This was my bounce-back week. There was a lot of slow running, but a lot of miles so I am quite pleased. I am very fortunate to stay away from injuries. I never like to use my larger frame as an excuse. I have even vowed since August never to enter a Clydesdale division again even though I weigh 210. But I will say this. I do believe that I am more durable then some, so when I do get a tweak like last week, it makes me realize just how lucky I am.
Speaking of Clydesdale running, one of the big reasons why I am no longer interested is because it was too easy to win it. There are some 190+ runners faster than me out there, but they are few and far between. When I first saw that there was a USA Clydesdale & Filly Federation, I was excited that I could compete at a national level, but then I realized that the group was sponsoring the Big Man Run (five miles, three hot dogs, three beers!) and beer miles. And that is definitely not a shot at them, and their founder is very much into charity work, but it isn't exactly a serious approach. Basically, I refuse to let my weight be an excuse. I've gone from 3:56:56 at 240 pounds to 2:56:39 at 215 pounds. I will keep getting faster and keep getting lighter. I don't care what anyone says, I believe that I can get close to and even obtain a spot in the 2016 Olympic Trials if I train smart and hard (yes, I realize how far-fetched this is, but I am delusional and often still accomplish my goals). Even at 6'4", I will need to be under 190 to do this, most likely. If I don't want to be a Clydesdale then, I shouldn't be one now. It's a long road ahead, and I am simply looking to be under 2:50 in Boston!
Monday: Very easy 7 miles on the Treadmill in Milford. The Achilles felt better, but it was still important to go easy this week. I took an hour. 7 miles.
Tuesday: Didn't get to run until quite late - about 10:15pm. I ran quite slow again because of being cautious and because of the snowy and icy sidewalks. It wasn't too bad, but enough to be careful. 7.4 miles.
Wednesday: I met Caitlyn in Worcester and we ran at the beginning of the snowstorm. It was hard to get going because of the conditions and we were definitely around 9 minutes a mile. Another very slow run, but again in this recovery period that's never a bad thing. Went back to Haverhill for the snow day. 5.8 miles.
Thursday: The storm had just ended when I met Matt at Brickett Hill. We did 12 loops around the complex for over 10 miles. There was still a lot of packed snow so we had to go pretty slow for this, but we got in a pretty long mid-week run in. 10.25 miles.
Friday: I met Caitlyn in Worcester and we ran on a lot of back roads. Afterward I did 8 strides of about 75 meters or so since I was doing the Fudgcicle this next day. 6.75 miles
Saturday: I treated this Fudgcicle 5K like it was an actual race in regards to my preparation. I woke up early, eat my food, hydrated, got there early, warmed up fully, and most importantly I ran my own race. I was a slave to the Garmin, but it was helpful. I wanted to run the first 2 miles in 12 minutes and I did it in 11:55. I let Jason and Dan V. go out and just kept it chill at the beginning. They were way ahead and I was in 6th and briefly 7th a half mile into the race. By the time I got to the turn onto Pleasant Street at 2.5, I was only 5 seconds behind them, but then they pulled away. I was trying hard on that last mile and ran an even 6:00 for it, so it's not like I fell off. I was pleased with my work. It's my best on that course. Hard to believe that I once won the race with a minute slower a couple years ago! Just depends on who shows up. 10 miles.
Sunday: I ran a long run from NECC with Matt and Caitlyn. After a couple easy miles, we started to cruise pretty well. We did the big loop into West Newbury and Groveland and even saw Dan V. on East Broadway in Haverhill going the other way. Caitlyn stopped at 12.5 - don't think she was gone that far in quite a while - and then Matt and I tacked on an extra mile and a half. Splits were 8:29, 8:13, 7:37, 7:29, 7:37, 7:33, 7:18, 7:28, 7:18, 7:21, 7:19, 7:15, 7:03, 6:59. 14 miles. Great week of recovery!
