I'm Alive

"You know it's funny what a young man recollects? 'Cause I don't remember bein' born. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember what Enda Johnson said to me my first day of cross country camp."

- Forrest Gump

"You can only do two of three things well. School, Party, and Run. Pick two."

I don't know where Enda picked up this timeless kernel of information, but time and time again in my life it has proven itself to be true. I haven't posted in a while, mainly because of the fact that I have been insanely busy. Even as I write that statement, I think to myself, "what a panzy". I have friends all over the US and the world that seem to be busier than I and still find the time to run. Well my friends, I am no Superman like you.

For the last month or so, running has been limited to 5 or 6 days per week of jogging 6-8 miles. While part of me was content with keeping up this semblance of fitness, no matter how pathetic it may sound to most of the people I coach, it wasn't made to last. The last two weeks, with looming finals, papers, and work deadlines, running has become an occasional break from sitting at a computer writing and editing HTML. So, while running might not be of particular interest at the moment, I encourage my faithful readers (and you must be faithful after not seeing a post for a good two months) to check out my new business project I've been working on in my spare time after the real 9-6 and school work.

I've partnered with the Baltimore Marathon to be the official Marathon Training Plan provider for the race. Baltimore is one of the top 10 biggest race weekends in the country, with it's half marathon and full marathon participation numbers topping 20,000 in 2009.

The new business model provides expert training plans to runners of all levels - beginner to Boston Qualifier. What makes our training unique compared to any other online training plan is individual access to your coach. With the ability to ask questions, read expert training tips, and connect with running groups, we offer a unique training program that makes training for a marathon an experience in itself. With us, "You've got people".

With the deadline for completion being December 13th (that's opening registration day), and my html skills rivaling that of any CS2 student, the crunch is on to get everything up and running smoothly.

If you would like to offer up some comments, suggestions, praise, or bugs - here are the website links.

Sign-up page: http://www.marathontrainingplans.net/

Members page (Will be password protected, so check it out soon): http://www.marathontrainingplans.net/baltimore/

Obviously, the design is to make the business scalable, so I can partner with other marathons around the country. I am excited about the potential and hope the work pays off.

Hopefully, after finals and this deadline, I will be able to get out the door more during December and put some good mileage on the legs. Until then, stay tuned faithful readers...

Early morning

Mon: 9/28/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:08:00)
Had to get up extra early this morning so I can hitch a ride to work with the vacuum in order to clean the glass out of my truck from the break in. Let's just say I wasn't pleased. However, the run was quite enjoyable. The temperature was crisp, yet I elected to run without a shirt. My legs felt a little beat up, probably from the pavement but my breathing felt much more normal today. A really pleasant run. Off to a 9 hour workday, 1.5hr drive to class, 2.5 hour class and a 1.5 hour drive home...Yeah, I have extra incentive to hate Monday's.

Sunday's are for Packers

Sun: 9/27/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:10:00)
Melanie and I lounged around a bit before we hit the streets for this jaunt. When I woke up this morning the sky was over cast and a light drizzle whispered amongst the trees. Correspondingly, I thought that we would be good waiting until the late morning to begin our run. False. It was humid and hot when we ventured towards Herring Run park and we paid the price for our laziness. I felt like crap and the pedestrian 7 min miles left me out of breath. At one point a car rolled by and yelled "Nice shorts fa*". I became irritated and surged after the car in hot pursuit. About 17.5 seconds later I became amazingly short of breath and gave up my chase; wheezing at the intersection. I am pathetic.

I like pancakes

Sat: 9/26/09
AM: 8 mile run (1::01:05)
Melanie and I got out the door a little later this morning after a pancake breakfast and me creating some delicious concoctions in the crock pot for later tonight. God do we sound domesticated. The run was nice as the air was cool and there was the slight presence of a drizzle. Again we took the Hopkins trail to the "new" hopkins trail to keep on the softer surface. Wanna know what we did after running? We went to the grocery store! Awesome, right?

Running is my mode of transportation

Fri: 9/25/09
AM: 3 mile run (21:00)
With my truck safely parked in the garage at work -with no window - I am forced to find other modes of transportation. I decided to pack the necessities in small spike bag and jog to work. Because Melanie scolded me, I included a fresh shirt so my co-workers would not think I had engaged in nefarious activities the previous night and strolled in wearing the same duds. The run was nice but way too short.

PM: 8 mile run (1:00:00)
Got off work a little early this afternoon and packed up my essentials and ran back home to pick up Melanie. We took the Hopkins trail to the "new" Hopkins trail, great run names - I know. It was cooler this evening and we didn't have any pressing plans other than to find some Gyro's for dinner so it was a relaxing run.

It's been a long time since I left you, without a dope beat to step to

So, it seems I have taken a hiatus from blogging my runs. Part of the long layoff was due to a drastic increase in my daily time commitments - starting school and new job. The second part had to do with me being stupid and injuring myself. On Thursday, September 9 I started to run a 3x3 mile workout but after 1.5 miles I felt a slight twinge in my left calf. Deciding to err on the side of caution, I stopped the workout and cooled down easily. The calf wasn't too bad during the day and decided to run an easy 10 miles in the rain on Friday. While the calf didn't hurt per say, it did feel a little "off". It's a tough feeling to describe and I can only say that it is an innate feeling I have developed over the years. This is where things get interesting, or stupid some might say. On Saturday, an acquaintance in Baltimore recruited me to run a 5k on the track to help add some depth to his race. I obliged, knowing that if I wanted to stick to the plan and run the Parks Half on Sunday, my calf needed to withstand a 5k. Well, I got 1200 meters in and wrenched things mighty good.

I wisely took Sunday and Monday off and when Tuesday rolled around the calf was feeling good. I got 20 mins out and started experiencing some slight tightness so I decided to turn around and be safe. The idea was to add on at the end if things didn't get worst. Well, 5 mins later the calf knotted up again and I was left to walk/jog the rest of the way back to the house. Luckily, the week and weekend were busy and taking the time off to recover wasn't as difficult as it otherwise might have been. Jilane did a great job of chronicling Ben's birthday weekend and Melanie and I added on to the fun fest with a somewhat "select audience" MGMT concert.

I started back running on Tuesday with an easy 6 and 6 double. While it didn't feel that long, a week off really zapped any semblance of fitness I had built up in the last few weeks. There is nothing to be done now but sack up and start over. Wednesday was one 7 miler. Thursday was one 7 mile because my car was broken into and the passenger side window shattered - pretty pissed about that one.

Anyway, time to move on and get back to running and blogging!

Finally, a long run

Tue: 9/8/09
AM: 15 mile run (1:36:00)
This was a super hilly route that I put together for the marathon training group. I added on an extra loop around Lake Montebello, which is 1.36 miles, to make 15. Overall, I think I felt ok. It's tough to maintain pace when things are so hilly, but the average pace came out to 6:24's. I got pretty tired around the 70 minute mark. My hip flexor tightened up the last few miles which made it tough to pick up the pace when things came back downhill. Good effort. Lifting session after.\

PM: 7 mile run (NT)
Was working with a client this evening who had 3x2 miles on his schedule so jumped in for the warm-up and paced him through the first 2.5 sets. Amazing how easy 6:10-20 pace on the track is. Calves were a little tight but was surprisingly chipper after some stretching. Solid mileage day.

Not so long

Mon: 9/5/09
AM: 8 mile run (58:00)
A game of Kings (with a category "things Malibu would say") followed by an impromptu dance party left me feeling like 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag this morning. Today was another failed attempt at a long run but I don't think it was too much of a waste. I know I'll get it done tomorrow and the two days of recovery were warranted.

Week in Review

88 miles - 64 singles

The volume wasn't what I was hoping for this week again. Really need to get serious about it if I want to continue making progress. Obviously, the highlight was the race on Saturday. I was pleased with the racing instincts and the fitness on a tougher course. Shooting for a more intense week next week.

Bad decisions

Sun: 9/6/09
AM: 8 mile run (58:00)
Was planning on going long today but turned around early with Melanie and before I knew it I had convinced myself that doing the long run tomorrow was a better idea. The thought process was along the right lines, feeling that I should really recover from the hard effort yesterday, but I actually felt decent. We stayed on mostly soft trails and the weather was pretty temperate.

Bad decisions is also the name of of a pretty decent bar in Baltimore. From the name and outside appearance, you would think this was a dive. In fact, it's a cool place to go if you want to get away from drinking beer and try some new stuff out.

Scalps

Sat: 9/5/09
AM: 3 w/u, 10k race (4:58, 5:03, 5:03, 4:50, 4:55, 5:04, 70 = 31:05), 3 c/d
Total = 12 miles - 1st place

Pretty happy with this race as I sit here and write this. Not so much because of the time or the prize money - which is going to hep finance my tuition - but more because of how I raced.

I saw 4 Kip's (as Jordan would call them - one was actually named Kip tho) at the start and knew it would be some tough competition. I also saw a dude warming up with a white necklace and remembered the cardinal rule; never lose to the guy in the white necklace. Daniel Too won the Rockville 8k in July in 23:50 or 40 something and the Ethiopian had been a little behind. To my surprise, the pace started out rather conservative . The first 1200 was pretty much downhill and I expected the Kenyans to roll. However, I had the lead for the first 800, running rather easy. Perhaps, because I was that guy not wearing a jersey, they thought I was a local schmo and let me go. At 1200 it was a pack of 7 or 8 and the Kenyan the Ethiopian began throwing surges to see what the field looked like. I stayed patient and slowly reeled them in as I needed.

