yellow shorts...a (west chester) running log

2010-12-19T17:37:00.001-05:00

I’m stealing a page out of johndubs playbook and going old school for my yearly recap…bringing it back to the old Philly running blog. Seems like a good metaphor for where I see my running going next year, because there needs to be a bit of a retrenching after the Philadelphia Marathon.

But first, a quick recap of 2010, which really started in December of 2009. After a great half marathon last November, I decided to train for a spring marathon, pretty quickly picked the National in DC and jumped right into training. I started training with the West Chester crowd in earnest in January. This was good for a few reasons: 1) crazy track workouts, 2) good crowd for long runs and 3) a group of folks that have become good friends and great motivators. The National went OK. My goal was a BQ (at least a 3:15) and I finished with a 3:25, a 20-minute PR but short of my goal. Signed up for Broad Street, re-started training and focused on the next BQ opportunity, Wineglass marathon in Corning, NY. A ton of training over the summer with a small hiccup along the way (as Charlotte decided to join us 8 weeks early, also taking me out of HTC) led into Wineglass. And another disappointing finish, although another PR at 3:22. A wisely aborted attempt to run the AC marathon left me with Philly as my final BQ opportunity of the year. Despite a good month of training, my legs were spent and I DNF’ed at mile 17. So where does that leave me?

The good? A great new group of friends…similar to the heyday of the PR group in Philly. 23 minutes of marathon PR’s. New found discipline at the track. A year of constant training with no meaningful injury (this one is huge…maybe the best part of the year). My first marathon(s) since 2004.

The bad? Simple. Still unable to get over that last hump. I feel like I’m right there. Race and track times tell me a 3:15 is more than achievable. But I’ve been unable to translate those times at the 26-mile distance. It’s not even about Boston anymore, but a lingering feeling that I’m still not running up to potential.

2011? Well, I have a few goals in mind. For now, I’m on zero mileage. I did a few runs after Philly, but just didn’t feel right. A couple of weeks off have me feeling great. All the little nicks and aches and pains are going away. But I’m looking forward to the coming year. My primary goal is to start enjoying my runs again. By mid-summer last year, everything felt like work. And as the marathons approached, every run felt like punching the clock. So I need be careful about that in early ’11.

As for concrete goals…a few. I would still like a 3:15 marathon. I would like to PR at the half. I’d love to run a 100 mile week at some point. So we’ll see. I’m planning to run a local 5K on New Year’s to get the year started right. I’ll go from there.

2009-02-14T19:31:00.001-05:00

http://yellowshrts.tumblr.com/

2008-10-19T20:59:00.001-04:00

hangover

Thursday AM / 5 Miles / 38:10
Saturday AM / 6+ Miles / 52 min on the trails

Too much fun last night meant no run today...but wanted to log a couple from earlier in the week.

2008-10-15T22:21:00.001-04:00

sleepwalking

Wednesday AM / 5 Miles / 40:25

The time tells the story...feels like I was sleepwalking this morning.

2008-10-14T21:12:00.002-04:00

ground cover

Tuesday PM / 5 Miles / 37 and change

I know I've mentioned the shitty condition of the sidewalks in West Chester. Add the cover of darkness and a nice coating of leaves and you have a real ankle-breaker of a run. That being said, legs felt incredibly springy tonight and it's reflected in the time, almost two minutes faster on the same course as yesterday. Plus, could've been faster without some GI issues and the 30-minute mark.

2008-10-13T17:50:00.002-04:00

chug-chug-chuggin' along

Sunday PM / 6.5+ Miles / 55:26
Monday AM / 5 Miles / 39:10

Sunday's run was in temps that were hotter than I expected and I felt really dehydrated by the end. But it was a good run and I took a different route than I've been taking so there were new streets (and hills) to discover. I had wanted to be out for an hour, but close enough.

Today was a short jaunt on my usual course...legs felt really heavy.

2008-10-12T17:20:00.002-04:00

deerhunter

Saturday PM / unmeasured / 40+

The trails were littered with deer yesterday and man, those suckers are huge up close. I forget that at around twilight, the trails are actually very dark because of the tree cover. The days of PM trail runs are just about over.

2008-10-10T20:50:00.001-04:00

lost time

Thursday AM / 5+ Miles / 34:30

Since this was the same course I ran Wednesday morning, I'll assume I made a mistake with the watch and didn't actually run it five minutes faster. Did feel better than Wednesday though.

2008-10-08T20:26:00.002-04:00

6am or midnight?

Tuesday PM / ??? / 42 minutes
Wednesday AM / 5+ Miles / 39:58

At 6am this morning, it might as well have been midnight. So dark, so cold...I actually wore a hat! Crazy. Otherwise, an uneventful run, preceeded by an uneventful trail run the night before.

This follows an unplanned (although I could kinda see it coming) week off.

2008-09-30T23:47:00.002-04:00

those were the days

Tuesday PM / 4.4 miles / 31:48

Plans had me in Philly tonight, so I decided to drop in on the old Phillyrunners gang for their Tuesday night run. Huge turnout...I counted 40 and more showed up right before the start. I recognized 4.

In any event, felt nice to relive the past and run the tried and true miles along Kelly Drive again. With the shorter days, running at night in West Chester will become dicey again, so I'm going to try to make an effort to get to more of the Tuesday runs.

2008-09-29T21:56:00.002-04:00

catching up with myself - part 3 of 3

Sunday PM / 5+ miles / 44:00
Monday PM / ??? / ???

Recovery run Sunday, made more painful by falling off my mountain bike in White Clay park the day before. Tonight, GI issues forced me to pack it in after only a mile. Long days and nights at work ahead, so I anticipate both running and blogging will remain sporadic.

2008-09-29T21:48:00.002-04:00

catching up with myself - part 2 of 3

Saturday AM (Racing Hearts 5K) / 3.1 miles / 21:23

Umm, yes...after my disappointing PDR, I was so anxious to run again, I waited a week and then dropped into a local 5K race. Nothing too fancy here, with a time about equal to my first 5K at PDR. These local West Chester races are run mostly by the local high school track kids, and they were out in force on Saturday. Although content with my place in the race, I noticed two of the track kids struggling with about a mile to go. I decided to try to pick them off and get something out of the race. Took one fairly easily. I passed the second with about 2/10 of a mile to go. With 1/10 left, he began to sprint in an effort to beat me at the line. Without thinking about it (for the first time in awhile), I responded and was able to outsprint him to the finish.

Another moral victory, but I'll take it. Especially since he was visibly pissed he couldn't catch me. Bastard.

2008-09-29T21:37:00.002-04:00

catching up with myself - part 1 of 3

Sunday AM (PDR) / 13.1 miles / 1:47:ish

Ugh. The PDR went down much like my run of a week prior...kind of a tale of two races. The plan going in was to run a nice, easy and consistent 7+ pace. Somewhere on the way to Old City, two sub-7 miles blew my morning apart. The splits say it all...first 5K in 21 minutes, second 5K in 31 minutes. How could the second 5K be 10 minutes slower than the previous? Well, apparently when you take yourself out of the race, they keep running the clock.

I've never DNF'ed before, but the prospect of running the Kelly Drive loop after going out too fast broke my spirit. I took my number off and got out of the race after passing back through Logan Circle. I sat on a bench on the Parkway and collected my thoughts. After resetting my expectations and calming myself down, I hopped back in sans number and settled in to that easy pace I should've started with. Before I knew what was what, the miles started ticking by...7:30, 7:20, 7:15, etc.

The fact that I salvaged a just over 8 min per average is a small moral victory in a race that left me with more questions than answers. Where to go from here? Who the hell knows. I'll keep working on the mileage and see what comes of it.

2008-09-18T22:22:00.002-04:00

the barn is empty

Thursday PM / unmeasured / 30min

Given that PDR is Sunday, the proverbial hay is in the barn. And the barn is mostly empty...save for a few extra twigs I threw in tonight. So I'm going in close to cold. Again, feels like 1:38 is gonna be as good as it gets...stay tuned.

2008-09-14T15:06:00.003-04:00

splinter in time

Saturday AM / 8 Miles / 1 hour +
Saturday PM / 5+ Miles / 44 min

The original plan for yesterday was 13 miles and I made the mistake of going out to the "rolling" hills of Marshallton to do the run. Those hills and my under-estimation of the humidity obliterated me and I bagged the run at 8 miles. Sitting on the couch, I fumed about not being able to hit the 13 and decided I had to get the other 5. I am not a big fan of "two-a-days." I generally think for someone running recreationally (especially someone not in great shape), the stress of two runs a day is just too much. But if I couldn't get the 13 in one shot, I figured it would offer some redemption to at least do it in two. And it worked...I felt relieved and surprisingly refreshed after the second run.

The runs themselves were unremarkable. Not a great pace...but I'm trying to attribute that to the hills. I have done ZERO speedwork since Broad Street so I'll reap what I've sowed.

The last week has been rough at work so the running has been sporadic leading up to yesterday. Although I did sneak in 11 last weekend plus a few trail runs. So I go into next week's PDR with a lot of trepidation. If I can keep it in the 1:35-1:38 range, I'd be ecstatic about it.

2008-09-03T08:18:00.002-04:00

committed?

Tuesday AM / 5+ Miles / 44min

A little too much Labor Day fun meant no run on Monday. Did the miles Tuesday morning instead. Somewhat uninspired miles I might add.