Week: 61.15
Month: 236.5
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
1/17 - 1/23, BM Training Week 3
I finally admitted that I was hurt. Last Thursday was hell on my Achilles, running a bit on snowy sidewalks. I went through the training anyway, although Friday I removed the hill training portion. I raced the Fudgcicle. I ran over 16 miles on Sunday. And then on Monday, I bailed on the steady state run on the treadmill. Denial phase was over. Recovery phase began.
Monday: 2 mile warm-up on the treadmill, then bailed the steady state after only 0.7 miles at 8.8mph. Did a little hill walking followed by some elliptical. 2.7 miles.
Tuesday: OFF (first off day in 36 days)
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: 5 miles easy with Caitlyn on Mill Street. Achilles was better, but a little sore on the last mile. 5 miles.
Friday: OFF
Saturday: I ran the Fudgcicle, but the injury wasn't the issue. It was breathing. I was planning on running tempo, but instead I went out with Jason like an ass. I even commented that I was wearing the away jersey and probably wasn't going to take things seriously.
So I follow Jason with David Corbett right behind me and it was the three of us. I wanted to fall off at 1.25. Didn't. Said keep up with them. I wanted to fall off at 1.5. Didn't. Said keep up with them. I started to fall off at 1.75, pushed to get back, and then gave up. Strangely it wasn't the Achilles that kept me back, it was the cardio. The lack of training really seems to hurt. At any rate, at around 1.9 or so they started to distance themselves from me and I got to be a spectator watching David take off and then Jason make a pretty substantial comeback to finish only a couple seconds behind. I came in astonished to see the time well past the 19 minute mark as I finished in a humbling 19:21, continuing my decline from 18:53 to 19:02, and now almost 30 seconds slower. I need to run my own race and finish strong. That has always been my style, so I look forward to going out easier next time. Not to mention, the home jersey is definitely the better choice as witness numerous times including this 30:15 8K PR effort at the Feaster:
Niiice. 8.25 mile total for the day.
Sunday: I went to the GBTC Invite to see Ryan and Caitlyn run the 3K and 1 mile respectively. Ryan ran 9:15 and Caitlyn a 5:05 (she is going to get under 5, I know it). I ran for about 65 minutes outside along the Charles. 8 miles. Looking forward to getting back to it next week.
Week: 23.95 miles
Month: 175.35 miles
Monday: 2 mile warm-up on the treadmill, then bailed the steady state after only 0.7 miles at 8.8mph. Did a little hill walking followed by some elliptical. 2.7 miles.
Tuesday: OFF (first off day in 36 days)
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: 5 miles easy with Caitlyn on Mill Street. Achilles was better, but a little sore on the last mile. 5 miles.
Friday: OFF
Saturday: I ran the Fudgcicle, but the injury wasn't the issue. It was breathing. I was planning on running tempo, but instead I went out with Jason like an ass. I even commented that I was wearing the away jersey and probably wasn't going to take things seriously.
So I follow Jason with David Corbett right behind me and it was the three of us. I wanted to fall off at 1.25. Didn't. Said keep up with them. I wanted to fall off at 1.5. Didn't. Said keep up with them. I started to fall off at 1.75, pushed to get back, and then gave up. Strangely it wasn't the Achilles that kept me back, it was the cardio. The lack of training really seems to hurt. At any rate, at around 1.9 or so they started to distance themselves from me and I got to be a spectator watching David take off and then Jason make a pretty substantial comeback to finish only a couple seconds behind. I came in astonished to see the time well past the 19 minute mark as I finished in a humbling 19:21, continuing my decline from 18:53 to 19:02, and now almost 30 seconds slower. I need to run my own race and finish strong. That has always been my style, so I look forward to going out easier next time. Not to mention, the home jersey is definitely the better choice as witness numerous times including this 30:15 8K PR effort at the Feaster:
Niiice. 8.25 mile total for the day.
Sunday: I went to the GBTC Invite to see Ryan and Caitlyn run the 3K and 1 mile respectively. Ryan ran 9:15 and Caitlyn a 5:05 (she is going to get under 5, I know it). I ran for about 65 minutes outside along the Charles. 8 miles. Looking forward to getting back to it next week.