At the mile mark I decided to throw in a surge of my own just to see who responded and how. Too went with me right away and as soon as I stepped off the gas he began to press himself. We were starting to head up the hill I knew this is where I wanted to press anyway so I grabbed on for the ride. At 1.5 I looked back and saw that we had gapped the next 4 guys by a good margin and the race for first was down to two people...that is until we hit 2 miles and Too dropped the hammer and put 20 meters on me. The lead would stay at this length for the next 3 miles over the rolling course. There were two turn around points - one coming after a long downhill section (the slow second and third mile).

At 4 miles I was hurting and worried the Ethiopian behind me was going to roll me up but we hit a steep downhill section and I pulled the Mike Morgan out of my bag and ROLLED on the downhill while trying to stay relaxed. I got within 10 meters of the leader and it put me back in the race. He lengthened the distance again when the downhill was over but at 5 miles I saw him start to fade. I put my head down and just grinded; hoping I could catch him but not really thinking I could. At 5.25 I knew I was going to catch him as he was coming back fast. Decision time. Do I roll by him or sit and kick? I know Kenyans typically will break and give up when you pass them or put them out of the money (Yes, this is a generalization but I have found it to be true more often than not) so I decided that I was going to surge hard. I caught him, spent about 5 seconds running a little slower just behind him and then threw down. I was hurting and and knew that if he stuck to me I was done. At 5.5 there was a right hand turn and as I took the turn I slowed down and looked behind me. The gap was opened and I knew I had the win.

The only problem with the plan is that I had about 1200 left to run and I was hurting. I flailed about, just reminding myself that I was almost done. When I hit the 6 mile mark and saw the hill I had to run up I almost decided to walk it in. Instead, I hit the hill, pushed for about 5 seconds to get through the steep part and then cruised it in.

The time wasn't bad considering the course and I took some good scalps. After talking with the Kenyans after I found out they are training for the marathon and are in the midst of some pretty tough training. If he would have been fresh the race would have been over early for me. Luckily for my pocket book, I'm a bitch and took it easy the last few weeks!

Shakeout

Fri: 9/4/09
AM: 6 mile run (42:00)
Just one, short easy run today since I am going to race tomorrow. The weather was nice, even after sleeping in and I tooled around the Inner Harbor for a bit. Things felt good after stretching out.

100th post

...And it's a good one to catch-up. I haven't updated in a while for two reasons 1. I've been a little busy lately (I just got a new job at the Princeton Review as an Assistant Director of Communications - sounds better than it is). 2. Last week I was in quite the "unmotivated spell" with my running. Anyway, here is a recap starting with the most recent runs.

Wed: 9/2/09
AM: 3 w/u, 5 x 1 mile w/1min rest (4:49, 4:48, 4:47, 4:46 - kicked off track), 2 c/d
Really had a good one going today and the security guard screwed me over. Apparently, there is a "fox around" so they need to keep the gates locked. Last time I checked, a fox was going to go in and out a fence I can fit through at will. Wish I would have seen what I could do on the last repeat.

PM: 6 mile run (42:00)
Stayed on the trail today for the softer surface. Rolled my ankle a little but nothing big time.
_____________
Tue: 9/1/09
AM: 11 mile run (1:15:00)
Ran down to Herring run park and Lake Montebello. Felt pretty decent.

PM: 6 mile run (41:30)
Ran the Hopkins trail before dinner with Melanie's parents and the Yankees game
_____________
Mon: 8/31
AM: 9 mile run (1:04:00)
Was feeling pretty good this morning. Ran the Inner Harbor to Patterson Park and was moving a decent clip without trying.

PM: 6 mile run (42:00)
Explored the new trail north of Hopkins today. Pretty good footing and scenery, too bad it's a little short.
____________
Sun: 8/30/09
AM: 9 mile run (1:04:00)
Felt horrendous this morning for some reason. Maybe it was the rough weekend and sleeping on the floor.
____________
Sat: 8/29/09
15 mile run (1:43:00)
Met up with the Marathon training group. Today there was a pretty legit guy who wanted to run 15 and I enjoyed the company.
____________
Fri: 8/28/09
AM: 10 mile run
PM: 6 miles with Melanie
____________
Thur: 8/27/09
Off
___________
Wed: 8/26/09
AM: 8 miles - was going to go long but felt like crap and bagged it.

Tracks are for running

Thur: 9/3/09
AM: 8 mile run (1:00:00)
Ran from the Hopkins gym and hit the trails running north with the intent of running 10 miles. Unfortunately, the trails are a little short - I guess I was hoping to find some more. I was content with doing laps when I found a track at the end of the trail with an astro turf infield. It was 8am and gorgeous weather when a man came out of somewhere and told me the track was closed. Really, the gates look open to me? Seriously, what the hell is the big deal about being on a track? It really irks me that, in our litigious society, people can't even run on a piece of land specifically designed for running. Anyway, I could rant forever on the topic. When I got back to the gym I had hit 8 miles and didn't feel like running mindless loops. Did a decent pedestal/med ball session.

PM: 6 mile run (42:00)
Out and back on the river trail with Melanie. Didn't feel all too bad

Still feelin it

Tue: 8/25/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:10:00)
My legs still felt pretty beat up for this one, especially the last mile or two. I guess I am not really surprised after a tough week. I know I had a similar week a few weeks ago and I emerged from the that down with a new level of fitness. Hoping to get the same result this time. Did some barefoot strides on the grass to help loosen things up.

Ahhhh

Mon: 8/25/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:11:00)
The legs were still pretty tight and sore today so took it easy. Ran to Herring run from the gym and did a nice loop on the path. Found a little woodchipped detour that added on 3 or 4 mins or so. My quads were particularly sore today but I don't think the pace dawdled too much. The weather has finally become more toreable. Today was 67 or so and the humidity was bearable. I know we probably have a few more weeks where thins will get nasty again but I think the worst of the summer weather is over. I also was able to get back to the gym routine today after it was closed last week for cleaning. Did a decent set of general strength.

PM: 6 mile run (41:30)
Ran with Melanie and the temps were still pretty manageable. I actually felt a little better for this one that I have in the past.

Week in Review

80 mpw - 10 runs = 62 miles singles

Very intense week with three workouts. Pretty happy with how they all went although I would certainly have wished for better weather Saturday. The overall weather this week was terrible but it looks like things are gonna finally break. Looking forward to recovering and letting this training absorb and moving in to a more focused aerobic development phase.

Not a slave to the 7 day schedule

Sun: 8/23/09
AM: 8 mile run (58:00)
Well, I knew this was an intense week and I thought I might be able to squeeze a long run into the mix to cap it off. Boy, was I wrong. I felt like complete crap from the gun and, although I loosened up a little by the end, trying to go long would have been a wash. Melanie and I took the hilly Druid Hill loop in order to stay in the shade; I was glad to have her around to keep the pace honest. Gonna move the long run to Tuesday or maybe even Wednesday, depending on how I feel so I can make sure it's a good solid effort. Happy with the smart decision making as of late.

Road whore

Sat: 8/22/09
AM: 3 w/u, 12k tempo (40:45) (3:11, 3:16, 3:15, 3:25, 3:24, 3:34, 3:24, 3:24, 3:27, 3:29, 3:28, 3:23), 2c/d - Avg pace = 5:27

Decided to do my tempo effort today at a local race in Greenbelt, MD. From a humidity standpoint, the weather might have been the worst I've ever tried to work out in. It was 77 degrees and 93% humidity, which made for a dew point of 72. The field was small, 200 runners or so, and the course was basically a "T" shape that started and finished at the middle point. I was on ideal pace through 3k (not long I know) but I was 45 secs clear of the field and the humidity and slight rolling hills were gonna take their toll. Struggled to push the pace back under the 5:20 barrier and the last 2k was pretty tough on the legs.

Overall, I was satisfied with the workout. I certainly wish it would have been faster but the weather made such a difference today. I think I produced a good tempo to aerobic threshold effort and it will certainly add to my fitness.

Slooooooow

Fri: 8/21/09
AM: 6 mile run (45:00)
My hamstring (Ischial Tuberosity) was killing me this morning and I had trouble just getting my leg moving without pain. I've had this problem for a while and I had hoped that the extensive time off would have healed it up. Yesterday's track workout flared it up again, damn. I decided to let my body dictate the pace and 8 min miles is what ensued.

PM: 4 mile (30:00)
Just an easy shakeout with Melanie so I could have another opportinity to get blood flowing and a good stretch. Needless to say, it was humid and uncomfortable but the extra stretching felt nice.

Speed Kills

Thur: 8/20/09
AM: 3.5 w/u - last mile @ 5:25
4 x 32/42 per 200 meters (31.2, 43.3, 31.2, 41.9, 31.7, 42.0, 31.4, 42.3) = 4:55.3 mile
6 min rest
200 (28.9) 400 (62.8) 600 (1:40) 400 (64.1) 200 (31.3) w/3:15-3:45 sec rest
5 min rest
4 x 32/42 per 200 meters (32.5, 43.5, 32.1, 43.2, 32.2, 43.4, 31.8, 43.4) = 5:02 mile
2.5 c/d
Total = 9 miles

This workout was way harder than I predicted, mainly because my speed and speed endurance right now is non-existent. Looking at the sprint times is appalling seeing as I was running ALL OUT to hit them. Nevertheless, the work is obviously what I needed. As I've said to many athletes I coach; we do workouts to improve fitness, not to see how good we are. Leave that to the races. I have to heed my own advice on this one. The weather was once again brutal - 77 degrees, 83% humidity and a dew point at 72. Luckily, I brought two bottles of water with me and over the course of the workout poured both of them on myself.

