3/21 - 3/27, BM Training Week #12

There it is. I get closer to it every day. I've even literally run over it, but it's so far away approaching T-minus 3 weeks. I'm starting to become banged up, so I'm very fortunate that today was the longest run of my training, and I'm very fortunate that the training generally gets easier from here on out.

I took an extra day off on Tuesday in addition to the planned one I took on Monday. That helped deal with the stomach sickness, but Tuesday was admittedly I case of me just not feeling like getting out there...that I was too tired.

I figured that I would have hit 70mpw at least once this month, but I haven't yet. But I've been getting over 60 consistently with rest days. This week I got over 60 on just 5 days of running. That's an average of 12+ miles a run. Umm, no wonder I am beat. But it will start to get a little easier, and the finish line is coming into sight, sort to speak. It's also important to remember that New Bedford proved a lot.

Monday: Off (stomach bug continues)

Tuesday: Off (pretty much recovered, but took off anyway)

Wednesday: I had a gig in Newport, RI and got there with hours to kill so I could run around town and see the mansions and what not. Ran quite easy and still felt heavy despite the two days off. 9.25 miles.

Thursday: I had 5 x 1 mile today, so I drove to mile 8 of the marathon course, warmed up with 3 miles before starting the workout, of which took place mainly in Wellesley and a little of Natick. A couple times, I had to stop mid-rep to wait for a traffic light (believe me, this was not a welcomed break). With a 1/3 mile jog in between, I ran my 5 reps in 6:15, 6:15, 6:14, 6:16, and closed out with a 6:12. I got up to mile 14 somewhere in the 3rd rep before turning around. Cooled down with 2 1/2'ish miles and was glad to be done. 12 miles.

Friday: I drove over to the high school where Adam coaches to run with the kids - for most, I'm their old music teacher so it's cool. I missed the cool-down. He then had them do 2:30 tempo, 5 minute tempo, 2:30 tempo with recoveries in between. I was joking to one of the juniors who is a decent 800 runner that I would give him a run for his money on the last one. He took this as meaning I wanted to race him, I told him well we have to somewhat stay in control so Adam doesn't get mad at me (not that he would)! He took off beyond my comfort level and I thought I was done early, but I saw that he let up after 15-20 seconds. I noticed I was gradually creeping back up over the next minute when I jokingly was telling all the kids around me that he was falling apart and that I was going to go for it. He heard me coming as I made my move and out-kicked me to the 2:30 mark, but my GPS showed us covering a half mile in that time. It was a lot of fun. We did a couple cool down laps after.

Since I only got in about 2 1/4 miles, afterward on my way to Haverhill I stopped at the Nashua River Rail Trail and did 3 1/2 out and 3 1/2 back at a VERY easy 8:30 pace. It felt very nice to go so easy. 9.25 miles.

Saturday: Steve and I ran at an easy pace at Winnkenni Park. The trails were in pretty good shape, and we avoided the part that's still snowy and icy by running the trails behind the Castle. We did two loops around the lake and a couple of basin loops. My watch died at mile 5, but I'm pretty sure it was around 12.5 miles.

Sunday: Matt and I ran from NECC over the Rocks Village Bridge as usual, but we took Bachelor Street over to Middle and ran all the way to Route 97 in Groveland before heading back to Haverhill via the Groveland Bridge. Thanks to the hilliness of the route, I felt beat as early as mile 14, but after climbing the Main St will into Monument Square, I gradually started to feel better. We had to add on a little back at NECC, but we got 20 miles out of it. I was hoping to be south of 7:30 pace, but it was a 7:32 average, still not bad considering the hills, wind, and me feeling off. This will be the longest I run at once until race day. 20 miles.

Week: 63.0
March: 240.64
2011: 750.56

My Inner-child

As I sat watching Channel 5, I couldn't help but be fascinated with the incredible feat happening right before my eyes. These runners were flying, trying to complete 26.2 miles at a pace well under five minutes a mile. Meanwile, I was barely able to crack sub-7 for one mile, never mind 26 of them. But as Cosmas Ndeti and Uta Pippig emerged victorious that Patriots Day in 1994, I couldn't help think that someday I too would be running past the Pru to the promised land.