Week: 23.95 miles
Month: 175.35 miles
Sunday, January 16, 2011
1/10 - 1/16, BM Training Week 2
One of my strongest assets of a runner is my knack for staying injury-free. I attribute this to many things, but the two most important is my incorporation of some chi running principles as well as my willingness to run easy pace several times a week. Running with snow on the roads has been a little tough. I had to deal with some Achilles pain over the past few days. It has improved, but I need to be careful.
Monday: Another 5 mile steady state run in Worcester. Neither Caitlyn or I had watches but we did it on feel, and it was very strong throughout. We warmed up with about 2.4 or so and then rocked the work-out portion. 7.4 miles.
Tuesday: I ran in Douglas before rehearsal. This was an easy paced run. Part of it was done on packed snow on the SNETT. It's actually a lot nicer to run their with snow than in the warmer months because of the bumps on the trail. Felt a little tired from Monday, but the run felt good at an easier pace. 7.4 miles.
Wednesday: Matt and I ran in the afternoon of the winter storm. It was pretty rough out there. We started at his house and did 8 loops at Brickett Hill. It was a lot of fun to run in the storm though. 7.75 miles.
Thursday: I ran a few miles with Sumner in Uxbridge - she had already run her main workout - and then I finished my 10 mile run with pick-ups from miles 4-7.5 or so. This is when I started to have a little Achilles pain from dealing with snow and ice. 10 miles.
Friday: Ditched the hill workout for an easier run with Caitlyn in Worcester. We ran about a half hour and then did some strides. Pain was a little better, but not completely gone. 4.65 miles.
Saturday: Fudgcicle 5K (3.15 I like to say). Warmed up with about 3 miles and went out kind of strong despite temperatures barely above zero. I think the first mile was around 5:54 for me. A HS runner was getting splits called to him at each mile marker. I ended up with slower 2nd and 3rd miles, while last week was a lot more balanced. For the weather though I can't complain. There was a point when Frank, Jason, and I were all in the same pack. I slipped behind, got ahead, and then Jason zipped by at about 2.25 without his shoes which he ditched at mile 2...yikes I can't imagine what that felt like, but I could see his footprints all the way back to the line. Finished in 19:02, 9 seconds slower than last week, but with those temperatures, that's actually pretty good. Cooled down on the course with Matt and Caitlyn. 9.5 miles.
Sunday: I met Jeff at NECC and it was awesome to run with him again. We did 30 minutes before I continued solo on the big West Newbury/Groveland loop for another 12.5 miles. My legs were pretty sore for the last few miles and I definitely did this run in the low 8's for average pace. I felt a little banged up. I am thinking about taking tomorrow off. We'll see. 16.4 miles.
Week: 63.1 (4th straight 60+ week)
Month: 151.4
Monday: Another 5 mile steady state run in Worcester. Neither Caitlyn or I had watches but we did it on feel, and it was very strong throughout. We warmed up with about 2.4 or so and then rocked the work-out portion. 7.4 miles.
Tuesday: I ran in Douglas before rehearsal. This was an easy paced run. Part of it was done on packed snow on the SNETT. It's actually a lot nicer to run their with snow than in the warmer months because of the bumps on the trail. Felt a little tired from Monday, but the run felt good at an easier pace. 7.4 miles.
Wednesday: Matt and I ran in the afternoon of the winter storm. It was pretty rough out there. We started at his house and did 8 loops at Brickett Hill. It was a lot of fun to run in the storm though. 7.75 miles.
Thursday: I ran a few miles with Sumner in Uxbridge - she had already run her main workout - and then I finished my 10 mile run with pick-ups from miles 4-7.5 or so. This is when I started to have a little Achilles pain from dealing with snow and ice. 10 miles.
Friday: Ditched the hill workout for an easier run with Caitlyn in Worcester. We ran about a half hour and then did some strides. Pain was a little better, but not completely gone. 4.65 miles.