I was rigging pretty hard during the 400 and 600 parts of this workout. When I did the 600 in 1:40 I thought about pulling the plug but took an extra rest and decided to man up. I am glad I did, not that I felt any better.

The 32/42 thing is a play on Bowerman's infamous 30/40. I knew the purpose was to run 30/40 as long as you could and that I wouldn't be able to do one of them so I slowed it down. I was surprised that I was able to get the last set done as I had pretty much written it off mid workout. I decided to just do one at a time. This was really really tough even given my slower standards. Galen Rupp once ran 24 laps at 30/40. After doing this workout for myself, that is pretty amazing.

PM: 4 mile run (30:00)
Felt pretty crappy and tired on this one, not surprised. Good little shakeout in the Balto furnace.

Wogging Wednesday's

Wed: 8/19/09 AM: 8 mile run (59:00)
Dew point - 71 degrees. That's all that needs to be said about the weather. Not surprisingly, the legs were a little heavy from yesterday, but they weren't sore. I like running on the golf course for my recovery days because it's soft and the route changes based on who's on the course and such so I don't get wrapped in pace. Today I kicked off the shoes for 12 mins and ran some of the fairways barefoot. They were still wet from the rain last night and the watering this morning; it felt good to have the cool water between my toes.

If you can't stand the heat

Tue: 8/18/09
AM: 3 w/u, 4 x 1.46 miles w/90sec rest (7:15 = 4:57 per mile) (7:09 = 4:53 per mile) (7:14 = 4:57 per mile) (7:08 = 4:53 per mile), 2 c/d

The progress continues with another decent workout. The weather was uncooperative this morning with temps in around 76-78 degrees and high humidity. I really can't wait until the crisp fall weather. I guess the plan was to start at 5:10 pace and work my way down each interval. I wasn't feeling particularly chipper on the warm-up (running 8min pace) so I thought this one might go to sh*t rather quickly. I started comfortably and was rather surprised to see myself go through 800 at sub 5min pace but was feeling ok so decided to go with it. The last 600 meter stretch I started to feel the strain a little. Took the second out on what I thought was the same pace and was surprised again to come through faster. At this point I knew two things. 1. I was having a good day 2. I was heading to the hurt house for the second half of this workout. The third interval was tough but I maintained a strong pace and was able to finish up near the first one. The last one would have been the same pace as three had it not been for a valient last 600 meters. I was wiped when I finished and felt like my skin was on fire. It took me a while before I was even ready to start jogging back. Very pleased with the workout, a postive step in the right direction.

Author's note: Looked up the 1.5 mile workout I did when I think I was in the best marathon shape of my life in 2006. 6 x 1.5 miles - 7:30, 7:30, 7:30, 7:28, 7:28, 7:26. Granted, I did take 800 meter rest but that's still a ton of volume. (with the workout, w/u, c/d and a second run I had 25 miles on the day.

PM: 4 mile run (30:00)
Melanie and I caught a much welcomed break when a massive thunderstorm rolled through around 7pm. We waited for the tail end and headed out the door in the much cooler temps. By the end of the run the sun had come back out making for an absolutely humid experience but we were done. Opted for 4 this afternoon bc Mel's been working a lot this week and she's tired and I knew this run needed to be a shakeout and not a struggle for fitness. See, sometimes I'm smart.

Fore

Mon: 8/17/09
AM: 8 mile run (56:00)
Ran to the golf course today for some running on the soft stuff. Body and legs felt better than I thought they would after the long run yesterday. The course was pretty much empty, which was nice and relaxing. I must say, this golf course is in great shape for a public course in the middle of summer. It looks like it would be a somewhat fun course to play, I hope to give it a go in the fall. Unfortunately, the weather is going to be brutal again this week.

PM: 6 mile run (42:00)
Didn't get this one done until a little later. Positive - running at night is much cooler and can be a nice way to collect the thoughts. Negative - running in Baltimore at night sucks.

Week in Review

99 miles - 12 runs = 71 singles
This is one of the best weeks of training I've had since I started back up. Both workouts were pretty decent and the long run was solid. More importantly, the number of miles near 6 min pace this week was way up. Just need to keep stringing consistent and solid weeks like this together and I'll be able to tackle some more impressive and serious workouts.

Can you work with that

Sun: 8/16/09
AM: 15.5 mile run (1:36:14)
Another pretty solid long run today. I knew it was going to be hot today and I didn't have access to a treadmill that went sub 6 so I jumped out of bed at 6:00am this morning and went to work alone. Things were a little stiff and tired the first three miles or so up Charles st. Not surprising as it is the first 3 miles and mostly uphill. Hit Lake Montebello and started to pick up the pace to what I thought was near 6min pace. Dipped down into Herring run park, which was surprisingly easy to keep pace on, despite the numerous dogs. I actually like running here as parts of the trail are pretty covered and you're out of the city for a bit. Turned around at a little over 6 still feeling good and hit Lake Montebello and tried to pick up the pace for two laps. Ran 5:40-45 pace for 2.72 miles and then headed back down 33rd for home. Really fell apart on 33rd st., it's a slight gradual uphill and I wasn't feeling all that great but the main culprit was my right hip flexor. It started to tighten up and I dealt with it for a mile or a mile and a half and then decided I should just stop quick and stretch it out. Good decision as I felt much better once I started back up. Made a big pace push down St. Paul, which is an easy thing to do because it's a huge net downhill. Shuffled in the last 4 mins. Happy to average 6:16 pace for the entire run, things are improving! Today and yesterday were great for just lounging around and doing nothing. World Champs, Golf and the Packers - neither really interfering with the other time was. Perfect weekend

PM: Did 4 miles with Melanie when she got home at 9pm. She really wanted to run after a 14 hour day and I didn't want her to be out alone

Easy fo' sheezy

Sat: 8/15/09
AM: 7 mile run (54:00)
Met up with the Marathon Training group this morning. Luckily, there were some faster runners today and I was able to run without shuffling. Made a couple of trips back and forth to make sure people knew where they were going, which helped me run a more normal pace and keep the distance where I wanted it. Good day of recovery.

Combination Pizza Hut and Taco bell

Fri: 8/14/09
AM: 3 w/u, 5 x 800/300 with 200 and 30o rest (2:30, 58, 49.7, 130) (2:26, 1:00, 49.9, 1:55) (2:21, 1:00, 49.8, 1:42) (2:21, 1:04, 48.7, 1:58) (2:17, 68, 47.4, 1:35), 2c/d

Pretty solid workout today. Was looking to get some faster intervals in while still maintaining a semblance of a strength workout. The temps were mild, 72, but the humidity was through the roof. When I left the house it was 93%. I am glad I went with this workout as it is obvious my speed is sill very much lacking and this was a good way to dip into that a little. It was tough to get moving the first 800, which suggests I need to work on getting more warmed up before fast interval sessions. I was surprised to keep bringing the 800 pace down and happy to keep the 300's under 50. Each recovery was just enough to get me feeling on the brink of ready to go. They slowed a little as the workout progressed but not bad. Took water stops on the 300 rest of 2 and 4. Hit the gym afterward for some light stretching in the pool and an intro leg strength session.

PM: 6 mile run (42:15)
Went out around 6:45with Melanie. She wanted to "take it slow" but she still had me dusted for most of the run. Didn't fell great, legs were heavy from the workout and lifting. Didn't get to eat anything for quite a while after the run. We went to a birthday party for one of her friends at a swank place near here. We arrived at 8:15 and promptly ordered. The waiter screwed up our drink order twice, didn't have the wine I ordered on the list and couldn't remember who ordered what. That's not the worst of it. We ordered 4 meals (3 of us split meals) and it took over 90mins for our food to arrive. The waiter and manager said they were very busy (I counted 25 people sitting in the restaurant - and all the offered for food was one of those planned 3 course meals. You know, 4 choices of appetizer, 5 main courses, etc.) When we got the bill there was an additional 20% service charge for a large party (when did ordering 4 dishes become a large party). Needless to say I put up quite the fight. Luckily, the night ended on a good note as Melanie and I won a dance off with another couple on the dance floor. Yeah, I still got moves in these old legs.

Steady Freddy

Thur: 8/13/09
AM: 10 miles (6 miles steady in middle - 3 miles 5:55 pace, 3 miles 5:45 pace)
Run was pretty nice this morning and only got better when I returned home to see that I was running sub 6 pace. I did loops around Lake Montebello, which I mapped to be 1.36 miles around (approximation via mapmyrun). It was kind of cool not knowing exactly how fast I was running and just going by effort. Had I known I was feeling that easy running 5:55 pace and 5:45's I would have certainly sped up to 5:30's because it sounds better. The weather was drastically better this morning than it has been the last few days. The first part of the run was cool in comparison to what it has been but being in the sun for an hour got to me by the end. I finished rather wet and had to walk through the gym looking like a wet dog, which never impresses people. I had one guy in the locker room ask me if it was raining out. Did a jv version of the med ball and pedestal routines today.

PM: This run was both good and bad. The good - It was night and I ran out to the golf course and got two wonderful miles barefoot on a great surface. The bad - it was night and I ran through the wrong neighborhood in Baltimore. Running by "the corners" in Baltimore at night in running shorts = very bad idea.