Fast forward to March 24, 2011. I've qualified, and I even qualified again. I got to the point where the crazy qualifying circus turned me off of Boston. I finally made it in by qualifying in November of 2009 at Philadelphia, but the race sold out ahead of then, so I had to wait for the 2011 edition. I told myself that qualifying was more special than running the race itself. I honestly believed it.

I didn't hear it at the time, but that seventh grader inside of me yelled, "The hell it is!", and I realize now with 25 days left that he's absolutely right. Shame on me for becoming jaded and not seeing the importance of what Boston is all about. Did I forget about how seeing the Hoyts made me feel good inside? Did I forget about Heartbreak Hill? Did I forget that it all took place pratically in my own backyard?

Qualifying was more special than the race itself? Was I out of my mind? This is Boston. This is thousands of runners invading Hopkinton Common. This is screaming co-eds in Wellesley. This is conquering the Newton Hills, but always respecting the last one. This is Cleveland Circle, Coolidge Corner, and Kenmore Square. This is a left hand turn onto Boylston Street.

Most importantly, this is my dream, and I've earned the right to be in the mix - one of the crazies if you will - and it will be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Looks like I only needed to get in touch with my inner-child to realize it.

3/14 - 3/20, BM Training Week #11

This week is puzzling. I was tight for a lot of runs, but I ended up feeling OK for New Bedford, except for a stomach issue which began at mile 7 and ended up in misery for much of Sunday evening. Still PR'd in the half marathon with a good marathon pace workout.

Monday: Described this mainly in the last entry. Finally have run every inch of the marathon course! 12.25 miles.

Tuesday: OFF

Wednesday: Ran the Blackstone River Bikeway from Woonsocket 6.55 miles and back to make it a half marathon. Averaged 7:26, starting a little slow. Legs were tight for pretty much the entire run. 13.1 miles.

Thursday: Long warm-up and cool-down in Worcester and Millbury with a 4 x 1 mile at 6:20 pace. Ran them in 6:17, 6:20, 6:14, 6:19 with a 1/3 mile jog recovery. Felt pretty good, legs were tight for the cool-down. 12 miles.

Friday: An easy run with Adam that averaged 7:46, but my legs felt very heavy and tight. 7 miles.

Saturday: Ran very slow up to Winnekenni Castle and around the basin. Not too much snow left, but a lot in areas that don't see much sun. I really felt terrible on this run, and it was an average of like 8:45 pace. Didn't seem like a good sign. 2.65 miles.

Sunday: Even though it was a tough week, I reminded myself that I had a strong workout on Thursday. An ice bath Saturday really helped the muscles. I told myself that I would be fine. This was going to be a marathon pace workout for 10 miles and even faster for the last 5K if I could. I know I could race a half marathon faster than what I did in New Bedford, but that's not what this was about. This was about preparation for Boston.

I warmed up with 2 easy miles and then stretched pretty good. I reminded myself to start conservatively at 6:30 pace. I started the first two miles on the flat terrain with a pair of 6:28's. I got passed by so many people, but I knew I would reel many of them in later. Mile 3 had the first hill, but I ran strong and started to make several passes here. I actually ran mile 3 in 6:19, but it had a good downhill as well. The hardest hill was after mile 3, and I ran that and the 4th mile in 6:26.

From the 4 mile mark to perhaps mile 9 is a cruising stretch. It's pretty flat and I got passed a lot from 4-6, but my speed was very consistent so I didn't care. I passed many back from 7-9. These miles were 6:26, 6:23, 6:23, 6:26, and 6:27.

From 9 to 10, you start changing direction back toward the harbor and away from the open water. The winds were more of a cross-wind here, although it wasn't too breezy. I started picking up the pace at 9.5. My stomach was starting to get cramps from about mile 8, but fortunately I was able to tolerate it. Mile 10 was 6:24. I just got in a comfortable zone from there on out, making the occasional pass and never getting passed myself. Miles 11 and 12 were 6:20 and 6:17. It was time for the half mile hill.