Saturday: Fudgcicle 5K (3.15 I like to say). Warmed up with about 3 miles and went out kind of strong despite temperatures barely above zero. I think the first mile was around 5:54 for me. A HS runner was getting splits called to him at each mile marker. I ended up with slower 2nd and 3rd miles, while last week was a lot more balanced. For the weather though I can't complain. There was a point when Frank, Jason, and I were all in the same pack. I slipped behind, got ahead, and then Jason zipped by at about 2.25 without his shoes which he ditched at mile 2...yikes I can't imagine what that felt like, but I could see his footprints all the way back to the line. Finished in 19:02, 9 seconds slower than last week, but with those temperatures, that's actually pretty good. Cooled down on the course with Matt and Caitlyn. 9.5 miles.
Sunday: I met Jeff at NECC and it was awesome to run with him again. We did 30 minutes before I continued solo on the big West Newbury/Groveland loop for another 12.5 miles. My legs were pretty sore for the last few miles and I definitely did this run in the low 8's for average pace. I felt a little banged up. I am thinking about taking tomorrow off. We'll see. 16.4 miles.
Week: 63.1 (4th straight 60+ week)
Month: 151.4
Sunday, January 9, 2011
1/3 - 1/9, BM Training Week 1
The first week of marathon training was most definitely a success. I did everything that I set out to do, minus one small thing that wasn't a big deal. With 14 weeks to go, there is a long road ahead, but I really couldn't have asked for a better start. I also set a PR for most miles in 3 weeks...196 or something. The mid-60s really feels like a good weekly mileage for me.
Monday: I ran with Caitlyn for my 5 mile steady state run (7:00 pace). Warmed up with 2 miles. The first mile was 7:01, then on the uphill 2nd mile we ran 7:11, but then we ran a few in the 6:40 range. The effort felt about the same the whole way, so the effort was steady state moreso than the pace. 7 miles.
Tuesday: I had a very busy day and didn't start running until 11:15pm. I ran 30 minutes on treadmill before I just felt entirely pooped despite only averaging like 8:10. I decided to run the rest of the run outside and did another half hour a little bit faster. I ran into the next day. Didn't get enough sleep, needless to say. 7.5 miles.
Wednesday: Met Caitlyn in Worcester for an hour run. We ran a similar course to Monday with a little extra added. I didn't feel terrific in the first few miles, but then we picked it up. It averaged 7:51 a mile. 8.15 miles.
Thursday: I was in Uxbridge for band practice so I gave Sumner a call and we ran what was originally going to take 10 miles, but it ended up being over a half marathon! It was a fun long run that averaged 7:53 a mile. We are planning to run every Thursday. Between her and Caitlyn, I don't have to do much solo running at all during the week. 13.3 miles.
Friday: Met Caitlyn in Worcester on my way back to Haverhill. We ran that Monday loop, but I had hill training so I said farewell after 4 miles, stopped at the bathroom at McD's and did 8 short 45 second repeats at an apartment complex off of Mill Street. I didn't run too fast of an effort until the last few, but even those weren't too fast. Didn't want to do too much on the first hill repeat workout. 8.25 miles.
Saturday: Matt and I ran the Fudgcicle race. I don't have much speed and was just looking to run a consistent pace. I ran 6:01, 6:02, and 6:05. Not too bad. It was hard to find the next gear, and I was trying on the last half mile or so. 18:52 total and 5th place. The warm-up was 2.5 miles, and the cool-down was slightly more than the course. 9 miles.
Sunday: Matt and I did the big loop from NECC at a pretty easy pace. I'd say it was right around 8 minute pace, maybe a touch faster. I forgot my watch, which was a good thing because I went entirely on feel. Obviously, I've put in a lot of work lately with the hills and the race, so I was happy Matt was willing to run a little easier. 13.3 miles.
Week: 66.5 miles
Month: 88.3 miles
Monday: I ran with Caitlyn for my 5 mile steady state run (7:00 pace). Warmed up with 2 miles. The first mile was 7:01, then on the uphill 2nd mile we ran 7:11, but then we ran a few in the 6:40 range. The effort felt about the same the whole way, so the effort was steady state moreso than the pace. 7 miles.