Gettin buff

Wed: 8/12/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:06:00)
Started the run at the Hopkins gym because I really need to get back into a gym routine. I was ashamed when I looked back and saw the last time I was really dedicated to doing a solid strength/core/plyo routine was the summer of 2007. I was just very difficult to implement at Queens for a variety of reasons. Took the run down 33rd to Lake Montebello and headed into Herring Run Park. It's an out and back but the Herring Run part of the run is pretty nice. It was pretty humid this morning and the legs felt off and on heavy but for the most part things felt ok after a workout. Hit the fake grass field for 8 mins barefoot running and 6 speedy strides. I hate that this field is always locked and I have to jump the fence. As Melanie reminded me, it's not going to be long before I get in trouble. Wanted to do more barefoot running but my achilles has been tight as of late and didn't want to push it too much.

Did a pretty light general strength routine because I haven't been in the muscle room for a while and didn't want to over do it.

Hamster wheel again

Tue: 8/11/09
AM: 6 mile run (40:00)
The weather was going to be out of control again today so I decided to sack up and do my workout on the treadmill. This meant it made more sense to get my second run in first, which is always a nice way to shakeout in the morning. It was hot and humid but otherwise felt decent.

PM: 3 w/u, 2 mile (5:12, 5:12) 2min rest, 2mile (5:07, 5:07) 2min rest, 1 mile (5:00), 2 c/d
The first thing I have to say about this workout is that the people who designed the Hopkins rec center aren't that intelligent. Having windows as walls for three sides of the building during the summer steams up that room like you wouldn't believe. I am sure they save all kinds of energy in the winter but f me does it get hot in the summer. I made the mistake of not bringing my own fan and it was quite the rough one. The plan was to do 3 x 2mile but I was just soaked and on fire by the last one and just called it bc it was silly. Overall I would say I felt good, minus the overheating. The breathing was controlled through the first 7mins or so of each interval and then started to labor. Luckily, I jumped off the aching and immediately jumped in the pool as it felt like my body was on fire. Gross, I know, but I was so wet the other people swimming surely thought I had just come out of the shower.

I guess I could take this time and discuss the good vs the bad in treadmill use for workouts. On one hand it's way easier since all you have to do is plug and run, especially when you work out by yourself. However, part of racing well is learning and feeling pace. There is also the fact hat the road is moving under you and you not over it. I am no kinesiology expert but I would believe your engaging slightly different muscles. I try to combat this by using a 2.0 incline, which seems to be the universally accepted incline to simulate the road. However, in some ways it's hard to mentally run on that machine without going crazy. While I think the negatives slightly outweigh the positives - in this weather, with no training partners, and my fitness still pretty fragile - I think it's the best way to go. Using it regulates me to threshold workouts but that isn't such a bad thing for the long term anyway.

Mon: 8/10/09
AM: 8 mile run (56:00)
80 degrees for a 6:30am start, blah. My legs were a little tired from yesterdays mill jaunt so I eased my way down Charles st towards the Inner Harbor. This run, because of all the turns and such, keeps the pace slow and I don't feel bad for "wogging". Glad I was able to get up and get this one done early.

PM: 6 mile run (43:00)
The temp was in the low 90's but the humidity was pretty low. I kept things very easy so I didn't overheat and overall it was a decent run. Ran in a new pair of adrenalines because mine were all at Melanie's and the feet enjoyed the comfy new ride.

Week in Review

95 miles - 12 runs = 64 singles

A much better week than last week but the intensity is still pretty low. One workout and a solid long run. Need to really work on stepping up the volume of faster miles or the fitness is going to stay as it. The weather hasn't been really cooperating but excuses are excuses.

Treadmill - fo' real

Sun: 8/9/09
AM: 14 mile run (1:27:00)
Woke up at 7am this morning knowing that today was gonna be a real burner outside. Looked at the temps and it was already 78 degrees and 86% humidity. I already knew that this one would suck if I got out the door asap and any hesitation would make it death. My head was a little sore from our exploration of Baltimore's finest last night and I opted to lay back down knowing full well that this regulated me to trying to get on the treadmill. Good god. Luckily, Melanie was able to sweet talk the security guard at the Med campus gym to let me in with her and we were on our way to hamster wheel heaven. The first two miles rolled by at 7:15 or so pace and I wasn't feeling all that bad but I was convinced I was rolling off this thing in 30mins. I brought the pace down to the 6:15 range and let it hang there for a bit starting to feel a bit better. At this point I decided that hammering as hard as I could would make the time go by faster so I inched it down to 6min pace and was going to do a cutdown as far as I could go. After a mile or two at 6min pace I hit the button to creep into the 5min pace ranges and nothing happened. The treadmill maxed out at 6min pace, ugh. Unfortunately, I was feeling good and would have loved to hammer hard, especially because it gets it over with quicker. I'll take solace in the fact that I averaged right near 6min pace for 10 miles or so and felt good. As much as the hamster wheel blows it's better than dying outside and running slow.

Two easy runs

Sat: 8/8/09
AM: 6 mile run (50:00)
Ran with the Baltimore Marathon Training Group for the first two miles in about 20mins. After we got back to the parking lot my knee was a little tight so I stopped and stretched for 5mins and it felt better so I continued on alone. Ventured down the Hopkins trail and did a few laps around the fields before returning back. Very easy easy run

PM: 6 mile run (41:30)
Ran with Melanie after a Saturday filled with mostly domestic duties. It didn't feel like we were running very quick but when we got to the bottom of the hill I noticed we could set a new pr. Melanie proceeded to sprint up the hill while I dodged cars trying to catch her.

Golf course

Fri: 8/7/09
AM: 8 mile run (56:00)
This morning was absolutely perfect weather wise. I got out at about 7:15 after sleeping in a little because I got home late last night. It was mid 60's and not very humid at all. I wanted to get on some softer stuff today after a solid day yesterday but almost avoided the golf course because I thought it would be busy. Luckily, I convinced myself to go and it was pretty sparse on the links, which gave me free reign of the fairways. Didn't feel that bad and enjoyed the soft grass. Great morning to be out!

PM: 6 mile run (42:00)
Got out alone after work since it was so nice. Felt decent

Do work son

Thur: 8/6/09
AM: 3 w/u, 5.75 mile tempo (30:42) 1.45 mile loops (7:54 - 5:26) (7:42 - 5:18) (7:41 - 5:18) (7:25 - 5:08), 2 c/d

Had a real good one today but I shouldn't be surprised. The weather was mild and I hadn't done anything hard in a week but it felt good nonetheless. Started out easy just trying to feel things out. I hit the 7:55 and felt ok but no great. I thought bringing the pace down to 7:50 on the next loop would be successful and I was surprised to see myself go through so fast. I didn't know if I could hold it but I wanted to try. Coming through in 7:40 was nice and I decided I wanted to put the pedal to the floor the last mile. Hit half way in 3:45 and was excited about breaking 7:30. The last 1k was tough but in a good way. Overall, I felt things really clicked today and it was fun to be out there. Just gotta keep plugging away.

PM: 8mile run (57:00)
I drove down to DC in the afternoon to help Jilane move. She needed to get a run in so I decided what the heck. The convo was great and the time just seemed to fly by. Before I knew it itwas time to turn around and head back. Unfortuantly, I think Jilane was a little tired and I felt bad for pushing. Oh well, she can suck it up...wuss. She treated me to a delicious dinner from Baja fresh before we attempted the ugly, moving her bed without taking it apart. Let's just say driving around DC with a bed half way out of your truck probably isn't the smartest idea. Then again, when have either of us ever made smart decisions.

Another scorcher

Wed: 8/5/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:08:00)
Ran to the Hopkins field and did another 15 minutes around the field barefoot. Again, it was nice to throw off the kicks and feel faster. I've been meaning to add this to the training for a while and I happy I got it in the last few days. Thought about running again in the afternoon but it was a burner outside and I decided to make dinner instead.

God didn't want me to workout today

Tue: 8/5/09
AM: 5 miles (NT)
Ran 3 miles to the track to warm-up and get ready for a threshold effort. Got there and the gates were locked so I decided to jump the fence. As I was putting on my flats the security guard made her way over and told me I couldn't be on the track until she opened the gates at 7am. It was 6:50. I rescaled the fence, which is rather tall, and did loops in the parking lot to stay warmed up. 7am rolled around and no security guard. 7:10, 7:15, 7:20, still no sign of the security guard. Ran around the building to see what the deal was and I saw her car parked with her nowhere to be seen. With the sun rising on a soon to be 90+ degree day I decided to bag the workout and run home. I am proud of the restraint I showed in not flipping out and getting myself arrested.

PM: 8 miles - 15 mins barefoot.
Was going to use the treadmill today at Hopkins to workout but when I went to sign-up I was told I needed my ID Card. Problem is, I don't have one. No biggie, a long walk across campus would procure me one...except the office was closed for the day. This meant no workout today. However, in the late evening I ran over to the Hopkins fields and kicked off the shoes and ran for 15 minutes barefoot. I think I was going a little bit more uptempo but it could have been the fact that I was barefoot, it was night and I was doing 300 meter circles. Either way, it felt good.

Somebody's go a case of the Monday's

Mon: 8/3/09
AM: 8 mile run (58:00)
Ran down to the Inner Harbor and Patterson Park. Legs felt a little sluggish given the fact I didn't do anything hard yesterday. There really wasn't much else to report from this run.

