tempo Run

Fenway Franks and Italian Sausages do not consititute a good carbo load before a hard workout. I had one of each last night at the Red Sox game. However, I stuck with my pledge and avoided all soda and alcohol. It was coffee and water for me yesterday! Anyway, I took today off from work and ran my tempo run at 9:00 AM. It was an 11.8 mile loop with a 3.5 mile warm-up, 5 miles at Tempo pace, and a 3.3 mile cooldown.

I didn't eat breakfast, but I did have a Nutri-Grain bar on my way out to the 8.5 mile mark where I dropped water. The temperature was perfect, but the air was pretty raw from all the rain we have been getting. There was also a pretty significant head wind at times. Fortunately, my tempo running was done in the trees so I wasn't very affected during the times when I needed to push hard. The tempo section went quite well overall, but I had a hard time keeping focused on the task at hand. My mind kept wondering to a place free of pain. I really had to work hard to keep on track. My splits were as follows: 6:22, 6:45, 6:47, 6:47, and 6:41.

I concluded my workout with a leisurely cooldown, which took me up Bible Hill again. That is my second trip over the hill already this week. I am refusing to stop at the bottom like many of my runs call for...not this week. Overall, my legs are feeling tired but they will definitely be ready to handle the rest of the hard work this week. NORMAN!

Easy Run

Nice easy 7.4 mile run around the Case Hill Road area. My legs were a little more stiff than I expected they would be. I was so excited to start my training this week that I couldn't sleep last night. I kept waking up in anticipation for this run. Long tempo run tomorrow.

Rest Day

A day off after another good week of training.

Sunday Long Run

Brad, Joel and I rocked the 16 mile loop that goes around Red Water Brook Road and winds its way up Jarvis Hill Road, finishing up Bible Hill back at my house. It is a super challenging loop, but one that I am quite fond of. All the hill sections are followed by a significant distance of flat where you can really work a nice rhythm. Brad and I put it in cruise control around 4 miles and hammered the rest of the way. I ran 9:00 faster than I did when I ran this back on 9/13. Very pleased with our effort today. I definitely feel like I am almost ready for Cape Cod.

Recovery Run

Brad and I did an awesome 6.7 mile loop in Bellows Falls which went over Bald Hill. We did this run together a couple years ago and it was enjoyable then as well. We held conversation pace the whole time today and had a nice relaxing outing. It was the first time this fall that I have run in pants. Colder weather is definitely upon us.

Medium Long Run

I ran to my parents' house. It was a pretty decent run. I timed it a little better so that I didn't run through darkness the entire time. I ended up finishing around 6:45 AM. My quads were sore from all the miles I have put in this week, but nothing too terrible. I ran this in negative splits again this week, which I am very pleased with. I ended up running a 7:58 average pace. Today marks the 1 month mark before the marthon. One more hard week of training and then a taper.

Thursday Double

I did an easy 6.2 this morning to loosen things up following yesterdays long tempo session. I felt really good the whole time. I jammed out to the iPod and had a very nice, relaxing run. I am going to put in another 5 tonight on the superhighway before tomorrow's 12 miler.

Ran a second time on the superhighway this afternoon. The run was awesome. I found out today that I got picked to run the 2010 Boston Marathon for the Children's Hospital. I was pretty jacked up. I could have run a lot faster, but I decided to keep it slow considering that I still have a 12 miler to run in the morning. I did 5 at 7:37 pace.

Long Tempo Run

Joel and I did a 12.3 mile run with the middle 5.2 miles at tempo pace. We started our workout at 3:30 in the morning! The course won't win any awards for creativity, as we went from Monadnock Park all the way out Main Street, turned onto Rt. 12A North and turned around at the Cornish Town Line. The tempo portion started and finished at the High Bridge. I marked those miles last night with road chalk, but it was too dark to see any of them this morning. I had a car pass by me at mile 1, so I was lucky enough to catch that split. It was a 6:40. I ended up covering the distance in 35:02 which is a 6:44 pace overall. I am extremely happy with that, as I ran entirely by how my body felt as opposed to what my watch told me. The first half was 17:24 and the second was 17:32. Very close. I probably would have been dead even, but I was looking for the 5 mile marker and not really concentrating on my pace like I should have been. Oh well. Now that the workout is overy my legs are trembling. I weighed myself when I got home and I am down to 170. That is almost 40 pounds lighter than I was in the winter.

Recovery Run

Today was a real easy 7 miler to loosen everything up for tomorrow's track session. I didn't really have any soreness to speak of. My hips were a little tight, but nothing out of the ordinary. I finished my morning workout by doing a mile on the track with 8 x 100m strides. 8 miles total today.

Rest Day

No running. I feel amazing following yesterdays long run. I could definitely run today, but I know that I shouldn't.