Tuesday: I had a very busy day and didn't start running until 11:15pm. I ran 30 minutes on treadmill before I just felt entirely pooped despite only averaging like 8:10. I decided to run the rest of the run outside and did another half hour a little bit faster. I ran into the next day. Didn't get enough sleep, needless to say. 7.5 miles.
Wednesday: Met Caitlyn in Worcester for an hour run. We ran a similar course to Monday with a little extra added. I didn't feel terrific in the first few miles, but then we picked it up. It averaged 7:51 a mile. 8.15 miles.
Thursday: I was in Uxbridge for band practice so I gave Sumner a call and we ran what was originally going to take 10 miles, but it ended up being over a half marathon! It was a fun long run that averaged 7:53 a mile. We are planning to run every Thursday. Between her and Caitlyn, I don't have to do much solo running at all during the week. 13.3 miles.
Friday: Met Caitlyn in Worcester on my way back to Haverhill. We ran that Monday loop, but I had hill training so I said farewell after 4 miles, stopped at the bathroom at McD's and did 8 short 45 second repeats at an apartment complex off of Mill Street. I didn't run too fast of an effort until the last few, but even those weren't too fast. Didn't want to do too much on the first hill repeat workout. 8.25 miles.
Saturday: Matt and I ran the Fudgcicle race. I don't have much speed and was just looking to run a consistent pace. I ran 6:01, 6:02, and 6:05. Not too bad. It was hard to find the next gear, and I was trying on the last half mile or so. 18:52 total and 5th place. The warm-up was 2.5 miles, and the cool-down was slightly more than the course. 9 miles.
Sunday: Matt and I did the big loop from NECC at a pretty easy pace. I'd say it was right around 8 minute pace, maybe a touch faster. I forgot my watch, which was a good thing because I went entirely on feel. Obviously, I've put in a lot of work lately with the hills and the race, so I was happy Matt was willing to run a little easier. 13.3 miles.
Week: 66.5 miles
Month: 88.3 miles
Sunday, January 2, 2011
12/27 - 1/2, Recovery Week #6
I got in another week of a lot of miles. It wasn't entirely pretty, but it was still beneficial and I managed to get a PR. 2010 was recapped a ton in my previous post, so there is no need to talk about that. It is there however, if you are so inclined. I found out that I have run 23 straight days.
Monday: I met Matt at his place at 8am towards the end of the blizzard. That was almost 2 miles and we ran a little over 6 miles loop around Brickett Hill several times. I had some juice and ran back home. 10 miles.
Tuesday: Didn't run until the evening and again ran with Matt, although I actually had 2 beers and I never drink. I was so bloated that I couldn't get a full breath of air. Fortunately we ran by my neighborhood and I told him I had to stop. It was pretty brutal. 1.9 miles.
Wednesday: A lot of running. I had to get my car which was at Matt's, so that was a short 1.9 mile run. I ran on the treadmill at Planet Fitness in Plaistow for 6.25 miles. In the evening, I ran with Andrew at NECC for another 6.25 or so. 14.4 miles.
Thursday: Parked my car in downtown Newburyport and ran to the north end of Plum Island and back at around 7:35 average per mile. It was a lot of fun. 10 miles.
Friday: Ran with Matt from Winnekenni up Corliss Hill and back on 108. We ran up to the castle and back down before doing 6 strides. 7 miles.
Saturday: Hangover Classic 10K. Not the most organized race, but that's nothing new for this one. This was the worst I'd seen though, it even included a beach portion of around a half mile. I warmed up with a little over 2.5 miles. The start was a mess and my first mile was 6:36. Miles 2 and 3 were in the low 6:10s, then the beach portion really slowed me down with a 6:46. I still gained on other runners. I got miles 5 and 6 back down to the low 6:10s before I picked it up over the last 0.2. I never got permanently passed and even PR'ed with a 39:27, but I know under decent racing conditions (good start, no beach) I could have been in the mid 38's. I won't complain about a PR though. 8.75 miles
Sunday: Was thinking about going to the BU Mini-Meet and was on my way but teammates were having car trouble. Since they weren't going, I didn't want to go alone. I was approaching exit 41 so I decided to run a couple Feaster Five loops, but I wasn't properly dressed when the rain hit. I cut it short at 4 miles and ran another 9 in the PM. Both runs averaged in the high 7's for pace. 13.05 miles.