PM: 6 mile run (41:30)
Ran this one alone and felt pretty good once I got going. Got out a bit later and the sun was setting so the temperature was better than it has been. The humidity wasn't bad either and it was a nice late evening cruise on the streets.

Week in Review

66 miles

This week was a disaster but I guess I can use it as a recovery week. I think I figured out most of the hurdles that prevented me from really training this week. I don't sleep well at my place because it's loud and somewhat uncomfortable so I am napping at Melanie's more and setting up my place better. I got back on a heavy iron and B-complex regimen to combat some of the fatigue as well. I am also going to sign up at the Hopkins gym. It's extremely cheap for Melanie and I because we're students and I can use the treadmills for when the weather is brutal. They also have a quick ass climbing wall, a 180m indoor track, pool and nice weight facility with some nice grass fields next door for strides. I am excited about adding back all the little things to the training.

Ketchup post

Sun: 8/2/09
AM: 13 mile run (1:28:00)
The weather was merciful today as it stayed over cast with some light sprinkles. It was still humid as all get up but the rain helped keep things in check. Ran hard the last mile.

Sat: 8/1/09
AM: 7 miles (1:03:00)
Ran with the Baltimore Marathon training group really easy. Felt good but was obv moving pretty slow. Spent the day swimming in the river with Jilane, Ben, Dan and another Brown grad. Fun stuff
PM: 4 miles
Hadn't planned on going out again but Melanie had a rough outing at the Hospital and I didn't want her running in the dark alone

Fri: 7/31/09
AM: 12 x 400 w/30 sec rest and 1:00 after each 4 for water (first four 72, second 71, third 70's)
This was another brutal weather day on the track. I would have been much happier with 16 intervals but I was toast after 12. I also decided this week was shit already so I am gonna scrap it and use it as a down week.

Thur: 7/30/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:05:00)
Ran most of this a little bit more uptempo and felt good after the day off yesterday
PM: 6miles
Ran with Melanie through the Hopkins loop. She took it easy on me today

Wed:7/29/09
Off
Woke up this morning and felt terrible. Almost fell asleep on my walk of shame back to my place before the run, laid down for a second and the next thing I knew it was 3 hours later. Took another nap around 3pm as well. Accomplished the vaunted Hansons All-American (two naps, one being over 2 hours, in one day after a full night's sleep). Realized I haven't been taking iron at all so jumped back on that bandwagon.

Tue: 7/28/09
AM: 2 x mile, 4 x 300
Failed Workout. The weather was brutal. I tried getting out early, 6am, but it was still mid 70's and 80+ humidity. I felt ok but started burning up after the second one when the sun came out. Just bagged it instead of going to the well
PM: 4 mile run
Just a short one with Mel

Mon: 7/27/09
AM: 8 mile run (58:00) w/ 6 x hill sprints
Ran the Inner Harbor, felt pretty decent
PM: 6 mile run
Hopkins route with Melanie

Week in Review

92 miles - 11 runs = 70 singles

I would rank this week as par. I really didn't recover from the race very well and the quality of the week was a little effected. I think part of the recovery issue was my lack of fitness background after the 9 months off and that will just take time. The other factor was probably the fact that I had nothing to eat for 3 hours after the race and what I did put down was a Mcdouble, McChicken and a small fry. I also think the hill repeats zaped the legs more than I thought and, because I wasn't exactly sore, I didn't realize it. In any case, I still feel I accomplished the purpose of the workouts and had a good long run. Keep adding up the training weeks and good things will happen.

Sun: 7/26/09
AM: 17 mile run (Watch malfunction)
Melanie and I slept in a little this morning and didn't get out until 9am. The weather was not kind to us for our laziness as the humidity and temps were both above 80. I did come up with a pretty nice route through Herring Run park that was a nice new place to run and kept us shaded for parts of the run. Getting to the park on a Sunday, because of the lack of traffic, is actually decent. We were running at a decent pace, 7min pace?, so I was happy with the quality. I dropped Melanie off at 11 miles and started to run a bit harder through Druid Hill. Going up the hill was tough going but once I flattened out I started to clip along pretty good and I flew down the downhills on the way back. The body was overheating by the finish and I would have been pretty roughed up with one more mile.

Melanie made some kick ass chocolate chip pancakes for my arrival and I downed two glasses of chocolate milk for good measure (once I too a shower of course). I am happy with the quality of the run as it was my first good long go since Zap I think.

Sat: 7/25/09
AM: 6 mile run (48:00)
Today is my super slow ultra recovery day. Last night Melanie and I went out with some of her Med School friends to a bar that was a $10 cover and free drinks till 9. Since we arrived at 7:45, I made the goal/game to finish a drink every 10mins in order to get our money's worth. at 8:45 Melanie and I were 6 drinks deep and we both ordered three more from the bar for good measure. With that story in mind there is no need to elaborate on how I felt during this run.

Can't win em all

Fri: 7/24/09
AM: 3 w/u, 6 mile tempo (5:30, 5:29, 5:29, 5:37, 5:36, 5:30) 2c/d
Total = 11 miles
This was a rough one out there today. Slept in a little because I didn't have to work this afternoon hoping the extra sleep would help. I decided to drive out the NCR trail because it's flat, marked and shaded. It was super humid and the 3 mile warm-up had me drenched before I even started. The intended goal was to run 5:15-20 the first mile and see if I couldn't cut it down. I hit the first 800 in 2:40 and was feeling easy and thought I was on the fast track to a good day. However, I hit the mile in 5:30 and was a little surprised. I picked up the effort and thought I was on my way to a 5:20 first mile. Again, I was a little surprised when the watch read 5:30 and at this point I got a little discouraged. The next mile was more of the same and I turned around hoping that I might have been running slightly uphill and the return trip would yield 5:20 miles. I felt the effort stayed the same but I was dissapointed to see 5:37 on the watch. I soldiered on and ran another 5:36 before kicking it home the last 800. I really didn't feel good once I got passed 2 or 3 miles. My legs felt tired and a little heavy and I felt like I was forcing things.

It's funny, I had this conversation with an athlete I coach the other day. As runners, we always want to set the world on fire each workout. We have prescribed paces on our schedules and we daydream on easy runs about how we're going to kick butt on the next workout. Sometimes, the body has different ideas and you can't beat yourself up over it. The thing to remember about training is that you're always (hopefully) out there with a goal. Ideally, you accomplish the intended goal despite what paces you are running. Today, the goal was to run 6 miles of threshold. While my recent 8k performance suggest this should be 5:20's, that just wasn't the case. Despite not running as fast as I had hoped, I still accomplished the goal. I'll take it and move on!

PM: 6 mile run (42:00)
Melanie and I ran up to Druid Hill, looped around the lake and returned home. She continued on to make it 8 miles and I gladly stopped back at home base. I felt terrible the whole run and really had to slog through this one. Pretty rough.

Bad ass in the rain

Thur: 7/23/09
AM: 10 mile steady run (1:04:37)
Took the first three miles pretty easy just to get things warmed up a bit. Had to use the facilities and almost got myself killed. There was a man in the public bathroom whom I thought was the janitor. I said good morning and he picked up this metal road and told me "I've been killed in here before, I won't get killed again." Needless to say I peaced out pretty quick. The steady was a decent effort and I chose the pretty hilly Druid Hill course. I found myself losing focus after the uphills and not getting back to a good effort once I was downhill or flat and recovered. I did a much better job of recognizing this and picking up the effort. About half way in a light drizzle turned into an absolute downpour. I love running in the rain and it made the steady effort feel that much more bad ass. The only issue I had was that my orthotic kept slipping in my shoe because they were soaked and I had to stop a few times to readjust.

PM: 4 mile run (30:00)
Melanie and I were both a little tired from long days and were not looking forward to 6 miles in the heat. We compromised by slogging out 4 and calling it a day. I didn't feel all too bad and am hoping to have a good tempo tomorrow.

Golf courses are for runners too

Wed: 7/22/09
AM: 8 mile run (58:00)
Decided to try a new run today and see if I couldn't get myself on some softer surfaces for my recovery runs. I took a few ghetto streets to the Clifton Park golf course, which nicely only took 15 or 17 mins to get to. The golf course is a nice little public course that was pretty busy for 7:30 on a Wednesday morning. Luckily, I found some open holes that weren't busy and managed some nice soft running on the fairways and light roughs. The run was a pretty decent affair for an 8 mile jaunt and I might drive, as opposed to run, out here in the fall when it's a little less busy and I don't have to confine myself to a few holes. However, I know from experience you have to be cautious when running on golf courses. They are typically very undulating and really soft, which can make running a harder effort if you're trying to maintain a decent pace.

Hidden speedwork

Tue: 7/21/09
AM: 3 w/u, 9 x 400 meter hill repeats, 3 c/d (avg 78, fastest 74)
Total = 10 miles

Because of the race last Saturday I decided to change things up on the schedule. Because I was still relatively sore from Saturday I didn't think I would be able to put in a quality session on the track. In addition, I am somewhat up in the air about whether to sacrifice some long term gains for short term success (i.e. speedwork now vs long runs and thresholds). So, with all this in mind, I set out for what I like to call "hidden speedwork". The hill I used was the secnd big hill in Druid Hill park and man it's a doozy. I was very consistent with my splits and the effort gradually got more difficult as I progressed, which was the intended purpose. I jogged very easy down, 2min, and estimate the distance of the repeat to be 400 meters or so. By the last repeat I was wiped and I left the workout feeling like I really got some solid strength work in while keeping the "intense" volume shorter. The cool down home was a little long of 3 miles (28mins) and I had to walk up one of the last hills. It reminded me a lot of some pretty tough cool downs up Lloyd in college.