It seems that ever since Broad Street (and maybe even a few months before), I've been unable to really commit to running the way I used to. Maybe it's that I don't have a strong group to run with or could just be laziness. To run the fall races in respectable times, I know I have to do more than just log miles. I need some hard miles, I need to eat better, get more sleep, etc. Hasn't happened yet.

2008-09-01T12:10:00.002-04:00

weekend catch-up

Saturday AM / 8.3 Miles / 1:10:05
Sunday AM / don't know / 43 min on the trails

I woke up early Saturday morning and there was a cool breeze coming in the window, plus the skies were overcast. Perfect conditions for a long run, so I decided to sleep in and run a couple hours later. No need to get out early since it seemed like a cool morning. I finished lacing up my shoes just in time to see the sun break through the crowds and start to heat up the leftover humidity like a pot of boiling water. Made the run a lot harder than it needed to be. Time above is misleading since I took a 5-7 minute break and didn't stop the watch. Lesson learned...summer's not over.

Easy run on the trails yesterday. Tons of deer out again. Found two new trails. Plan for later will be an easy 4-5 miles.

2008-08-28T22:31:00.002-04:00

another day at the mill

Wednesday AM / 4.6 Miles / 35 and change
Thursday PM / don't know / 46 min on the trails

These miles are such a grind...but, I'm getting some springiness back in my legs and I've been able to turn over a few fast miles. Running on trails in West Chester is cool and I'm still discovering new ones. The deer freak me out. But otherwise, good miles. I'll take tomorrow off and try to push 8 or so just on the roads Saturday AM.

2008-08-26T21:29:00.002-04:00

clawing back

Tuesday PM / 5.0+ Miles / Untimed

After a long winter, a sporadic spring, a very average Broad Street run and a lazy summer...I'm trying to re-focus my training efforts. An ill-advised entry into the PDR and a slow trail run tonight are all I have to show for it thus far. We'll see what happens...

2008-01-24T08:47:00.000-05:00

trying to hang on to mileage

Sunday AM / 5.0 Miles / 39:44
Monday PM / 5.0 Miles / 41:23
Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles / 41:36
Wednesday PM / 4.8? Miles / 37:44

A still hectic schedule that has persisted over the last few weeks has managed to cut down on both my running and blogging. I've been trying to keep up the blog-minimum 5 miles, but it's been difficult.

Only two of these runs are worth any mention...

The Sunday run because it was in Brooklyn and I didn't pack for the weather. Consequently, I was running to the Brooklyn Bridge in flimsy gym shorts in the sub-freezing temps. A certain appendage was none too happy with the arrangement.

And the Wedensday run because I had to cut it short due to stomach issues. I've been eating better over the last week and my body is struggling to get used to high fiber and protein instead of high beer and cheeseburgers.

My plan calls for 5 more tonight, a rest tomorrow and longer runs over the weekend.

2008-01-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

the hills are alive

Saturday AM / 6.5 Miles / 51:08
Sunday PM / 5.0 Miles / 42:26

The plan Saturday was to head out with the West Chester Running Club for a few hilly miles. The advertised pace was going to be 7:30, which is about the slowest pace in the group. Seriously. And of course, we started out much faster than that. I was able to hang on pretty well for the 2-3 few miles, but once we hit the hills, I got shredded. Running in West Chester feels like climbing up a never-ending ladder. One of the guys in the club was nice enough to hang back with me, which only made me feel worse. Ugh...just awful.

So for those keeping track this year, it's:

West Chester Running Club: 2
Yellow Shorts: 0

I feel like I'm trying to keep up with the New England Patriots.

Sunday was a slow, easy fiver to try and give my legs a chance to recover. But again, more hills. I may have to go run in Philly next week just to hit some flatter miles.

2008-01-09T19:17:00.000-05:00

old friend, new location

Tuesday PM / 5-ish Miles / ??? minutes

Not very precise runs these days, huh?

In any case, I met up with Ian last night in Brooklyn for a quick run around Prospect Park. A mile or so warm up on my own and then four with Ian. I felt like I was working harder than I should've been, but that's OK...I needed it. Add on spring-like weather and a bit of a wild goose chase to find somwhere to eat and you have a quality evening in Brooklyn.

Should be back to West Chester by tomorrow...

2008-01-08T12:11:00.000-05:00

Fire it up

Monday PM / ??? Miles / 52 minutes

First run since the accident and it felt great. I'm up in Brooklyn this week, so the run was through some of the usual neighborhoods with a twist I used to use back in the day.

The trick I used to do was to run from Park Slope to the Brooklyn Bridge without stopping...meaning I would have to let the series of traffic lights and other obstacles determine my route. Whatever path was clear at each intersection was the path I would take, as long as it was not going to turn me back around. A few years ago, I had this grand plan of combining a run with a historical tour of Brooklyn neighborhoods....sort of an architectural 10K. Last night it was just a way to make my run more interesting.

I always tried to come up with at least one new stop on the tour every time I went out for a run. Last night I ran by the Wyckoff Street projects and while it's certainly not an architectural marvel, it plays a different part in the tour. Those projects are in a part of Brooklyn that is still very rough around the edges. But everytime I pass through there, it seems like the old, gritty part of the area gets smaller and smaller. There's an air of inevitability about the condo cranes creeping down from the Slope and the bars and restaurants creeping up from Smith Street. I'm certainly happy that Brooklyn's boom continues, but with every new overpriced boutique-bakery I ran by...I couldn't help but get a little nostalgic for the times when Brooklyn was known for its toughness, not its foie gras.

As for the actual run, pretty unremarkable. I timed it only so that I didn't go over an hour and I didn't check the pace at all, but it felt fairly easy.

2008-01-02T17:28:00.000-05:00

not a great start

I was hoping my first post of 2008 would be about my first run of 2008. Having used the second half of 2007 to build back some base mileage after my stress fracture, the first run of 2008 would set the the tone for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately 2008 hasn't quite started out the way I intended. I'll spare you the suspense and say upfront that I'm OK (as is Lis). Driving home from New Hampshire yesterday, Lis and I got caught in a snowstorm in Connecticut. As we were driving along I-84, I lost control of our Pathfinder and spun off the road, broadsiding the truck into a tree. Looking at the remains of the truck this morning, I am amazed that we were both able to walk away. The entire driver's side was crushed, including the area behind the front wheel, the primary point of impact. Aside from bruising and a lot of soreness, neither of us (or anyone else) was seriously injured. Although my legs are cut and bruised, I consider it no small miracle that they aren't both broken. And once the driver-side door was pulled off by a few great folks who stopped to help us, I was able to walk out. The truck was totaled.

So I start off 2008 a little rattled and a little more grateful for the health I sometimes take for granted. I'm not sure when I'll actually get going for '08...about a week or so. And in the next couple of weeks, I can start to lay out the training and race plans I was hoping to be talking about now. And as cliched as it sounds, I hope everyone has a safe and healthy '08 in front of them.

2007-11-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

New Faces

Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles / 35:28

Made it to the Tuesday night club run again this week. And once again I was confronted with a bunch of people I don't know. Headed out at a fairly relaxed pace with the few "regulars" that were there and turned it up a bit to catch up with a new guy who was out in front (turned out to be Rob, who's run with Phillyrunners about a month). We ended up taking it out to the 2.5 mile turnaround and back, logging pretty steady seven minute miles. I get the sense Rob is a little faster than 7's, but it was good to have the company.

2007-11-26T19:40:00.000-05:00

Form is Emptiness

Saturday PM / 7.5+ Miles / 1:01:45

I was thinking the title of this entry would be some type of clever parallel between the concentration trail running requires and how you empty your brain of all other thoughts...blah, blah, blah. The truth is more boring; I just wanted to use a quote from a cool movie. After putting in a slippery, hilly hour-plus on the trails, I got myself a nice snack and plopped on the couch. Flipped over to one of the movie channels and Ghost Dog was just starting...perfect.

Sunday was spent painting the house and tonight I'm taking a pass...too cold, too rainy and dinner smells too good. Looking for a fast five tomorrow.

2007-11-25T09:39:00.000-05:00

The Great Gobbler 5K

Turkey Day AM / 3.1 Miles / 20:15

Ah, the Turkey Trot…that Thanksgiving tradition that in most years finds itself thwarted by Wednesday night revelry. I spent Thanksgiving in New Hampshire and found out that there was a 5K-trail race to support the local high school track team. The race was on the trails I usually run and since I didn’t go out on Wednesday, I figured it might be fun. I had no aspirations for setting a PR and since this was a cross-country team event, had no aspirations of any type of place. But the race would give some type of indication how my training was going and as long as I came in under 21 minutes I wouldn’t embarrass myself.