Even though the hill was hard, I had toughness. I fought through the pain and made a couple passes. Even though I lost time on the hill, I got it back on the flat part on top. Running past that McDonald's was nasty having to smell those fries, but I finally made it to that right hand turn and just turned on the jets making yet another pass. Finally I was on the final stretch after another right and I was cranked. Mile 13 ended up being 6:16 and the Garmin showed everything after mile 13 averaging 5:02 pace, so I had a great kick. I finished in a PR time of 1:23:34 and felt like garbage after. I managed a short cool-down slightly over a mile, and experienced nasty stomach bug symptoms for the rest of the day. It was awful! Happy with the race, but still very hungry to get a lot better. I think sub-2:50 for Boston 2011 is absolutely obtainable. I didn't realize this until after the race, but 1:23:00 or faster would have gotten me an guaranteed entry into NYC. Not to fear, 2:55:00 or better in the full will get you in too, and I'm fully expecting to have it. 16.25 miles.

Week: 63.25
March: 177.64
2011: 687.56

All the way Monday

I didn't have the legs to do more than a relatively easy 12+ miles, but at least I got to do the last four miles correctly by getting onto Beacon Street via Chestnut Hill Ave. I started at the common and ran the "wrong way" up Commonwealth all the way to the top of Heartbreak, then turned around and ran the correct way to the finish line, which I ran through yet again (sorry Jason).

Got to see plenty of Green Line trolleys which made me think of this classic song, which should be the anthem of Rose Ruiz:

3/7 - 3/13, BM Training Week #10

This week I took three days off, and it was the best thing ever. The first day, Wednesday, was certainly a good idea (a little sick, and quite fatigued), then I ended up taking Thursday off because of getting a band arrangement set for printing. On Friday, it was simply no motivation - which was a little troublesome. Got back to it on Saturday and felt like a new man. Sunday was even better! No worries about the break. It will help a lot more than hurt me.

Monday - See previous entry, 15.5 miles.

Tuesday - Legs felt extremely wobbly and cut my easy 8-10 mile run way short. The legs felt like rubber, like they were going to give out under me. It wasn't fun. Doing 34 miles in two days certainly had an impact.

Wednesday - Off

Thursday - Off

Friday - Off

Saturday - Finally got to run with Steve. We did the "big loop" at an easy 8:00 pace. It was great to run with him. Felt really good, loose, and very glad to finally get out after 3 days off. I no longer questioned my motivation after this run was over. It was an easy run, but a very important one to get back out there with a good chunk of mileage. 12.6 miles.

Sunday - Matt and I drove our cars to Boston Common and then I drove him to Natick Center where we ran from mile 10 to the finish and to the Common. We blew it by missing the right on Chestnut Hill. It was about the same mileage, but I'll have to get back out there to do the last four miles at some point. We were very consistent, averaging 7:23 and kept all the miles except the first one within 10 seconds of that average pace. A lot of people were out there! My confidence has most certainly improved. Even though we screwed up the course at mile 22, I still had to make sure that I did the opposite of fellow runner Jason Bui by plowing right across the finish line, instead of saving that for April 18th. I like his approach, but I guess it was just the oppositional side of me. Plus, Matt's car was at the Common anyway, so we had to keep going on Boylston anyway! 17.2 miles.

In other news, Facebook free for 4 1/2 days. Thank goodness. Not really missing it! Going for 30 days...inspired by Matt Germain and Jeff Bartlett's 30 day sugar challenge. Check it out!

Week: 48.8
Month: 114.39
Year: 624.31

I found my thrill...

...on Heartbre--ak Hill.

My goal of running the entire course continued today with a very large chunk of the course completed. I have now run the first 21 miles of the marathon course in three seperate workouts. I love running the course.

Today's adventure began where I left off on Thursday at the 10 mile mark in Natick. I parked at a meter downtown at 4:50 and was relieved to know that the meters are free after 5pm. I put in a quarter to be safe and walked 1,000 feet to mile 10. I warmed up with an easy 2 miles going into Wellesley. I had 4 miles at marathon pace, 2 miles easy, and then another 4 miles at MP. I ran through Wellesley with miles of 6:43, 6:38, 6:34, and 6:40. I had to stop at a couple traffic lights, but it wasn't too bad.