PM: 6 mile run (42:00)
Ran this one alone because my running partner had softball obligations tonight. I was pretty hungry and that made the run pretty rough. Overall not that great

Moooondays

Mon: 7/20/09
AM: 8 mile run (59:00)
Toured the Inner Harbor again today because I was still really sore and wanted to keep it slow and not feel bad about it. My calves and quads were very tight at the start but as the run went on they loosened up a bit. By the end of the run I didn't feel too bad until I stopped stretching and everything tightened back up.

PM: 6 mile run (41:30)
Melanie punished me on this one. PR for the course by 30 seconds. I was still pretty sore from Saturday's effort and even after I loosened up there wasn't much for the body to give. I figure it will only benefit my fitness at this point!

Sunday in DC

Sun: 7/19/09
AM: 11 mile run (1:20:00)
After a lame night out in DC, thanks to trying to hit up a terrible bar, Melanie and I suited up for a little joggy jog with Jilane. The first 5mins out the door I was shuffling old man style since last night was the first time in over a year I dawned flats. When we hit the DMZ we stopped to stretch and I felt much better. To my delight, Melanie wasn't hammering and Jilane was taking it easy so the run was rather pleasant. The hills sucked quite a bit but the nice weather and company made it all worth it. We decided to end our run through the zoo, which was awesome. I haven't been to a zoo in forever and it was a nice chance to run easy and take stretching stops. All in all it was a great run!

Week in Review

Week in Review:
84 miles - 63 singles
This was a very good week. I was able to get in a majority of my runs on soft surfaces, which drastically helped the legs and I had two really good efforts. The only drawback is that I missed another long run, which is more important to my long term fitness whereas the race and 300's are a quick solution. I will have to do some serious schedule adjusting both because of my new found fitness and the lingering soreness from the race. Pretty excited to be back into things!

Rockville 8k

Sat: 7/18/09
AM: 5 mile run (40:00)
Ran with the client I was coaching for the week on the canal trail in DC. Just ran slow and easy as a shakeout for the race tonight.

PM: 3 w/u, 8k race (24:51), 2 c/d (4:50, 4:55, 5:08, 5:12, 4:44)
Total = 10 miles
This race far exceeded my fitness expectations. The weather was absolutely perfect for the middle of July in DC. high 70's with little to no humidity and no wind. I was invited as an elite athlete and I was a little apprehensive to show up in the suite considering I thought breaking 26 would be a solid outing. Luckily, Melanie came along with me and having a beautiful girl attached to your arm justifies most things.

During the warm-up I contemplated race strategy with Melanie. Should I be smart and go out in 5:05-10, a pace I know I could handle? Or, do I bust out the first mile, stick my nose in it and see what happens. I had settled on the former and was ready to run a smart, even race...and then the gun went off. About 800 meters in the kenyans took to the lead and as I looked around, I could see no one else was gonna go with them. This pissed me off pretty good. I am tired of everyone thinking "oh, the kenyans are so good, blah blah blah. While I will admit they are rather talented, to let them take a race just because is senseless. So, I made the decision to run with them. We hit the first mile in 4:50 and I had to laugh at myself for knowing I was over my head. I slowed a bit and they picked it up and it was the end of the Mazango hanging with the Kenyans but I feel I proved my point. As we approached two miles I had to laugh inside because I knew that's where Melanie was and I had told her that if I came through faster than 10:10 shit was gonna hit the fan. When I split 9:45 I chuckled. The next mile is the one I lost focus on the most. I was starting to hurt and I let a guy come up on me as I slowed drastically. This was maybe the one fault I had in the race where I lost concentration a bit. The next mile was slow because it was uphill for the majority of the mile. Luckily, the guy in front of me was bigger than Ozzie right now and, although he was like a bowling ball on the downhill, I made up the 50m lead he had on me with somehwhat ease. The last mile was a ton of fun, tour de france style race. When I caught the guy at 4 I surged to see what he had left. He easily covered and made a move of his own. I stuck on the back wheel for about 200 meters and when he eased up I threw in a surge of my own. I opened a 5m gap and I knew if I wanted to win I had to break him now. Unfortunatly, I was pushing my fitness as it was and mentally I was talking myself down. He made up the gap at 1k to go, I hung strong until 800 meters. He looked at his watch, threw it down and I knew I was done. At this point I knew I was in the money and with no one behind I decided to ease it home, delighted with a sub 25min clocking. The last mile was so much fun to race and I had a great time overall. Great effort but, as I was telling Melanie after the race, this means I have to start working out harder. Shit

Easy Friday

Fri: 7/17/09
PM: 6 mile run (39:00)After a somewhat long day at work Melanie and I opted for a spin around the Inner Harbor. We debated the pace of our run, a hotly contested subject, and opted to turn around at 20:45. I thought we were going 7:15 pace but the fact that we came back sub 20 leads me to believe I was wrong. No matter, we showered mighty quick and walked down the street to the Artscape festival. The best part was of course the food and we both devoured a gyro, steak and cheese and funnel cake. To say it was delicious would be an understatement.

Canal Trail

Thur: 7/16/09
AM: 10 miles (3 miles easy, 6:33, 6:32, 6:37, 6:35, 6:23, 2 easy)
If that's steady pace, I'm in trouble! Woke up early again to get to DC to run on soft surface and the canal trail before meeting my client on the track. My legs were still stiff and I am glad I gave myself 3 easy days between the workout and the race (what a great coach, huh). I felt like I was moving at a good clip but when I saw the first split I was embarrassed. My breathing was easy but my legs just felt heavy and lethargic. No biggie, it just woulda been nice to rip one I guess. It was great to run on the soft surface again although it seemed the run was a little boring since it was just flat and straight. Reminded me a little of McAlpine, aka the most boring place to train in the world.

PM: 4 mile run (30:00)
It was pretty dog gone hot out today so Melanie and I made the executive decision to cut our run down from 6 to 4. We ran out to the water fountain but it was still broken and I contemplated jumping in the kiddie pool next door but opted against getting shot at.

RCP

Wed: 7/15/09
AM: 8 mile run (58:00)
Woke up god awful early this morning in order to get to DC to coach a client of mine. Took the opportunity to hit up Ms. Rodgers in her neck of the woods on some softer surfaces. The late night workout left my legs feeling pretty thrashed and I was more than content to let Jilane believe she was holding me back. The soft surface really helped the legs and I know I need to get better about getting on them more as I increase the training. Waking up early sucks but getting done early and enjoying good company kicks ass.

Three Hundos

Tue: 7/14/09
AM: 6 mile run (43:00)
Had to do the easier run this morning since I had a lot going on today and I didn't want to be trashed all day by getting up at 5am and subjecting myself to a track workout.

PM: 3 w/u, 16 x 300 w/100 jog in 30 sec (57, 55, 54, 53, 53, 53, 54, 54, 52, 52, 53, 52, 51, 51, 51, 48) 3 c/d
Total = 10 miles
I have to give my coach props for the good call on workouts lately. This one was exactly what I needed (*pats self on back). I wanted to have a workout where I was able to get a little speed work in, defined at sub 4:50 pace for the moment, but still have a focus on increasing the threshold. 53's are like 4:44 pace per mile so to average that on 30 sec rest was a success for my fitness at the moment. I started out conservatively as some very grueling past experiences with this workout have taught me that going out over my head hurts. I was still surprised at how easy the 53's felt and mid way through I was hoping to run 51-52 for 8-12 and 49-50 for 12-16. However, in this workout you tend to roll along fine, feeling great and thinking life is grand and then all of a sudden King Kong jumps on your back in the span of 30 seconds (good to remember for anyone I prescribe this to later). Getting below that 53-52 range just wasn't happening as easy as I thought it would. On the "last one fast one" I took an extra 5 seconds to collect myself and braced for the pain and skulled the last 100 to dip under 5o seconds. Yes, I know it's only a 65 sec 400 but for my current form, that's blazin! I am happy with the workout and excited to race this weekend to test out the fitness for real.

p.s. I'm calling out Ben and George in this post. They have both dropped out of the Rockville Twilight 8k, reasons unannounced but presumably in fear of my lethal 65 quarter speed. It's still exciting to take Princeton and Dartmouth scalps and I am dissapointed. Don't worry you guys (and Jilane - you wussed out too) I'll drink your beer and eat your pizza and donuts!

Nothing cool

Mon: 7/13/09
AM: 8 mile run (1:01:00)
5 x 10 sec hill sprints
After finishing the run later yesterday I thought I would feel a little tired for this workout. However, I guess I didn't run very hard yesterday because I felt pretty good considering. I took another spin of the Inner Harbor and Patterson Park. There was a nice breeze this morning and the weather was quite comfy. It was an enjoyable morning to be running!

PM: 6 mile run (42:15)
Ran the standard Hopkins trail loop with Melanie. The weather was mercifully cool and I felt pretty good overall. We had a great go at the lights coming back down Charles today and almost made every single one, it was quite the show.

Week in Review

Week in review:
79 miles (9 runs)
Another solid week to build upon and more progression. I know I need to work on a few things but it's still early and I know it's still going to take some time before I get back into the competitive training groove. I decided that I am going to try and run the US 5k Championships in Ptown on Sept 20th as the "return" to racing goal and see what happens. It's a still a long way away but a short time when it comes to training.