Week: 65.1 miles
December: 232.2
2010: 2,300
January: 21.8
Monday: I met Matt at his place at 8am towards the end of the blizzard. That was almost 2 miles and we ran a little over 6 miles loop around Brickett Hill several times. I had some juice and ran back home. 10 miles.
Tuesday: Didn't run until the evening and again ran with Matt, although I actually had 2 beers and I never drink. I was so bloated that I couldn't get a full breath of air. Fortunately we ran by my neighborhood and I told him I had to stop. It was pretty brutal. 1.9 miles.
Wednesday: A lot of running. I had to get my car which was at Matt's, so that was a short 1.9 mile run. I ran on the treadmill at Planet Fitness in Plaistow for 6.25 miles. In the evening, I ran with Andrew at NECC for another 6.25 or so. 14.4 miles.
Thursday: Parked my car in downtown Newburyport and ran to the north end of Plum Island and back at around 7:35 average per mile. It was a lot of fun. 10 miles.
Friday: Ran with Matt from Winnekenni up Corliss Hill and back on 108. We ran up to the castle and back down before doing 6 strides. 7 miles.
Saturday: Hangover Classic 10K. Not the most organized race, but that's nothing new for this one. This was the worst I'd seen though, it even included a beach portion of around a half mile. I warmed up with a little over 2.5 miles. The start was a mess and my first mile was 6:36. Miles 2 and 3 were in the low 6:10s, then the beach portion really slowed me down with a 6:46. I still gained on other runners. I got miles 5 and 6 back down to the low 6:10s before I picked it up over the last 0.2. I never got permanently passed and even PR'ed with a 39:27, but I know under decent racing conditions (good start, no beach) I could have been in the mid 38's. I won't complain about a PR though. 8.75 miles
Sunday: Was thinking about going to the BU Mini-Meet and was on my way but teammates were having car trouble. Since they weren't going, I didn't want to go alone. I was approaching exit 41 so I decided to run a couple Feaster Five loops, but I wasn't properly dressed when the rain hit. I cut it short at 4 miles and ran another 9 in the PM. Both runs averaged in the high 7's for pace. 13.05 miles.
Week: 65.1 miles
December: 232.2
2010: 2,300
January: 21.8
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010 - The Year in Running
2010 was a tremendous year in regards to my running. Most of it was not all that great in regards to performance, but from August on it was simply fantastic. It took a lot of patience, better eating, hard work, and also knowing when not to work hard. I'm very happy with my accomplishments in 2010 and I look forward to keep going in 2011.
Race Log 2010
1/1 - Hangover Classic 10K, 42:07
1/9 - Fudgcicle 3.17M, 20:28
1/16 - Fudgcicle 3.17M, 20:27
1/23 - Fudgcicle 3.17M, 20:34
2/13 - Bradford Valentine 5M, 34:05
2/21 - Freeze Your Buns 5K, 21:02
These 6 races were in a period of non-serious training and the results show that. The extremely slow time at Bradford was due to running while recovering from illness. I geared towards the New Bedford Half at this point and started getting a little more serious...