The day started (as many do) with a Seinfeld-ian moment when Lis set the alarm clock for one hour AFTER the race. By chance we woke up 45 minutes before race-time and since I hadn’t yet registered, we had to hustle to the starting area. Although I wasn’t racing competitively, the whole event reminded me of all the various race-day things you have to look out for (I don’t think I’ve raced since Media 2006!). Namely, re-learning that 45 minutes is not enough time to warm up your legs before a race, remembering to use the bathroom before you get to the race, realizing that you probably have better things to do on a freezing Thanksgiving Day than run a trail race and that classic rookie mistake…

…lining up in the middle of the pack. This mistake was exacerbated by the fact that the beginning of the race was a Ron Horn-like bottleneck that saw us running single file for the first half mile. It eventually opened up and I had a ton of time I needed to make up. My legs felt good and the trail was fairly clear, so I sped up and started to pick people off. The trail did not have mile markers but at one point I caught up to a group and heard someone yell out “6:30’s.” Sounded about right for the pace, so I stuck with these guys for awhile. Traded off places with one guy for much of the middle mile, each pushing the other a little harder. About 15 minutes into the race I started to struggle a bit. I knew there wasn’t much left and the finish was a lap of the high school’s track which would be easier than the trails. I backed off my pace a little to save a last burst for the track.

Cheered on by the small group of spectators, I pulled into the finish at 20:15. Not a PR…about a minute off…but since this was an unplanned trail race on unfamiliar ground, I was happy with the time. I have a feeling we may have run slightly under 5K but since it wasn’t a PR, I’m not going to lose any sleep over the time. Felt good to race again! (whew, that was a long report for a short race)

2007-11-21T08:29:00.001-05:00

Slow and Low

Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles / untimed

Made it out to the Tuesday club run again, no small task given the closures for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. The point of going to the Tuesday runs is to try and push myself through some flat, fast miles. But on the way out, I chatted most of the way. When I hit the turnaround and started to speed up on the way back, I ran into Tim and Jeremy doing around 8's and I decided to catch-up with them. Turned the watch off and enjoyed the conversation.

2007-11-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

The Weekend Starts Here

Saturday PM / 7+ Miles / 58:45
Sunday AM / 5+ Miles / 42:08

Saturday afternoon saw me heading out to run on the trails near West Chester University. The trails were in decent shape overall, but a little slick. The covering of leaves also made visibility tough, so the miles I did on the trails were slower. Had a bit of a weird experience while I was running too. All of the trails are completely covered in yellow leaves. What leaves are left on the trees are also yellow...making for a very fall-like run. Except as I rounded one turn and ran under a big yellow tree, everything past that point was completely green...as if the cold weather hadn't gotten there yet. On the way back, the change back to yellow was equally as sudden and jarring. Running in West Chester has some serious downsides, but there are some pleasant surprises as well.

My Sunday run was a very easy five after getting back from watching the Philly Marathon (and having a huge breakfast courtesy of Ryan). Congrats to Chris on a great debut and John for another strong race (even though it wasn't quite the finish he was looking for...next time it will be).

Today is a planned DNR.

2007-11-16T08:53:00.000-05:00

Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

Thursday PM / 7.0 Miles / 54:58

Last night was by far my most treacherous run in the WC. Between the moon being hidden by a thick cover of clouds and the streets lined with a coating a wet leaves, there were some significantly slow parts of this run. The light rain and freezing cold didn't help much either. This is also probably the first time I haven't seen anyone else out running...probably a sign of things to come as winter descends on us. That being said, I did enjoy it since the miles felt easy. Next time I run this course (probably in the daytime), I'll push myself a little harder on the hills and see what happens.

I was pretty proud of myself for getting in 30 miles this week. Then last night, I was reading a article in Running Times about this guy. Crazy stuff...

For today, I'll enjoy a planned day off. Back on the horse Saturday.

2007-11-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

log minimum

Wednesday PM / 4.5 Miles / 35-ish min

Just a few miles last night to keep the legs loose...felt good to get out though. Looking for 7 tonight.

2007-11-14T08:17:00.000-05:00

Live every week like it's Shark Week

Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles / 36:47

Made it to the Tuesday night run in Philly as planned. I would say I didn't recognize 90% of the people running! In any case, I started out a little faster than I wanted but was able to pull back a bit. I let the group sort itself out and noticed a group of 3 (Kevin G. being the only one I knew) setting a good clip out in front. I decided to use them as a benchmark to see if I could close the distance by the 2.2 turnaround. I did, coming through 2.2 in 15:30...not bad, but not great either. Slowed down a bit after that but kept going, making it a full five. The plan tonight is an easy five.

2007-11-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

Finally...

Saturday AM / 5.0 Miles / 39:08
Sunday PM / 7+ Miles / 57:47

Finally put together two good runs in a row. Took my planned day off yesterday and tonight I'm planning to head to Philly to run with the group. This could be the first "normal" week I've had in awhile.

For my Saturday run, I trekked out to Ridley Creek State Park. The run was shorter than I wanted but it was more of a scouting mission and I was coming off a few DNR's. But two loops of Ridley Creek will make a great Saturday morning run. The park is, of course, mostly a hill profile. But there were loads of folks out and it's traffic free. There is also a fairly extensive trail system within the park, but I avoided it on Saturday since it was raining. Five fairly easy miles in the winter-like weather.

On Sunday, I ran down to the West Chester environmental preserve and hit some trails there. Tough to measure the distance but I felt like I was moving at a good clip so I took a guess at the distance above. I have a love/hate relationship with trail running. I hate it because I feel like injury is inevitable. I love it because the terrain forces a certain focus and sharpness that is difficult to replicate on the road. And let's face it...running through mud and jumping over trees is fun. I never get tired on the trails....

Sunday afternoon I finally headed over to the Chester County Running store to pick up some new shoes. I talked to the guy there for awhile about where to run. Aside from the funny coincidence that he is literally my next door neighbor, he was able to give me some pointers on routes to try. As I feared, he confirmed my suspicion that running at night is nearly impossible in the W.C. But to my surprise, he also told me that the store's running program is fairly strong. Tuesday might track workouts, Wednesday nights with the WC running club, etc. So I will try that out.

This post is getting long, but two more quick running-related things to note. One, I had vaguely familiar pain in my foot yesterday, which scared me a little. It's gone today, but we'll see how it reacts tonight. Also, I've managed to lose half of the 20lbs. I put on during my injury LAST year. It's pathetic that it's not all gone, but it will be by the end of the year....holidays be damned. I will be back to my August 2006 weight by Jan 1.

2007-11-06T23:06:00.000-05:00

a familiar patch of ground

Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles / 37:22 min

Headed to Philly tonight to run with the group. It was great to run on Kelly Drive again...something I haven't done in over a month. It's starting to get cold and dark and this is by far my favorite time to run. I enjoy the cold air burning my lungs and being able to see my breath when I run. It also feels like more of an accomplishment getting out there when I know most people simply won't run outdoors when the weather turns. Sissies.

As for tonight's run, an easy front 2.5 miles in about 19:30. Turned it up on the way back, coming in at around 17:50 for the second 2.5. I would've liked to have gone a little faster but with my recent inconsistency, I'll take it.

2007-10-30T11:12:00.000-04:00

Nightvision

Monday PM / 4.5+ Miles / 37:16 min

Nightvision is what I needed last night. The WC simply does not lend itself to running at night (at least the courses I've found). I'm either running on concrete or brick sidewalks that are barely walkable or I'm out in traffic on unlit roads. I'm not sure what my course of action will be, but I'm going to have to figure something else out...possibly running after work before I go home. Other than that (and the freezing cold), I had a great run last night.

I also figure I need to start picking races and get some targets on my schedule. I've been running without any real sense of purpose for awhile and I'd like to turn that around.

2007-10-28T20:06:00.000-04:00

Scatterbrain

Monday PM / ??? / 45 min
Tuesday PM / ??? / 38 min
Wednesday PM / ??? / 42 min

Sunday PM / 5+ Miles / 41:56

Between the move to West Chester and two consecutive weeks of traveling (Atlanta and Dallas), my running and blogging have been sporadic at best. Consequently, I've been tired, stressed out and cranky. A nice fiver today after a few days off helped me get back on track and the goal now is to focus on getting back on schedule.

For the record, the three unmeasured runs were in Dallas and I didn't have time to GMAP them. If I tried now, I don't think I could remember the routes.

2007-10-17T22:12:00.000-04:00

Where in the world is...?

Monday AM / 5.5+ Miles / 46:40
Tuesday PM / ??? Miles / 27:45
Wednesday PM / 5.5+ / 47:55
Thursday PM / 5+ Miles / 41:32
Saturday PM / 5+ Miles / 42:50
Sunday PM / 7+ Miles / 58:40
Wednesday PM / 5+ Miles / 41:45

So my move to West Chester is complete. I'm no longer a resident of the great city of Philadelphia. It's taken some adjustment for sure, especially when it comes to running. Some things to note:

1) I was spoiled in Brooklyn by living a block from Prospect Park and I was spoiled in Philadelphia by living half a mile from Kelly Drive. There is no great running route (that I have found yet) in West Chester. There's a lot of sidewalk running and a lot of running in traffic.

2) That being said, there is a nice 67-acre preserve behind West Chester University that has some challenging trails. This week's 58-minute run was spent getting lost on those trails.

3) West Chester is old...and the sidewalks are old. I figure I'm one dimly-lit twilight run away from my next major injury.

4) West Chester is not flat. Every single run I've mapped is a hill profile. And they are deadly hills...many of the downhills are just as hard on the legs as the uphills. If I only ran to the end of my block, it would be a hill climb. Ridiculous. That 27-minute run on Tuesday was me giving up on the stupid hills and going home. I still have to find some new runs, but I know they will all have hills.