I'm in Tent, everybody look at me cause I'm sleepin in a tent

Sun: 7/12/09
PM: 14 mile run (1:30:00)
Sheehan's wedding was at saint Francis University, which is smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Being the ultimate planner, I was far too late on booking the available and cheap dorm rooms, which left Melanie and i the task of locating the nearest hotel. Unfortunately, that nearest hotel was 20 plus miles away. While I think I am the best drunk driver this side of the Mississippi, I decided to come up with a better plan. Sleep in a tent! Melanie and I enjoyed the task of setting up a tent while smashed at 2am. Passing out was rather easy and comfortable but waking up on hard ground was less inviting. After the nights activities and a looming three hour drive Melanie and I passed on running in the morning.

After two naps we embarked on the run around 6pm in upper 80 temps. At this point I was regretting not having not run in the morning. Remarkably, despite it being hot and the Druid Hill park fountain being broke, I felt decent. Melanie actually keeps a pretty decent pace, which is kinda funny because I know she's pushing hard. Maybe she's still trying to impress me or maybe she's just maximizing the small amount of miles she can run but I appreciate in on the long runs. I know I need to start having a little more structure to these long runs and I think it will come in the next few weeks. The best part of the night was grabbing some sushi and about 23 glasses of water afterward.

Sheehan's wedding

Sat: 7/11/09
AM: 6 mile run (NT)
Ran early this morning with the Baltimore Marathon Training group. Took it really slow the first 25mins, 9min miles, and had a good long break to wait in order to wait for people and show them the route. Felt good to be very very easy and just chill out. Off to Sheehan's wedding tonight, I am excited to see a lot of old friends!

Tempo action

Fri: 7/10/09
AM: 3 w/u, 4.5 mile tempo (1.5 splits were 7:59, 7:59, 7:33), 5min rest, 4 x 400 (7oish) w/1min rest.

First, I have to say that I don't really know if this loop is exactly 1.5 miles. While it's all good right now, judging pace will be important at some point so I need to get it measured better. The thing with measuring is that it doesn't take much to really be off. If this loop is 100 meters short, which isn't a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, it actually means at least a 20sec addition to the times. That would make this workout not so great. However, what I don't know won't hurt me.

The first loop went great and I felt very relaxed and ready to go the full distance. However, sometime in the first half of the second loop I went to sleep and my mind went out for a donut. I came through half way 7 seconds slow and was feeling pretty bullshit about my frame of mind. I contemplated bagging it at 3 miles because I was convincing myself I felt bad. Luckily, I tried picking it up and I surprisingly came through in the exact time as the first loop. This perked me up and I started actually running the last loop. I cam through half at 3:55 and knew I could do some damage the last half. I was surprised when I saw 7:33, as it is a 15 sec improvement from my previous best time after only running two loops. The 400's weren't that great, especially since I was wearing the new infinity 2's, which are not a flat and not as sweet as their predecessors. Overall, I was content with the effort but once again know I need to work on maintaining focus.

PM: 6 mile run (43:00)
Hopkins trail route today again but I felt like ass. I even asked Melanie to slow up for me today, which she was kind enough to do. Glad I got the run in and had lots of freeze pops afterward.

An almost Steady Run

Thur: 7/9/09
AM: 10 mile run (64:46)
Ran three miles as an easy warm-up and did the hills of druid lake with a lake loop in 24:36 and cooled down for 3 miles. This was my first attempt at running a more up paced run on this route so I just wanted to get a time check for future endeavors. As I get more fit I will hopefully begin running the timed loop faster and eventually increasing the distance at which I run hard.

I felt pretty good but I don't think the effort was anything spectacular. I still have to work at being more focused when I am out for hard efforts and not letting my mind wander.

PM: 6 mile run (41:34)
Ran the same trail loop as yesterday with Melanie. The temps were moderate and I actually felt pretty good. I am currently schooling Melanie on the intricacies of the Tour De France and keeping her up to date with all the latest racing results. I once attempted to act out a race tactic, she didn't laugh.

Easy 8

Wed: 7/8/09
AM: 8 mile run (1:01:01)
I wanted to make sure I took it easy today and follow the schedule I set out for myself so I opted for a spin around the inner harbor and patterson park. This run, while taking you around the harbor, can sometimes be visually nice but there is a lot of stopping and going because of the traffic and running fast is near impossible. I felt good today, although I would have enjoyed some sweet Eugene wood chips as my legs were feeling a little beat up from the pavement. I started and ended at my new place and walked across the street to the grocery store for some fresh donuts. At only 56 cents a piece I can see this becoming a bad habit!

The Inner Harbor

Cutting Play Doh Shapes

Tue: 7/7/09
AM: 3 w/u, 8 x 1k w/30 sec rest (3:12, 3:14, 3:12, 3:13, 3:13, 3:15, 3:14, 3:05), 3 c/d
Total - 11 miles
Today was the perfect prescription. It was the perfect distance, pace and rest to accomplish a good threshold workout at a faster pace then I can run a tempo right now. I wanted to be right around 5:10 pace (3:13) and I hit the pace pretty good and each interval was right about what I thought I could "comfortably" complete. The track at Hopkins is really nice as it has a very soft surface and sits in a nice little outskirt. The only issues I have are that the turns are pretty tight and there is no shade.

The first interval found me right on pace and feeling pretty decent. I was a little surprised at how fast 30 seconds came around and I almost wanted to change to a minute but knew I wanted to keep the threshold down. I thought about stopping at 3, 5 and 6 but I knew I needed to sack up mentally and get it done. I will say that I felt worst once I stopped for 30 seconds and I even contemplated just banging out miles to get it over with quicker. In the end, I am very glad I stuck with it. When I finished I was over heating big time and luckily the facilities guys were out and left a hose sitting by the side of the track. Without that I am not sure I would have made it back.

Overall, another solid baby step in the right direction.

PM: 6 mile run (42:00)
FOUND A TRAIL!!! So, it isn't Moses Cone or anything but there is a little single track trail that runs behind the Hopkins undergrad campus I discovered today. How Melanie has lived here for three years and not found any good places to run is beyond me. It was exciting to get a change of scenery from the typical streets. While only a mile long, it provided some much needed nature respite from the asphalt. Some more exploring is in order to make sure there are no secret add-ons anywhere. The first 15 minutes felt like trash but the middle part in the trail was nice.

Day off

Mon: 7/6/09
Day Off
If I am going to coach myself I need to make sure that I take a long hard look at my training and make intelligent and objective decisions. After a pretty big week, I knew it was prudent to take the day off and let myself recover and guard against any niggles.

Almost triple digits

Week in Review:
98 miles (10 runs - 79 singles)
This week was a huge jump, both in terms of mileage and intensity. I did two workouts, one of which was a huge increase to 6 miles, and almost hit 100. I know I need to dial it back a notch and this week I am going to be much smarter and more tactical about my approach to getting in shape. I am actually going to take the day off tomorrow as a safety measure, try to get on the track once and bring down the threshold pace. Things are going well and I need to be smart, life is grand!

Fool's gold

Sun: 7/5/09
PM: 16 mile run (1:42:00)
After a fun night in DC with the Ivy League contingent, highlighted by me having to run a lap around George's house naked after Melanie and I got skunked at Pong at 6:15pm. (side note: this was my first time playing the Dartmouth version. Since, Melanie was a Dartmouth Grad I was counting on her to help me out a little in my virgin attempt. Alas, she was useless and failed to hit a cup in not just our first game but our second game as well. Luckily my vast athletic prowess allowed me to quickly adapt to the game and come up big in the second game. I will also side note that this is a much more fun version of beer pong)

Since waking up in the morning left Melanie and I feeling a bit hungover, and the Brown crew still being in bed at 10am, we opted to get breakfast and drive back to Baltimore before running. We stopped at the Original House of Pancakes in Bethesda and gorged on coconut chocolate chip pancakes, whipped cream, strawberry Belgian waffles, omelets and coffee (yes, it was just Mel and I) like we had already completed the long run. To say it was delicious would be committing an injustice.

Oh yeah, the run...Melanie and I ran down the Inner Harbor, which was crazy busy and ran through Fells Point to Patterson park, which was similarly busy. I actually felt better than I thought I would yesterday although any minor hill did a number on my legs. I dropped Melanie off back at her place at 10 miles and proceeded to hammer our another 33mins in Druid hill park to hit 16. I wanted to go 18 (to hit 100 for the week) but I knew Melanie was waiting and I also knew it wasn't a smart idea (see, I'm learning). 16 still put me ahead of what the Weeman did and that's all anyone can ask. I felt way better than I thought I would on the add on and at parts I was running rather quick and feeling good, although I did have my rough spots. I am happy with the run, distance and how I felt!

Sat: 7/4/09
AM: 3 w/u, 10k road race (34:04) (5:31, 5:19, 5:14, 5:23, 5:27, 6:00, 66) 3c/d
Total = 12 miles
First off let me say that i don't think the splits were accurate. The course was monster hilly and I don't think I was running 5:20's in the middle of the race. I also do not think I threw down a 6min last mile. However, I do think the course was overall accurate.