2/28 - Hyannis 10K (actually 6.35M), 41:55
3/15 - New Bedford Half Marathon, 1:35:40
4/11 - Great Bay Half Marathon, DNF
4/20 - Good Times 5K, 20:56
4/24 - Hampton Rotary 5K, 20:32
4/25 - Community 5K for Autism Awareness, 19:57
I went through a dismal stretch where I bombed at the New Bedford Half and then decided to redeem myself at the Great Bay Half where I got sick and didn't even finish the race. Needless to say I was in very rough shape. However, later on my 5K times improved from 20:56 to 19:57, so there was something to look forward to even though it was still way off my 18:33 PR
5/2 - Bentley School 5K, 19:09
5/29 - Sons of Italy 5M, 32:43
6/6 - Rhody 5K, 19:44
6/12 - St. Patrick's 5K, 18:54
6/29 - Good Times 5K, 19:17
7/4 - LL Bean 10K, 40:37
I had a good stretch from May to the Fourth. My 5K got down to 18:54 and I ran fairly decent on the difficult LL Bean 10K course in Freeport, Maine. I still wanted to get under 40 minutes, so I wasn't entire satisfied. Unfortunately it would get worse before it got better.
7/9 - Hillsboro Balloon Festival 5K, 20:16
7/13 - River Rivals Track Meet 1 Mile, 5:36
7/27 - Yankee Homecoming 10 Mile, 1:46:36
8/1 - High Street Mile, 5:29
8/3 - River Rivals Track Meet 2 Mile, 12:24; 1 Mile, 5:52
8/7 - Sandown Old Town Days 5 Miler, 31:53
8/10 - River Rivals Track Meet 1 Mile, 5:37
8/17 - River Rivals Track Meet 1 Mile, 5:47
8/24 - Good Times 5K, 18:55
The Yankee Homecoming was almost as bad as the Great Bay Half earlier in the year. I got sick mid-race and managed to finish, but it was demoralizing. I did some mile work at the River Rivals Track Series instead of doing a lot of Good Times races this summer. It certainly helped my speed, but still had a tough time on the track. I did well at the High Street Mile, ran very solid at Sandown, and got the 5K back under 19 minutes, so I managed to get some momentum going into XC season and marathon training.
8/29 - GMAA Scholarship Run 5K (XC), 19:27
9/1 - CMS Devens 5K, 20:28
9/8 - Roger H. Schonning 5K, 19:32
9/18 - Pelham Old Home Days, 18:55
9/25 - Codfish Bowl 8K (XC), 33:06
10/16 - Topsfield XC Festival (8K), 33:16
This stretch of running put things in place for some speed. I had some trouble in some of the XC races, but the training was solid. It set me up for a huge stretch of PR's en route to Philly.
10/23 - Peabody Police Charity 5K, 18:14
10/31 - White Mountain Milers Half Marathon, 1:26:59
11/6 - Winnekenni Trail Run (4M), 26:07
11/7 - USATF-NE XC Championships (10K), 39:34
11/21 - Philadelphia Marathon, 2:56:39
11/25 - Feaster Five (8K), 30:15
11/27 - Run Off That Turkey Trot 5K, 19:12 (Altamont, NY)
1/1 - Hangover Classic 10K, 39:28
Even though it was technically a 2011 race, I put in the Hangover Classic again to make it go full circle. I ran the Hangover Classic last year over 2 1/2 minutes slower. I'm in an entirely different class right now and I am very, very optimistic about the future. In 2010, I improved my PR in the mile, 5K, 8K, 10K, 10 Mile (while running the half), half marathon, and marathon. I am sure I will improve on all of these times in 2011, and I already have in the 10K. The scary thing about it was I would have easily ran in the mid-38's on a better structured course.
I ran 40 races last year and I think that may be the most I've done in a year. I'm sure I'll run close to that number again this year. I'm looking forward to Boston in April, some fast 5-10K racing after that, and possibly a fall marathon, so it will be a very active year.
Race Log 2010
1/1 - Hangover Classic 10K, 42:07
1/9 - Fudgcicle 3.17M, 20:28
1/16 - Fudgcicle 3.17M, 20:27
1/23 - Fudgcicle 3.17M, 20:34
2/13 - Bradford Valentine 5M, 34:05
2/21 - Freeze Your Buns 5K, 21:02
These 6 races were in a period of non-serious training and the results show that. The extremely slow time at Bradford was due to running while recovering from illness. I geared towards the New Bedford Half at this point and started getting a little more serious...