5) Finally, there doesn't seem to be a well-organized group of runners in the WC. I think Chester County Running Store has some group runs, but I'm not sure there's going to be anything of value there.

Guess I'll just have to go back to Philly to get my running club fix.

2007-10-03T19:49:00.000-04:00

ketchup

Monday PM / 5+ Miles / 41:04
Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles (4.4 timed) / 31:01
Wednesday PM / 5.0 Miles / 37:36

Three runs to log, having finally dropped that nasty cold that kept me in bed most of this weekend. Monday was an easy 5+ that seemed to fly by, the result of well-rested legs.

Tuesday night I met up with Phillyrunners club run. The plan was an easy mile to start and then drop the pace each mile thereafter. But the Tuesday runs have a way of taking on a life of their own. I started out in a pack that included E Mike, Deirdre, Shanley and a bunch of other people I didn't know. I don't think we had even gone a mile when Deirdre started to pull away and although it was earlier that I wanted, I decided to go with her. I haven't run much with Deirdre (I've started many runs with her, just not actually run at her pace), but when she gets into her rhythm, she is quite fast. By the turnaround point, I was barely hanging on and she hadn't broken a sweat yet. Amazing. We made the 2.2 mark in 14:57. On the way back, I kinda started off slow and then ran into Tim and slowed down to talk to him, but those are just excuses. The back 2.2 could have and should have been more sub-7's...instead it was an unremarkable 16 minutes.

Tonight, a recovery five. My legs felt some of the work put in the night before and with the increased heat, the miles felt awful. I was amazed that the watch read 37:36 at the end...I was worried I wouldn't break 40.

2007-09-28T08:41:00.000-04:00

bump in the road

Wednesday PM / 5.0 Miles / untimed

So I think the foot pain I've had over the last week has been more of the "normal running ache and pain" variety rather than "I'm gonna need another year off" variety. Five miles Wednesday night...untimed as not to put myself under any pressure to go faster. Everything felt fine. Of course, I'm now fighting a nasty cold which makes me feel less inclined to do anything, include run. That being said, I should be back out there tomorrow and hopefully get back to a full running week.

2007-09-25T21:47:00.000-04:00

Hmmmm

Saturday PM / 10.0 Miles / 1:16:46

Relatively easy run Saturday afternoon, but nothing since. Why? Some foot pain. Where? Starts with "N" and rhymes with "avicular." The doctor said there would be flare-ups...even months and possibly years later, so I'm trying to take it in stride. Felt better today. I'm going to get back out on it tomorrow...just being cautious.

2007-09-21T08:39:00.001-04:00

Lights, Camera, Action

Wednesday PM / 5.0 Miles / 38:26
Thursday PM / 6.0 Miles / 46:42

Two runs to log. Wednesday night was the usual five miles. I kept the pace easy despite my legs feeling like they could handle more. Short and sweet.

On Thursday, I left work a little later than expected so I couldn't do the full 7-8 that I wanted, setting for six miles instead. For some reason, I didn't really feel like running last night. That actually made me go faster right out the gate (wanting to just get it done maybe?), but the faster miles up front meant that I burned out early. By the end, I was back closer to 8-minute miles and was happy to be finished.

One interesting note about Thursday night was the course I ran. Not because I've never run there before (perhaps you've heard of Kelly Drive) but because the lights were out on the Drive between the end of Boathouse Row and up past the Girard Bridge. It was pitch black, allowing the moon and other lights to reflect off the water in ways I've never seen before. It was like being in a different world, amazing and disorienting at the same time. Add to that the fact that the zoo's balloon was still floating in the sky - lit up green like some type of bizarre moon - and it felt like running through a movie.

2007-09-18T21:45:00.000-04:00

Bouncy

Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles (4.4 timed) / 31:04

Bouncy - if that's even a word - is the only way to describe how my legs felt today. I took a day off on Monday and it worked wonders for me. The plan tonight was to meet the group for the 4.4 mile run and push the pace a little bit to try to get a few sub-7 minute miles.

The first 2.2 went by in 16:10, a 7:20-ish pace that was encouraging, although a little slower than I wanted. In my own defense, I did a lot of chatting on the way out so I get what I deserve.

The 2.2 return trip took 14:54, which was great for a few reasons. One, they were the desired sub-7 minute miles. Two, it was a negative split and three, the pace didn't feel all that difficult. Don't get me wrong, I was working hard...but I felt totally in control of pace and breathing all the way along.

2007-09-16T22:29:00.000-04:00

uh-oh

Thursday PM / 6.0 Miles / 48:30
Friday PM / 6.0 Miles / 45:30
Saturday PM / 9.0+ Miles / 1:14:06
Sunday PM / 5.0 Miles / untimed

I screwed up my blog...I deleted two posts by mistake. SO...a quick summary (sans long commentary) of the four runs:

Thursday - 6 miles to shake off the cobwebs from two days off
Friday - Getting back up to speed
Saturday - Relatively slow, but steady long run
Sunday - Five easy untimed miles in the cool fall air

2007-09-10T22:37:00.000-04:00

Why We Run

Monday PM / 5.5+ Miles / 43:48

Fairly uneventful run tonight except that once again it was a really sticky and humid night. Didn't push too hard, but had a couple of quick miles sandwiched in some more average miles. This was my ninth day of running in a row, but work is forcing two days off now.

Of all the things that go through my head when I run, I often come back to "why run?" I've probably posted about this before, but I was thinking about it for a different reason tonight. I was describing my Saturday run to a buddy a mine who questioned why I bother trying to chase down guys like Ian and W when in reality, I'll never be as fast as them. Let me start by saying it's a valid point, which I concede. I'll also add that I doubt the comment was meant in a malicious way...more of half joke, half concern for my health. But it kinda bugged me....so why try to keep up? I'm not sure I have a good answer. Certainly when I started running, I never envisioned ever entering a race. And after I ran my first race, I never envisioned racing at sub 8-minute miles, and sub 7-minute, miles, etc. I guess I like that if I put the work in, I see the results. There's a payoff. There's no payoff at my day job. There's no payoff to sitting on the couch. To take it further, I don't think there's that much of payoff to go out for runs everyday and never push yourself to the brink. So yeah, I'm never gonna win a race. And the injuries I've had over the last few years have most likely come from running "over my head." But once in awhile, being the one who gets a burst of energy and takes off on Thursday night is worth all the sub 3-hour marathons around.

2007-09-09T19:51:00.000-04:00

Ugly Weekend

Saturday AM / 9.0 Miles / 1:15:00
Sunday AM / 5.0 Miles / untimed

Ugly, ugly run on Saturday. If I have to make any excuse, I was probably trying to bite off more than I could chew. This was already my highest mileage week in over a year, the planned 10 miles would put me at 48 for the week on 7 consecutive "on" days. Too much.

In any event, the run started off slow for me...took a while for my legs to wake up. By mile 4, I had fallen behind both groups (Ian, Dierdre and W up front, E Mike, Emily and some other guy in the middle). Finally, everything clicked into place and my pace came together. It took me about a mile to catch the middle group and I then set my sights on the front group. I was within a block when reality set in. I was burning so much energy that even if I caught them, I would never be able to keep up for the rest of the run. I glanced at my watch (just over 45 minutes), looked back up...and then stopped. It was right about the 6 mile mark. It felt like an hour, but it was probably more like 10 minutes. I finally started up again but never got back into any kind of form. I really wanted to get to 10, but in the end I guess I was lucky it even ended up being 9.

Five untimed miles on Sunday morning in blazing, blazing heat.

2007-09-07T20:18:00.000-04:00

Easy 5

Friday PM / 5.0 Miles / 38:33

Easy recovery fiver tonight....the stats tell the whole story.

2007-09-06T22:35:00.000-04:00

Shoe on the Other Foot

Thursday PM / 7.0+ Miles / 56:00

It happened again tonight, but with a different result. On the "back" leg of my out-and-back course, easy relaxed pace, about to make my way around someone and BOOM - off he went! Back and forth for half a mile, but he never let me get out in front and in the end, he took me down. I was happy see him struggling a bit when we pulled into Lloyd Hall though. We stopped, talked for a few minutes and went our separate ways. An easy cool down mile after that.

Prior to the impromptu race, it was 7:30ish for 3+ miles out and a much more relaxed pace coming back in. I'm trying to start off a little slower, but honestly I'm still getting "recalibrated" with all these miles. And the miles have thankfully been coming easier these days. Whew.

On the iPod tonight, a one hour long mix by Philly dj Diplo which has been perfect for these 6-7 mile runs. It's a bunch of hip-hop, reggae, 80's and indie rock...a little of everything and very motivating. Downloaded it free (another bonus) from pitchfork.com.

2007-09-05T23:44:00.000-04:00

Not Impressed

Wednesday PM / 6.5+ Miles / 50:44

Felt like a full 7 miles and felt faster than what the watch said....so overall, a disappointing result. On the positive side, I got into a full-fledged pissing contest on Kelly Drive and I was able to break the guy despite feeling like I was about to vomit. The negative is obvious as the average time per mile was average overall. Not sure how that happened since I know the first three miles were at 7:15 pace. Plus, at 8pm it was almost pitch black outside...what a downer.

2007-09-04T07:50:00.000-04:00

Recovery 5

Tuesday AM / 5.0 Miles / 40:33

Easy five to stretch the legs out...almost didn't even bring the watch.