It was a beautiful 4th of July day despite rolling out of bed at 6am. The race was your typical small town affair and arriving 1 hour before the race to sign-up and warm-up meant that I was one of three people present who were not volunteers. I knew a former Zap guy, Dave Berdan, would be running and I knew he would kick my ass since this was my 4th workout back. We did a nice easy warm-up together and at 8am it was go time. The starter yelled "bang" and we were off and up a very long and somewhat steep hill. Berdan, a local yocal and myself separated ourselves quickly through a slow 5:30 first mile and it was apparant from the get go the top 3 prize money was spoken for. At the mile mark berdan threw in a surge and I just knew I couldn't go with it. I figured I could have out raced the second guy but I really don't have an idea of what my threshold is right now and I didn't want to start putting the pace down and blow up the last 2 miles. I think that when you're fit you can take chances while racing and still be able to hold on or come back if it doesn't go as planned. When you're not fit, you have to be very controlled and smart because there is no coming back. Unfortunatly, I spotted second place 30 seconds from mile 2-4 and while I began to close a little in the lasy two miles, he was just too far away. My controlled effort meant I ran the entire race by myself, which was still better than working out alone. I would say my effort was a little above my current threshold as I never went to the well and a few times I had some ligh hearted convo with spectatures and volunteers.

Overall, I have to say I am pleased with effort. Every once in a while I think back to how far back I am when running 5:30's for 6 miles, slower than marathon pace. However, I do realize it's going to be a long road back and I have to fight a lot of small battles first. Solid effort and I even picked up 50 bucks. "We goin Sizzla, we goin Sizzla"

Goin' Cherry pickin

Fri: 7/3/09
AM: 9 mile run (1:00:00)
Went out later today as Melanie had the day off and we chose to sleep in. Luckily, the temperature was really mild (low 70's) and I wasn't punished for my lethargic decision. The holidays must have people in a good mood. Most of the people I passed today were very friendly, more than usual, and it kept me in good spirits. One homeless guy yelled across the street "sir, you have a happy holiday weekend", what a nice guy. I tried to keep it easy today as I might try and cherry pick a road race tomorrow. Yes, I know I am about as out of shape as I've ever been, but there's a 10k that offers 200 for the win and last year the winning time was 34mins. Under normal circumstances I would have already spent the money but 34mins is going to be a mighty effort for me. However, I wanted to get in a longer threshold workout this week and having the competition will help. Smart idea or dumbest idea ever, we'll see tomorrow!
PM: 5 mile run (32:00)
I told myself that I should take it easy today and not go for a second run but when was the last time I listened to my own body? Felt pretty terrible for this run. It is the first time I've felt that tired and exhausted feeling on a run in a long time. In a sick way it was welcomed. Melanie and I did have a good conversation about why I'm an idiot when I coach myself. After this week I am going to try and be more objective and coach myself like I would an athlete of mine.

Two time'n

Thur: 7/2/09
AM: 9 mile run (1:00:00)
3 x 10sec Hill Sprints
Tried a new route today that went down to the Inner Harbor and out to Patterson park. I like the route, minus the part on chase where I have to stop frequently for lights. It isn't bad on the way down because it gives me time to stretch and such but on the way back up I prefer to just get rolling. When I woke up I wasn't feeling all that great after the last two days but once I got rolling things loosened up and I decided to extend the run to 9 miles.
PM: 6 mile run (40:00)
This was a nice little double with Melanie. We've come up with a pretty perfect 40min run that goes through the JHU undergrad campus that is really nice. I felt pretty decent, a nice theme on the last few runs. Not really much of note happened on this run

Tempo

Wed: 7/1/09
AM: 3 w/u, 3 mile tempo (15:45) (8:00-7:45 for 1.5 loops), 4 c/d
Total = 10 miles
Despite banging out 18 miles yesterday I decided to give a workout a go this morning just to see where I was at. It was really humid but luckily the temps were in the low 70's. I was feeling a little tired and sluggish but overall not that bad. The first loop felt much better than last week and I came through about 3 seconds faster but, more importantly, feeling like I could hold it for the second loop. Felt like I maintained the pace pretty goo through the first half and then really tried to bring it home he last 1k or so. I was working really hard the last 800 meters and i am sure my legs were flailing all over the place. Pretty happy that I was able to run 15 seconds faster this week than last week in the same conditions but with 32 miles that last two days compared to 12. The progress continues!

Do as I say, not as i do

Tue: 7/1/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:08:00)
Went back onto the service road in Druid Hill Park today because I enjoyed it so much on Friday. Had some minor bathroom issues for the first 15 mins but after that the run went really great. I really like the run as it's pretty isolated and, despite being able to hear I-83, it feels like you're out on some country road. At this point, since I've been feeling pretty great on runs, I enjoy the fact that it is hilly. I imagine this will change as I start doing more workouts and get progressively more tired.

PM: 8 mile run (55:00)
I wanted to show Melanie my new route so I took her on the same run I did this morning. I need to create a name for it but I haven't thought of anything good yet. Usually, something interesting has to happen to necessitate a name so I guess I will just have make something happen. Doing a 10 and 8 double didn't feel that bad during it but afterward I was pretty thrashed. It's the first time I've felt that tired from training in a long long time. I will say that I enjoyed it in a sick kind of way.

Camp Ellis

Mon: 6/29/09
AM: 14 mile run (1:32:00)
Had a really nice long run today out by the beach. The temps were very cool, 58 degrees and a light mist, which was really pleasant. Felt like the pace was pretty solid and I was feeling good for most of the way. At about an hour I decided to throw in a few 1min surges, something I picked up from a famous Italian coach, Renato Canova, to help maintain speed, economy and efficiency while not doing specific speed work. Went golfing in the afternoon in the rain with my Dad and brother, which was a lot of fun.

Week in review:
62 miles (9 runs)
Was actually a little surprised to be above 60 this week after having to bag the weekend. Overall, I think I am still progressing and I am happy with the week in general. I think next week will be another step forward with the training. Slowly but surely my friends, getting in shape takes time.

Ketchup

Sun: 6/28/09
AM: 6 mile run (40:00)
Another down mileage day but I'm not going to worry about it. I forgot my night splint and I haven't been able to heat or ice so it's probably best I don't go overboard with the training this weekend. Toured the town of Biddeford and showed Melanie the old stomping grounds.

Sat: 6/27/09
PM: 9 mile run (58:00)
Twas a busy morning traveling back to Maine from Boston. Wanted to run at 1 or 2 so I could get another one in later in the evening but there were a lot of family things going on and I wasn't able to get out until 6 or so. Took Melanie to the beach and did a very pretty loop on the rocky coast. I kicked off the shoes afterward and did some barefoot sprints on the beach. It felt fun to be moving that fast again.

Fri: 6/26/09
AM: 9 mile run (1:00:00)
Ran in the morning before a hectic day of travel and it was quite a good run. I decided to explore a little more of Druid Hill Park and found a service road, behind the zoo I think, that is a great place to run. It's very shaded, hilly, and there is no one out there. All it's missing is being a dirt road. Undoubtedly, this will become a staple run for me. Didn't have time to run in the afternoon.

10 spot

Thur: 6/25/09
AM: 10 mile run (1:07:00)
This was actually quite a nice little run. I was a little worried that getting out the door at 7:30 would lead to some sweltering temps but things stayed relatively cool this morning and it wasn't all that bad. I plotted out a new route last night to get 10 miles in and I really liked it. I took the druid Hill bike path to the Hopkins undergrad campus and then went east on 33rd (which is not too bad a street to run on) and hit Montebello lake. The lake is a 1.5 mile bike path and the scenery isn't too bad. I basically ran a loop around the path and ran the same way home. I actually felt better than I thought I would after yesterday and sometimes running in the city, having to stop at lights and all, isn't all that bad on a recovery run.
PM: 6 mile run (41:00)
It was a tad warm out this evening but luckily the humidity was pretty low so it wasn't too bad until the last 10 0r 15 mins. Melanie and I toured the Inner Harbor and she was cruisng at a pretty solid pace. Despite not actually training that girl can really hammer when she wants to and at times I had trouble keeping up. This was def a solid double.

It's all about the effort

Wed: 6/24/09
AM: 3 w/u, 3 mile tempo (16:00), 6min rest, 4 x 400 (68?), 3 c/d
Went to Druid hill park today to do a tempo run around the lake, which is right around 1.5 miles around. Today was mostly about effort since I didn't have a lot of reliable splits. I mapped the loop last night and got 1.45 miles on gmaps, but we all know how accurate that can be. There were some marks on the ground but the loop has a lot of places where tangents become very important and I don't know how accurately those marks took them into account.

I started out on what felt like 5:20-30 pace and felt pretty decent for the first mile. The weather was a tad humid but it wasn't oppressively hot (and I have nothing to complain about since Jordan is doing his workouts in triple digit temps). I ran the first loop in 8:03 but have no idea is that is a real 1.5 mile mark or not so I just decided to run effort and try and run a little faster for the second loop. Things got drastically more difficult with every 1/4 mile and I pushed hard the last 800 or so to come in at 7:55. I was happy to run faster the second loop, granted most of the made up time came in the last 800, and don't really care too much what the pace was. Right now, effort is key and this was a good go at a workout. I took a 6min walking break and strapped on the ST racers for the first time in ages. I found a quarter mile mark and got to work. Again, the tangents could have played a huge roll but I was quite surprised to hit the first 400 in 68 seconds. I took about 70 sec rest and started the sprint back to the start and once again stopped the watch at 68 seconds. I am convinced I was cutting the course but for now I will let myself believe I can do a 68 sec quarter. I closed the last one in 66 and it felt good to feel like I was really moving again

Overall I am content with the workout. I know right now I need to just focus on effort and not be concerned about the times I am running since I know they will be slow. This was a good step, 4 miles worth of work and still healthy.