Sunday Long Run

Todays 21 miler went amazingly well. There were a few hiccups in the run, but nothing too serious. After a quick 30 second pitstop at 5 miles my stomach started to feel a lot better. My plan was to run the first half conservatively and gradually progress in the final 10 miles so I was somewhere around 7:30 pace by the end. I ended up at 80:37 at 10 miles which was exactly where I wanted to be. I went through my next 10 in 74:49. From mile 15 to the end I pushed really hard. I ran the 20th mile in 6:45. The 21st mile went up Bible Hill and my goal had been to run that one sub 8:00 pace. I ended up doing it in 7:44. I am extremely happy with the performance. I had no acute pain and no real soreness to speak of. I am also very impressed with the performance that Joel turned in today. It seems like the training has paid off. The last long run will be done in Falmouth on the race course in two weeks. We are almost there!

Recovery Run

Nice easy 4.25 miler to get the blood flowing before tomorrow's 21 miler. 34:54; 8:12 pace.

Medium Long Run

I ran to my parents house via Chandler Mills Road. The distance is exactly 12 miles and I covered it in 1:37:10. I ran negative splits, which was difficult because the second half is far more challenging than the first. I ran 49:10 for the first 6 miles, and 47:56 for the final 6. My overall pace was 8:05. It was extremely dark and foggy, and it was hard to get in a rhythm because there were so many things to worry about with the poor visibility. I am pleased with my overall effort. I had some interesting wildlife adventures with a skunk and a horse. I am planning on running this route again next Friday.

Thursday Double

This mornings workout was my 1.5 mile PT test for CPD. I put in about 3.5 miles total. I am pleased with my effort. I finished in 8:43, with the splits as follows: 87, 86, 88, 88, 88, 84. Mark is doing his run next Thursday.

I ran a second time this afternoon on the superhighway. I was planning on a nice easy 6, which I did. I ran it a little faster than I anticipated, as I ran the 6 mile loop in 44:00. I did my last mile in 7:00 which felt pretty good. I didn't feel like I was going too hard, but I definitely knew that I was in a good rhythm. 12 miles tomorrow morning to the parents' house.

Easy Run

I ran an easy 8 miler with Joel at 4:15 in the morning. We did a loop in Newport that went around the Bradford Road. I would have liked to run a bit faster, but its probably good that I didn't considering tomorrows planned hard run. Everything was so dark that at points I could barely see 10 feet in front of me.

Rest Day

Finally a day of rest...Well, maybe not a day of rest, but at least no running.

Recovery Run

This morning I got in a 6 mile recovery run which went better than I expected. Granted the pace wasn't very fast, but I felt okay considering the type of running I did all weekend. My hamstrings were really beat up, and the chaffing on my thighs felt like someone burned me with a lighter. Other than that, I am smiling. A day of rest tomorrow.

Sunday Long Run

I ran 16 miles this morning with Joel. I was pretty beat up following yesterday's race. Also, I worked late last night and only got about 4 hours of sleep. The run never seemed to feel good, but I never really declined either. I was mediocre for almost the entire time. I ended up finishing in 2:10:26, which was an 8:05 pace. Not bad, all things considered; I will take it.

Farnum 5.5 Trail Race

All-in-all a good race. The website indicates that the first mile is flat and fast on a class VI road. I disagree. It is definitely the best portion of the course, in that it is wide and not very undulating. However, it is certainly not flat or fast. At about 2 miles the course turns and goes up a brutal hill. There were a couple more hills during the later part of the race that were absolutely punishing. However, I think I finally figured out how to effectively run these races; run the flats and the downhills with everything you have and just try to survive the uphills. Somewhere around 4 or 4.5 miles I slipped on a rock and fell right on my ass. I tore it up pretty good and covered myself in mud. There is something to be said about taking home a few inches of road rash as a race souvenir. I ended up finishing the 5.5 mile race in 12th place overall in a time of 42:22. I was very happy with that. Including the warm-up and cool down I got in a solid 8 miles today.

Easy run before Farnum 5.5

Super easy 5 this morning to loosen everything up for tomorrow's trail race in Lebanon. I am planning on running tomorrow as a tempo workout, and doing 16 on Sunday.

Superhighway Recovery Run

Really nice 7.3 mile recovery run on the superhighway. I held 8:00 pace for the first half and then stretched my legs out a little in the second half. I worked on stride rate and length and ran the second half just under 7:30 pace.

Wendesday Double

Really easy 4 miler in the morning at 8:17 pace. My legs were still pretty sore. I relaxed and took it easy knowing that tonight I am going to put in a real hard 10 miles.

I ran a second time today with Joel at 5:30. We did a 10 mile loop that went over Barton Whitney Road. The whole thing was extremely hilly, but somewhere around 5 miles I got into a really nice rythym and banged through the second half around 7:15 pace.

Recovery Run with Brandon

Nice easy 7 mile loop with Brandon around Old Church Road. We did a mile on the track after with 8 x 100m strides. All-in-all a nice recovery run. My legs were still pretty sore from the half-marathon on Sunday.