2007-09-03T21:11:00.000-04:00

The Remnants of Summer

Saturday - DNR
Sunday PM / 9.0 Miles / 1:10:55
Monday PM / 5.0 Miles / 36:23

Sunday morning featured perfect running weather...cool, crisp and breezy. So why I waited until 2pm to run is unclear. But it got real hot by the afternoon and this run put me in quite a bit of difficulty. I definitely let myself get dehydrated towards the end of the run, making the last few miles feel like torture. The run iteself was a winding journey that began up the Parkway, south on the Schuykill Path, over the South Street bridge and north on 34th street all the way to the zoo. Then it was up, up and away to Memorial Hall before turning around and going home via Lemon Hill. It FELT faster then 8's, but the watch doesn't lie.

As an aside, I believe I also ran past what I think was my first actual crime scene. Police tape, lots of officers, those little cards on the ground that (if you believe Law & Order) tell you where shell casings lay, plus lots of residents milling around and a few odd looks as I cruised through the whole thing. I love Philadelphia.

Today was another fiver. This one felt slow but was actually a few seconds faster than Friday, so who knows. Hot again today, but the miles felt fine. I've finallly started to notice that my body is OK in the 7-7:30 range for middle distances, which is a relief.

2007-08-31T19:49:00.000-04:00

Bonus Miles

Friday PM / 5.0 Miles / 36:26

Wasn't anticipating any miles today, but I squeezed in a quick five. Happy with the time since my legs ached all day from yesterday's run. Awesome.

2007-08-31T08:40:00.000-04:00

Old School

Thursday PM / 5.0 Miles / 40:43

Work was killing me yesterday, compounded by the fact that I hadn't had a chance to run in a few days. So I decided to leave work, go home early and blow off some steam. I figured I could do a few miles and then swing by to see if there was a Thursday crew. I headed out for a few untimed miles, ran by the Art Museum and decided to hit the steps a few times. Not sure why, just seemed like a good idea. I got through about 10 reps and Deirdre came by, looking for a Thursday run that never materialized.

After catching up with Deirdre, I headed over to Lemon Hill. Ages ago, many Thursday night runs would just be laps of Lemon Hill and that's what I did last night. All types of goings-on kept my interest as I ran around the hill...just the usual Lemon Hill combination of illegal substances, sketchy characters, apparent prostitution, nappers in parked cars and pick-up basketball. Four fairly quick laps plus a couple of flat miles make up the 5.0 miles noted above. I have no idea what the warm-up miles and steps added to that.

Overall, this is probably my last run in August, a month that officially goes on the books as a stinker. My schedule made it very difficult to keep up the pace I set in July. I know I've said this before, but things really are calming down now and I'm looking forward to September. Should be a great month.

2007-08-27T23:13:00.000-04:00

Half-Assed Intervals

Sunday PM / 5.0 Miles / 43:44

Odd run yesterday...I set out for what supposed to be an easy 5 miles, having done nothing on Saturday (traveling yet AGAIN...things really should settle down soon). As I hit the Schuykill Path, I found myself sprinting along to the music on my iPod until my lungs were screaming, at which point I slowed down, recovered, then repeated. I didn't time any of this mind you, just sprint-recover-sprint-recover, etc. Eventually, the heat took it's toll and I walked a bit but when all was said and done, my legs felt like they had been put through a good workout and that's the point isn't it?

2007-08-21T11:42:00.000-04:00

Back in Business

Monday PM / 5+ Miles / 41:04

Vacation's over and with two full weeks off from running, there was some rust in the legs last night. The weather was fairly cool and there was still rain coming down when I headed out the door so I kept it easy...five unremarkable miles on Kelly Drive. In the next day or so I hope to have a plan sorted out for any fall races I might consider, which includes the Philadelphia Marathon.

2007-08-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

Check-in

I'll say it right up front...I haven't run a step since that Saturday back in Skaneateles...either August 3rd or 4th. The week after I got back, work piled up and having to be at work from 7am-7pm does not leave a lot of time for running. This past Friday, Lis and I packed up the car and headed down to the Outer Banks. I brought running gear, but haven't been terribly motivated to run...being quite content to spend a week literally doing nothing. So that may be the way it goes for the rest of the week. Puts me a hole for PDR, but so be it.

2007-08-05T23:12:00.000-04:00

Skaneateles Lake

Saturday PM / ??? / 1:04

I spent the weekend up in the Finger Lakes of NY and despite the usual difficulties of running while traveling, I managed to squeeze a run in on Saturday. Unfortunately I have no idea what the distance was and I had a hard time trying to recreate the run on Gmaps. It felt like 8.5 miles on some of the most brutal hills I've ever run. When you leave the town of Skaneateles, there are mountains on every side so the first 17 minutes of Saturday's run was an unbroken climb. The middle miles were over rolling hills and then all of those uphill miles paid dividends on the way back down.

After a late night and then a long drive home, there was no run today. I'll do my Sunday five-miler on Monday.

Three more outs for Tom Glavine to get his 300th win!

2007-08-03T10:56:00.000-04:00

wtf?

Thursday PM / 5.5+ / 44:21

The plan was to do six with the group last, but work intervened and I was out on my own. I thought I had a six mile course laid out, but when I got home and stopped the watch at 44:21 I had a feeling my measurement was off (insert recycled Lin-Mark joke here). Oh well...I'll make it up on Saturday.

2007-08-01T10:03:00.000-04:00

Next Steps

Wednesday AM / 5.0 Miles / 38:50

So I just realized that yesterday was the last day of July. On the first day of July, I noted that I wanted to see if I could build back into a decent rhythm throughout the month...back to 5 days a week, consistent paces, longer distances, etc. I would say it's mission accomplished. With few exceptions, I stayed on track and on days when I missed mileage, I made it up on other days. My paces have been consistent and while they haven't gotten tremendously faster, they have gotten easier which tells me that my fitness is improving. All good signs.

That being said, today was the first day in awhile that my legs felt really tired. My upper body did a lot of the work this morning as I used my arms more than my legs to keep momentum going. Still, the time was decent and I was happy to get the miles done before we hit 90+ degrees. Depending on the weather, it may be an AM run again tomorrow.

As for the next few weeks, the plan is to continue to do what I'm doing through my vacation in mid-August and when I get back, begin to *gulp* sort out a marathon plan.

2007-07-31T21:50:00.000-04:00

Back to Tuesday

Monday - Planned day off
Tuesday PM / 4.4 Miles / 32:55

Finally got back to the Tuesday night runs...haven't been there in awhile and although there were some regulars, there were also plenty of faces I still don't know. Good to see Dubs out there shaking off some tightness in his foot. And despite the heat, we set a pretty good pace. I broke out for a portion of the first half of the run, certainly not trying to show anyone up, just speeding up when my body will allow it. There were some bookend warm-up and cool down miles, but the 4.4 was really the only part that counted.

2007-07-29T21:43:00.000-04:00

ugh

Saturday PM / ??? Miles / 23:00
Sunday PM / 9.0 Miles / 1:16:17

Tough weekend. Headed out late in the day Satuday trying to squeeze in a few miles between afternoon and evening plans. I spent my morning watching the Tour which (drugs or not) did not disappoint. In my eagerness to complete the miles, I went out way too hard in the atrocious humidity. At 23 minutes, I stopped my watch, slowed to a trot and headed home. Defeated.

But would the heat have the last laugh? Despite what the time says, I consider Sunday a success. The humidity was oppressive once again. The main goal was to run over an hour...most of my runs have been in the 40-60 minute range lately. I really wanted to just spend some time out there, regardless of distance and pace. The course was Lemon Hill to Strawberry Mansion, over the bridge, Ford Road to Chamounix, Belmont Plateau, North Concourse, Landsdowne, Girard and back to Lemon Hill. The best part of the course was when it was done...there wasn't a single enjoyable step of the whole thing. Just brutal...but I'm glad I did it.

2007-07-26T08:53:00.000-04:00

another one bites the dust

Thursday AM / 5.0 Miles / 37:55

The Tour continues to fall apart, seemingly hour by hour. Race leader Rasmussen is out, leaving two Discovery riders in the top three. I like to think they deserve to be there...who knows.

In any case, got my five in early today since I'll be at work late. There is an interesting development on the lower part of the Schuykill Path...the city has installed sprinklers. I assume they are for the grass but their positioning is such that the pavement is getting as much water as the landscaping. I continued on my merry way, dodging sprinklers and fighting the humidity during an otherwise uneventful run.

2007-07-25T08:41:00.000-04:00

morning miles

Wednesday AM / 5.0 Miles / 39:14

Squeezed in a fiver this morning despite the increasing humidity. Saw a few Phillyrunners out on the Drive as I was putting in the easy miles.

2007-07-24T22:44:00.000-04:00

quick update

Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles / 37:14

Missed the Tuesday group (work again) but headed out on my own in the evening. Sundown provided perfect conditions for motoring around Rittenhouse and the Schuykill Path. I was happy with the time...especially starting to break in a new pair of shoes.

As for the Tour, well...what a mess. I've been pulling for Disco's new rider Contador (who ironically missed last year's Tour because he was on Astana - formerly Liberty Seguros, the team that just dropped from this year's Tour due to the Vino fiasco), but it all seems a little foolish now.