I ran a couple easy miles making my way into Newton. From what I understand, there are four hills from miles 16-21. I encountered the first one during the recovery phase while crossing over 128. That one wasn't bad. They were a little harder after turning right onto Commonwealth. I started the next rep at mile 18 (my eighth mile), and it was a bit harder. I ran on the one way residential road that was essentially like a walking path with a good amount of walkers and runners. I was a bit slower getting up the Newton Hills with miles of 6:44 and 6:53 before getting to mile 20 (my 10) just before Heartbreak.

I did pretty good getting up the hill, hitting the mile 21 mark with a 6:54. It obviously wasn't easy, but not bad after running 10+ miles. We'll see how I feel after running 20 miles in April, though. The timing is the worst part of that one. I head back the other way by finishing the 2nd rep with a 6:23 downhill. It was a little slower than the first rep, but understandable for the Newton Hills.

I cooled down running some low 8's back down Commonwealth to the Auburndale MBTA Station. Only one problem - I didn't have any cash in my wallet. I ran another 300 yards or so to an ATM to get some cash and saw that it was 6:56, exactly 1 minute before the next train was due. I booked it back to the station, and the train was arriving. I had to haul ass, but fortunately the conductor saw me coming and I avoided having to wait for the next one.

This was an awesome run, putting my rolling 7 day mileage up to 80 miles, a personal best! I don't think that I have ever done a solo run that was this fun! I feel like I am really coming around. Things are looking good.

2/28 - 3/6, BM Training Week #9

I ran 78 miles this week, which is the most I have done in any 7 day period. I'm starting to train like a serious runner, but I am having trouble getting in my speed workout on Wednesdays - I always seem to be too stiff. For now on, they will be moved to Thursdays. Also, I have been neglecting strengthening my core, so that will now be a focus.

Monday: This was a marathon pace run with Adam and Neel. It started with 2 warm-up miles, and then I ran slightly slower than marathon pace for 8 miles. The route was exceptionally hilly, so I am not bothered that it was more like 6:45 pace. Ended with 2.4 miles of cool-down. 12.4 miles.

Tuesday: Ran 10 miles late at night with an easy progression run, starting very slow with a 9:00 mile (this is a good thing) and gradually speeding to a tenth mile of 6:45. 10 miles.

Wednesday: Wasn't feeling up for it and neglected the 2 x 3 miles I originally had planned. Instead I ran the first five miles of the marathon course and back. It was a little troubling to still be out there when it was almost completely dark. Took some notes on the course. Not completely downhill/flat - you go up a couple times, too. 10 miles.

Thursday: Parked in Ashland near where I left off. I ran a quarter mile to the five mile mark just past the Framingham line and ran through Framingham and into Natick to mile marker 10 and back. I ran this a little slower around 8:00 a mile. It is definitely fairly flat for this stretch. I was very tired and had stomach stuff going on afterward. FYI, the Dairy Queen in Ashland is now open for business in 2011. 10.5 miles.

Friday: A very easy 4 in Worcester in Caitlyn. I was going to run some more later in the evening, but poor eating left me with quite the stomach ache. 4 miles.

Saturday: I met Matt and Ryan at Ryan's and we ran River Road all the way to 133 and back. It was definitely faster on the way back, and I'm sure the elevation profile would reflect that. It was a good run, even though I was still feeling it from yesterday's digestive issues for the first few miles. It did get a lot better, however. 12.44 miles.

Sunday: A lot of people were at Stu's and Matt was crushing it with some fast cats, so I did a route on my own that took me into Groveland, Georgetown and Boxford before doing a little of the Bradford Valentine course and a little extra. I decided to run my own 30K. I try to run these long runs at 7:30 pace, and today I averaged 7:38, but the stomach was still a little iffy and it was raining. Not an excuse, but definitely reasons why it was harder. Good run. 18.65 miles.

Week: 77.99 (second time in 2 weeks my mileage was been a hundreth off an integer)
February Total: 265.27
March Total: 65.59
2011: 575.51