2/28 - Hyannis 10K (actually 6.35M), 41:55
3/15 - New Bedford Half Marathon, 1:35:40
4/11 - Great Bay Half Marathon, DNF
4/20 - Good Times 5K, 20:56
4/24 - Hampton Rotary 5K, 20:32
4/25 - Community 5K for Autism Awareness, 19:57
I went through a dismal stretch where I bombed at the New Bedford Half and then decided to redeem myself at the Great Bay Half where I got sick and didn't even finish the race. Needless to say I was in very rough shape. However, later on my 5K times improved from 20:56 to 19:57, so there was something to look forward to even though it was still way off my 18:33 PR
5/2 - Bentley School 5K, 19:09
5/29 - Sons of Italy 5M, 32:43
6/6 - Rhody 5K, 19:44
6/12 - St. Patrick's 5K, 18:54
6/29 - Good Times 5K, 19:17
7/4 - LL Bean 10K, 40:37
I had a good stretch from May to the Fourth. My 5K got down to 18:54 and I ran fairly decent on the difficult LL Bean 10K course in Freeport, Maine. I still wanted to get under 40 minutes, so I wasn't entire satisfied. Unfortunately it would get worse before it got better.
7/9 - Hillsboro Balloon Festival 5K, 20:16
7/13 - River Rivals Track Meet 1 Mile, 5:36
7/27 - Yankee Homecoming 10 Mile, 1:46:36
8/1 - High Street Mile, 5:29
8/3 - River Rivals Track Meet 2 Mile, 12:24; 1 Mile, 5:52
8/7 - Sandown Old Town Days 5 Miler, 31:53
8/10 - River Rivals Track Meet 1 Mile, 5:37
8/17 - River Rivals Track Meet 1 Mile, 5:47
8/24 - Good Times 5K, 18:55
The Yankee Homecoming was almost as bad as the Great Bay Half earlier in the year. I got sick mid-race and managed to finish, but it was demoralizing. I did some mile work at the River Rivals Track Series instead of doing a lot of Good Times races this summer. It certainly helped my speed, but still had a tough time on the track. I did well at the High Street Mile, ran very solid at Sandown, and got the 5K back under 19 minutes, so I managed to get some momentum going into XC season and marathon training.
8/29 - GMAA Scholarship Run 5K (XC), 19:27
9/1 - CMS Devens 5K, 20:28
9/8 - Roger H. Schonning 5K, 19:32
9/18 - Pelham Old Home Days, 18:55
9/25 - Codfish Bowl 8K (XC), 33:06
10/16 - Topsfield XC Festival (8K), 33:16
This stretch of running put things in place for some speed. I had some trouble in some of the XC races, but the training was solid. It set me up for a huge stretch of PR's en route to Philly.
10/23 - Peabody Police Charity 5K, 18:14
10/31 - White Mountain Milers Half Marathon, 1:26:59
11/6 - Winnekenni Trail Run (4M), 26:07
11/7 - USATF-NE XC Championships (10K), 39:34
11/21 - Philadelphia Marathon, 2:56:39
11/25 - Feaster Five (8K), 30:15
11/27 - Run Off That Turkey Trot 5K, 19:12 (Altamont, NY)
1/1 - Hangover Classic 10K, 39:28
Even though it was technically a 2011 race, I put in the Hangover Classic again to make it go full circle. I ran the Hangover Classic last year over 2 1/2 minutes slower. I'm in an entirely different class right now and I am very, very optimistic about the future. In 2010, I improved my PR in the mile, 5K, 8K, 10K, 10 Mile (while running the half), half marathon, and marathon. I am sure I will improve on all of these times in 2011, and I already have in the 10K. The scary thing about it was I would have easily ran in the mid-38's on a better structured course.
I ran 40 races last year and I think that may be the most I've done in a year. I'm sure I'll run close to that number again this year. I'm looking forward to Boston in April, some fast 5-10K racing after that, and possibly a fall marathon, so it will be a very active year.
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