2007-07-24T08:30:00.000-04:00

Brain Dump

Monday PM / 7+ Miles / 56:22

Last night I had one of those perfect runs where I'm hardly even thinking about running and I'm able to sort through all the other random crap going on in my head. This was my first run since Thursday as my trip to Vermont seemed designed to discourage running (Vermont Brewer's Festival anyone?). I do love going to Vermont...everytime I visit, I leave thinking "I could live there." And I could. I'm getting a little tired of the "urban" Northeast and as much as I'm a city guy, it's wearing on me. So one of things I'm trying to figure out now is where to live and it's a struggle between the convenience of the Philly area and the desire to try something different. North Carolina seems to keep popping up on the radar and I'd say that's a decent possibility. I'd love to live in Colorado or Oregon, but those are long-shots at this point. Most of this is beside the point, but all of these thoughts worked their way around my head last night as I ticked off the miles.

As for the actual run, I needed a way to break my mental funk and that meant avoiding Kelly Drive. When I got to Lloyd Hall, I made a right, headed up Lemon Hill and then decided to go right again, up by the reservoir. I was thinking a lot about sports, spurred by the somewhat disappointing fact that I saw people wearing Michael Vick jerseys on the way up to the reservoir (I'm an innocent until proven guilty kinda guy, but folks wearing Mike Vick jerseys in a town where people would normally scream at you for not wearing Eagles green seems off given the timing). Also got me thinking about the Tour, which has sucked me in yet again. I'm praying I don't get disappointed this year.

After passing the reservoir, I meant to go up Strawberry Mansion Bridge but I made a wrong turn and quickly found myself descending back towards Kelly Drive. Since that's not exactly a pedestrian-friendly crossing, I turned around and decided to backtrack and see if I could negative split the second half of the run (I did...by over 1:30).

As for Vermont...who knows...I noticed a lack of running stores on Church Street ;)

2007-07-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

BLUE BLUR
sync to win
feel the butter

As seen on a homemade boat race sign still posted on Kelly Drive

Thursday PM / 6.5 Miles / 52:48

I don't know what "feel the butter" means, but I don't think I was feeling it tonight. The way it's been going lately, some runs have just sucked. I knew tonight was going to suck as I headed out the door. I got home from work late (exhausted) and could barely get off the couch to head out. I still think some of my difficulty has been more mental than physical since I felt fine tonight...legs felt strong and loose, etc. Just couldn't motivate myself and never fell into rhythm. I'm headed to Vermont tomorrow so I'll try to run some of the VCM course for old times sake.

2007-07-18T22:41:00.000-04:00

new morning crowd

Wednesday AM / 5.0 Miles / 37:28

Apparently there is a splinter-group of Phillyrunners who go every morning at 6:15 from Rittenhouse. I admire their discipline and also like knowing there is a crowd there for early morning runs. Today Deirdre, Benny and Keith set a real nice pace going out (not really the advertised 8-8:30's ;) ) in the nasty, nasty humidity. I dropped off a bit early and dropped my pace a bit, but still ran a respectable time given that I had run less then 12 hours earlier.

2007-07-17T22:04:00.000-04:00

fresh legs

Tuesday PM / 5.0 Miles / 36:22

What a difference a couple of days can make. I took a mulligan on Sunday and kept my planned off day yesterday. The result was a quicker fiver today. I hope I timed it right...the run was a full two minutes faster than my fivers last week.

2007-07-15T22:36:00.000-04:00

cracked

Saturday PM / 7.0 Miles / 58:21

Oh there are probably multiple reasons for Saturday's awful run...the heat, too many consecutive days, hungover, not enough sleep, etc. In the end, let's call it what it was...a whiff. Actually, I'm surprised it only took 58+ minutes since I thought I walked a full mile. I decided to take a day off today for a little recovery.

2007-07-13T14:37:00.000-04:00

an early start

Thursday AM / 6+ Miles / 48:58
Friday AM / 5.0 Miles / 38:30

I never thought I'd say this but I'm starting to like this morning running thing. The only problem is that my work schedule and commute make long morning runs impossible, so it's always going to be 5-6 miles. In any case, I ran some great miles Thursday morning in the suddenly cool weather. Awesome.

And when I woke up today, the choice was clear...bonus miles! For better or worse, this made it four days in a row. Also awesome.

2007-07-11T11:51:00.001-04:00

5am wake-up call?

Wednesday AM / 5.0 Miles / 39:29

Err, no. The alarm went off at 5am and I didn't even think about getting up. At 6, I finally rolled out of bed and decided I had to get some kind of run, so it meant I was gonna be a little late for work. How hot was it? It felt like running in a giant bowl of soup. It was so hot, the cockroaches were still running around 19th street even though it was light out. You get the picture.

2007-07-10T21:52:00.000-04:00

the heat, my god the heat

Tueday PM / 5.5 Miles / 44:24

It was friggin' hot tonight, and I got home from work late, and I'm feeling a little burnt out this week...but my whole goal for July is to stick to the schedule. That's why I ran this awful 5+ miles tonight and that's why I'll probably be on the treadmill at 5am tomorrow morning. Life's not giving me the time for running so I'll have to take it when I can get it.

2007-07-08T16:39:00.000-04:00

Ian is an Asshat, a.k.a. The 3rd Annual G5K

Sunday AM / 5.0 Miles / 2 untimed, 3 22:10

The course was simple for this year's G5K. The runners were given a turnaround point and it was up to us how to get there and back. So although the "measured" course was 5K, it could be less (or more) depending on the route taken. I was hoping the turnaround would be SE from City Hall and it was, so I was able to take advantage of a few shortcuts. For example, Craig had originally flown by me on Juniper, but two diagonal parking lots later, I had reeled him back in. My only misstep was cutting through a rather large playground that spit me out on Delancey St, one block out of my way. Although I quickly made up the time in a parking lot on Ranstead, it was still enough to garner me the Longest/Worst/Weirdest Route Award. And I'll treasure the Very Hairy Scorpion forever.

All in all, a nice morning out with a great group and a fun race. Got in a couple of warmup miles beforehand as well.

2007-07-07T21:30:00.000-04:00

Birds: 3, Runners: 0

Saturday AM / 8.5 Miles / 1:11

Today it was my turn. I was cruising under the Girard Ave Bridge on West River Drive, maybe 100 feet behind the lead group when it happened. First I heard a high-pitched sound followed by the feeling of wings flapping and claws scratching at my head. Is this the same bird? Who knows…but it’s getting out of hand. The Runners need to score…soon.

As for the actual run, well, it was just “eh.” I let the lead group of eight go and had my last opportunity to catch them on the East Falls Bridge. I made one last attempt to get them back but I didn’t have the legs. The heat was a little much today and it took its toll on me. I ended up doing the whole Loop myself, which I hate, and the 1:11 included a good 3-4 minute walk period around the John Kelly statue. But as I like to say…today wasn’t a day to try to prove something.

2007-07-06T08:35:00.000-04:00

running with a fast crowd

Thursday PM / 7.5 Miles / 1:01

I love the Thursday night runs...always have. I won't go into the all the details but these started when a group decided they want to push it a little and do longer runs of *gasp* 6 miles and *shhh* hill workouts. They soon turned into late-winter Lemon Hill repeats and summer 9-milers. Well, with all of the injuries and marathon schedules and vacations, Thursday had fallen off a bit...hitting a low point when no one even suggested a run last week. So as I approached the Art Museum I was happy to see about six other people waiting, but apprehensive when I noticed they were Ian, John W, Seebo, Kollar, Deidre and Lee. I knew I was going to get my ass kicked.

Started out innocently enough, but we quickly hit the hills. I hung around on Lemon Hill, got dropped a bit on Lansdowne (but was able to catch up) and got destroyed on Georges (my first trip up that hill in a very long time). After Georges, I caught back up to W and Kollar, something I attribute more to a generous slowing on their part than any speed on mine. I tried to drop off before the final hill and I credit W for telling me, in not so many words, "get your shit together and run over this last hill." So I did.

On the way back down to Montgomery I decided to head back on Concourse and back over Lemon Hill, rather than the flats of West River. As tired as I was, the variety of the run on Concourse/Lemon Hill beats the monotony of West River any day. Given the humidity and since this was my third running day in a row, I'm OK with the time and distance. At least last night, I started to feel the confidence that comes with knowing you are improving.

2007-07-05T08:31:00.001-04:00

Tues PM / 5+ Miles / 38:45
Wed AM / 5 Miles / 38:50

It's funny to me that both of these runs ended up being about the same average pace (the Tuesday night run was just a shade over 5 miles though). Tuesday night started out fast and got slower as I went along, Wednesday morning was just the opposite with me picking up the pace once my legs woke up.

These weren't very onerous distances to run, but waking up for a run early Wednesday morning was tough, especially since it was my second run in less than 12 hours. But I'm trying to stick my old schedule (Sun, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat). For the record, Monday was a day off as scheduled.

2007-07-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

a fresh start

Sunday / 9 Miles / 1:10

I'm stealing a page from Ian and starting all my posts with the distance and time of each run. I tried to go back and add up my mileage for June and realized that it was annoying to pick through each post to find all of the times and distances.

As I looked back on June, I noticed that my running was wildly inconsistent. Different off days each week, no rhyme or reason to distances, etc. So for July, I'd like to start to get back on a regular schedule. The plan is to get used to the discipline of a training plan again and then begin one in August with an eye on the Philadelphia marathon. Does that sentence sound familiar? It should...it's almost the same one I wrote 11 months ago, before my stress fracture. Time flies.

With all this in mind, I wanted to get a fresh start and kick off July with a solid run. I headed out the door without an exact plan for a route, but knew I wanted to swing by Memorial Hall to check out the Strong Man competition. My travels took me over to the Museum (and around the Hall and Oates construction), back behind the Zoo (which was packed) and up Lansdowne to North Concourse (Strong Man competition). I stopped for a few minutes to watch some of the event...it's actually LESS exciting than it is on TV, if that's possible.

From there, I decided to head up Belmont and continue on to the Plateau. On the downside of the Plateau, the downhill (and probably the tunes on the iPod) gave me a second wind and I picked up the pace. Hit Montgomery and then down to West River Drive. Off in the distance, I saw a few people running ahead of me and it was the old mind game to drag myself back on West River....trying to pick people off as I went. When I got back to the Museum, I felt great and contemplated extending the run further but decided not to push my luck. Headed home with 9 miles done in just under 1:10.

2007-06-28T08:54:00.000-04:00

climate control

I figure I'm not going to get used to running in the heat by sitting at home in my air-conditioning. So I headed out last night for a short jog around the Rittenhouse Area. Ended up going down to Locust, up the path and past Boathouse Row, turning around and coming back via the Ben Franklin Parkway. The worst thing about this heat wave is the air quality. You can feel every bit of moisture, dirt and exhaust as you inhale....I imagine it feels similar to drowning.

GMAPS said it was about 4.75 miles. The watch said it was about 38 minutes. I'll take flat 8 minute miles in this heat...better than Tuesday night's disaster anyway.

2007-06-27T08:57:00.001-04:00

opposite ends of the spectrum

The good? 6.5 miles on Saturday in just over 48 minutes.

And the bad? 5.0 miles last night in just over 46 minutes.

The humidity just pounded me last night and after a decent 2.5 miles out on Kelly Drive in 19 minutes, the run back deteriorated and basically became a walk. I mustered a little bit of energy to actually run up the hill from Lloyd Hall to the Museum....but that was a small victory.

Today is a day off....Thursday I'll be waiting until nightfall to run.

2007-06-22T08:03:00.000-04:00

back out there

A quick update while I can sneak a few free minutes at work....ran a quick 5.5 miles last night, untimed. Everything felt OK...foot, achilles, etc. So I'm a little relieved. I'll take a day off and plan for Saturday morning.

2007-06-19T09:24:00.000-04:00

Getting Current

I forgot to log a 5 miler last Tuesday. 37:10 in the suffocating humidity and some nagging pain in that f'ing right achilles. So since last Tuesday...nothing. And there will be a few more days off I think. My leg actually feels fine and feels ready for a run, which is usually a good time to give it a few more days rest. Maybe Thursday.

2007-06-12T11:26:00.000-04:00

Rotten Apple

So the lottery for the NYC marathon didn't go my way. I'm more disappointed than I thought I'd be, but life goes on. Couldn't resist that title though...

2007-06-12T08:35:00.000-04:00

What is going on with the Mets?

I can't stand this...they're losing a ton of games...the Phillies are catching up. All is not right it Metville. The series against the Phillies in late June is now the most important series of the first half of the season. Nothing less than a sweep will do.

Onto the running. Calf/Achilles felt better last night. Ice, stretching and Advil kept the pain in check for 4 miles (31 minutes). I am definitely still feeling some soreness in both legs, but I also think it's most likely do to tightness, not any kind of injury. I'm thinking of doing a follow-up appointment with the physical therapist to be sure. I'm going to keep up my current mileage (about 25 miles a week), so it's business as usual for now.

2007-06-11T09:30:00.001-04:00

Minor Scare?

Headed out on Saturday to meet up with the group. A little hungover, a little dehydrated...but determined to run my 9 miles before the temperature was over 90 degrees. Started out with John and Craig, cruising along at a nice clip up West River (we made Falls Bridge in about 33 minutes, right around 7:45 miles). Approaching Falls Bridge, I started to get a cramp from my right calf all the way down to my heel. I've been trying to overreact to injuries lately, so I stopped at the Bridge and stretched it out. What I felt was a tremendous amount of tightness between the calf and Achilles. I was able to make it back, but the pain was definitely still there. Later in the day, I could feel the tenderness on the lower leg and still had some pain. I started to have flashbacks to the weeks after the Clean Air 5K and the Achilles injury that would sideline me for months. Sunday, the pain and tightness was much less, but I took a day off anyway.

Being somewhat afraid of re-injury, it's hard to draw the line between the normal aches and pains that runners have all the time, and something that is more serious. At the same time, I'm starting to feel like the Carl Pavano of running. So the plan is to keep stretching and give it a go for 4 miles tonight. Hopefully, that will give me some indication if this one is real or imagined.

On the way out Saturday morning, Dubs pointed out that July 1 makes 18 weeks to the NYC marathon. I don't think I'm at the point where I'm ready to start a training program. My health is still not 100% and my base mileage isn't there. I'm thinking Philly is more realistic than NYC.

2007-06-05T22:27:00.000-04:00

Still a little pressed for time

This will be another quick update. Time seems to be constantly battling with the blog, but I like having these runs recorded somewhere so I'll just drop in these quick updates whenever I can.

Saturday was the Loop. Started off with Ian, Seebo and some others but broke off from them when they hit the fire roads. I ran the next couple with Gelman and took a quick breather at the East Falls bridge. The miles back down Kelly Drive were better and actually got faster towards the end. Finished in just over 1:07.

Sunday and Monday were days off, one planned, one the victim if circumstance.

Tonight, a quick fiver...but not with the group since I got home late. 5 miles in 37:20.

Also, threw my hat in the ring for the NYC marathon. We'll see what happens...

2007-06-01T10:33:00.000-04:00

Some Thursday is better than no Thursday

Work has been crazy lately and for better or worse, that's when I update the blog. Consequently, the blog suffers...and it will again today. Met up with the Thursday night crowd of Ian, Benny and new recruit Shanley. The plan was to go do some hills including Georges and Lemon Hill. Of course, this is the BEST plan for a 90-degree day! Ian had to drop off after Lemon Hill, and I went as far as the base of Georges before I had to turn around...other plans shortening both of our runs.

Overall, an unremarkable 5.5 miles in about 43 minutes.

2007-05-30T18:17:00.001-04:00

Busy day...

...so this will just be a straight report. Met up with the Tuesday night club and somehow ended up in the no man's land between the fast crowd and the 8-minute crowd. 2.2 out to the Kelly statue in 15:30, 2.2 back in approximately 16:30 while I was chatting with Bill.

I also started a short run of physical therapy today. It's amazing how quickly a trainer can show you how out of shape you are ;)

2007-05-29T09:15:00.001-04:00

Got in the prescribed 5.5 miles last night. The same course that took 42 minutes Thursday night took 47 minutes last night. But that included two quick water stops where I didn't bother to stop my watch, so I'll call it a wash.

2007-05-28T11:27:00.000-04:00

Inferno

This isn't a complaint about the heat...I don't mind the 90-degree heat on Memorial Day weekend. The "unofficial start" of summer should feel this way. But I'd be lying if I said the weather made Saturday's run any easier. I met up with the group for the 9:30am start (the 8am start now seems like a good idea) and as we headed up King Drive, the pace was easy and conversational. At some points, it actually felt too easy and I found myself hoping it would pick up. At Strawberry Mansion, most of the people I was running with headed for the bridge. I continued on and after crossing East Falls Bridge, the heat took its toll.

The back end of the Loop is not very well shaded so the Kelly Drive miles were blazing hot. I was mostly able to hold my pace, but with three miles to go, the familiar sign of dehydration was showing...I had stopped sweating. Deciding that it wasn't prudent to try and prove anything, I moved into a run-walk-run pattern back to the museum. So it was slower overall than last week, but wisely so.

The Loop, 1:12.

Took yesterday off, hoping for 4 to 5 tonight.

2007-05-25T09:04:00.001-04:00

Where was Thursday?

Despite the absence of a Thursday night crew last night, I headed out for what I hoped would be a few quick miles. Since there were no running club obligations, I decided to take advantage of the weather and run through Rittenhouse and the lower half of the Schuykill Path for some sightseeing. Although it was warm last night, it wasn't terribly humid so it was comfortable. And the pace was the same. 5.5 miles in 42 minutes.

I've realized that in the last couple of weeks, I've sped up my miles a bit. Just screwing around produces consistent 7:30-7:45 miles, where those same miles were in the 8:15-8:30 range two months ago.

Plus some of my clothes have started to fit again.

2007-05-23T08:42:00.001-04:00

Last night was a pretty typical Tuesday with the club. My plan was to take the first 2.5 miles easy and then speed up on the return trip. But when Ian, Dubs and a few others took off early, I decided to switch it around. It wasn't super-fast but enough to make me work. When we hit the 2.2 mile point in 15:30, I dropped off the back. Eased off the pace a bit and brought in the full five at 37:30...feeling good.

2007-05-20T21:16:00.000-04:00

RIP Yellow Shorts / Breakthrough Run / RIP Asics / +4 More

Lots of running-related stuff going on this weekend…lots to get through…

The downside of wearing the same pair of shorts (yellow) is that they are constantly in the laundry. Friday night, the washing machine won. Tore them up. It was heartbreaking, but maybe some kind of sign about moving to a new phase of training. Either way, they have already been tossed and will never be worn again.

So as I jogged over to the Saturday morning group run, I was sporting my b-team black shorts. About 20 people there, I recognized three. As we headed out to the drives, I found myself running alone and dreading the prospect of doing the whole loop alone. I fell in with some guy and in a few minutes another clubber joined us. We ran about two miles in awkward silence. It’s funny when that happens, each runner trying to figure out if this group is going to do the whole run together and if so, when to begin speaking. The ice was finally broken as Heidi and Sebastian introduced themselves. Apparently both had run with the club before, but what do I know. In any case, this was the run I needed. We hit a nice pace and before I knew it, the loop was done. No breaks, no stopping, consistent pace….1:07 flat. By far my best run since coming back. Big thanks to Heidi and Sebastian for a great run.

I don’t want to get too long-winded here, but I also managed to finally replace my Asics and make the move back to Saucony. I decided to go to Philadelphia Runner and felt like the person at the store knew what they were talking about. The Sauconys seemed to be a lot springier and more flexible than the Asics. She explained the Asics Gel system and why it feels stiff, especially in their stability models. I also tried some Mizuno’s which use a plastic plate in the heel…they felt fast but not nearly as comfortable (for me) as the Sauconys.

I took the new shoes out for a trial run tonight. Just four miles, untimed. My legs feel better than they have in weeks. The shoes were fast right out of the box. I could’ve run another loop tonight. All in all, a terrific running weekend. Except the shorts.

2007-05-15T09:43:00.000-04:00

Refocus

I'm not one for quotes. Little tidbits of life knowledge that make me want to strangle the people saying them. "ENJOY.... because today is the first day of the rest of your life. Make it the best day you ever lived!!" Keep it.

But I've been struggling the past two weeks with running. Motivation to get out there isn't the problem. Motivation to keep going is. My last few runs have been plagued with starts and stops....my body seeming all too willing to slow to a walk, take breaks etc. It happened again on Saturday. After an awesome 31+ minute run out to East Falls with Ian and Craig on pacing duty, I fell apart on the return trip down Kelly Drive. The problem seems much more mental than physical, which makes me feel worse since I'm not sure how to turn that back around. All of this has led to disappointing runs and apathy about pace and mileage. Here's where the quote comes in.

"The hallmark of a life-long athlete is not his ability to focus but to refocus."
- Neal Henderson, Boulder Center for Sports Medicine

I thought about this all day and as I ran last night, I realized it rang true. I had lost focus. I was allowing my body to control my running, rather than letting my mind lead the way. I needed a mental refocus. And it worked. I decided to go out for a six-miler, no music, no distractions, no stops, no breaks. When my body wanted to stop, I simply wouldn't let it...adjusting my pace up and down as necessary to keep moving.

So I suppose this is one quote I may try to remember. Whether or not it gets me through more than a six mile run on a Monday remains to be seen.

Monday: 6+ miles, 45 minutes
Saturday: The Loop, call it 68 minutes

2007-05-10T11:01:00.001-04:00

Glimpsing August

OK, so maybe it wasn't "August" hot last night, but the humidity that's rolled into the area provided a not-so-subtle reminder of what's to come. Despite that, I was looking forward to a run since I had to skip Tuesday (and will have to miss tonight) due to work obligations. My runs have been hit-or-miss lately and this was another giant miss.

I headed to the Art Museum, intent on doing a 6-mile out and back on Kelly Drive. Since the traffic lights broke my way, I ended up on Lemon Hill for what would be an improvised Memorial Hall loop (Lemon Hill, up Landsdowne, around MH, back to Girard, behind the Zoo, etc). The heat and the hills were taking a toll on me but I felt like I was doing OK. Then I just fell apart. I had to stop 3 or 4 times on the short stretch behind the zoo, unable to muster any kind of comeback. Surprisingly, my legs actually woke up while I was crossing the Spring Garden Bridge, but the damage was done by that point.

Call it 5+

I gave up on timing it about halfway through. Long way to go.

2007-05-08T08:49:00.001-04:00

Two runs to log....and nothing really exciting about either one, so this post will be a quick report.

On Saturday I headed out in the afternoon to go for 8 miles. Did a one mile warm-up, then six timed miles in 45:33, followed by a one mile cool-down.

Last night, 4.75 miles in 38 minutes.

I still haven't felt like I've had a big breakthrough run, more just chipping away....slightly increasing pace and distance each day. I had an appointment with the doctor last week. He hinted that repeating the back-to-back-to-back runs I pulled last week might not be in the best interest of my recovery. As a good doctor should, he reminded me that this was a serious injury, not out of the woods yet, etc. He made not running Broad Street seem like a good decision, although he didn't make that decision any easier. Fortunately, it meant I could watch the race and support everyone. Congrats Ian, Kollar, John, Seebo, Chris and everyone else who ran!

2007-05-04T09:36:00.000-04:00

Doggin' It

Nothing good to say about last night's run....just an absolute dog. I felt good on my way over to the Museum, but for some reason my legs just never kicked in. Fortunately Alex was running a relaxed pace as well, otherwise I probably would have stopped at some point on MLK. No pain in my feet, just no go.

BUT, Alex was right and my pacing was way off. We ended up at 5.8 miles in 48+ minutes. Not too shabby I guess.

2007-05-02T22:17:00.000-04:00

Easy Peasy

Tonight was supposed to be a night off, but the weather wouldn't allow it. Grabbed the iPod, left the watch home and put in a thoroughly enjoyable and easy four miles.

2007-05-02T08:36:00.000-04:00

Tuesdays and Taxes

As I headed out the door to meet the Tuesday crew, I still felt a lot of the same tightness in my legs that I've had for the last few days. I stopped a couple of times on the way over to the Museum to stretch, which helped. It also meant that I was late for the run. So I decided to turn this to my advantage and make my goal of the run to catch up with as many of the Tuesday nighters as possible. I finally settled in with Alex and E Mike and finished off the run with a sprint back up to the Museum...everything feeling better than when I started.

Alex pointed out that we had one of the most substantive conversations I think we've ever had after a run...mayoral elections, party affiliations, taxes, crime, etc. But a couple of beers at the Collar dumbed it all back down.

So call it 5+ (4.4 with the group), untimed.

2007-04-30T08:30:00.001-04:00

Step Forward, Step Back

Couple of runs to catch-up on this weekend. Friday was a planned day off. Saturday, I set out to do what I was hoping would be a loop, but once I got started I realized I just wasn't feeling 100%. So I switched it to a six-miler, three miles out on Kelly Drive (a surprising 22:04) and three miles back (22:33, also a surprise since I felt like I was going faster). Add a one mile warm-up to the front and a one mile cool-down to the back, and I was OK with the distance. By Saturday night though, my legs felt like jello.

I went out for an easy four yesterday to try to work out some of the kinks. My legs felt really heavy and at the same time, my calf muscles felt like they were in knots. I finished up the four in about 31 minutes, but even today everything feels tight. Fortunately I wasn't planning to run tonight anyway...probably need a little break.

At this point, I'm not very optimistic about actually running Broad Street, but I'm not ready to abandon it just yet.

2007-04-27T09:05:00.000-04:00

catching up

I raced from the plane last night and made my way back to my apartment and over to the museum, hoping that my flight being 30 minutes EARLY was a sign that I should head over to meet the Thursday crew. There were plenty of runners there, but that was for a planned 5K. Apparently there was no run last night although I did catch up with Ian for awhile.

So I headed out on my own for a reverse Memorial Hall Loop, my only company being LCD Soundsystem's new album. The reason for going in reverse was to get the King Drive portion of the course out of the way early. Unfortunately that meant I had to trudge up Black Road and the hill definitely beat me. I was able to get my legs back after that and the remaining few miles were fast and easy, and included a blazing orange sunset behind the zoo that was incredible.

Call it 5+ miles in 38:40.

The only bad part was that this run failed to erase any lingering doubts I have about Broad Street. Last year's time was around 1:07 and I know that 1) I don't have that in me right now and 2) I expected my next Broad Street to be significantly faster than 1:07. I could justify it as a training run, I just don't want to be disappointed.

PS - 4 uneventful miles on Monday, 6 more on Tuesday (4.4 with the Tuesday crew).

2007-04-23T11:13:00.001-04:00

A Quick Jog in Brooklyn

Although my intention was to run on Saturday in Boston, my travel schedule seems to be winning out over my running schedule lately and I didn't get the planned miles done. On the drive back from Boston, Lis and I decided to stop in Brooklyn to have dinner with my parents. That gave me the perfect excuse to go out for a spin in Prospect Park.

I haven't been great about timing my runs lately, and the weather yesterday was another perfect excuse to leave the watch at home. So I put in a casual four miler in the perfect spring weather. As much as I've grown to love Kelly Drive, for my money nothing beats Prospect Park in the spring. I've mentioned the Park in detail before, so I don't need to rehash the details, but yesterday was a reminder of everything I love about Brooklyn.

It was also a reminder that it's time to start ratcheting up these runs to more than 3-4 miles.