SRRC run -- Sun. January 27

With Ivan this time, and Mark there already. Good turnout, with Andy's bro-in-law and one other marathoner, so there were six, count 'em, six of us going on the nine miler. I requested doing a reverse this time, so we started back towards Howard, then Jackson, GeoHan and Hamilton before we started up the Allen hills. Very pleasant pace, but at 202 Andy and the other 26.2er decided to go with a faster pace and they were off. Ivan and I ran with Mark and the coach following. Light snow throughout, but not too cold--mid 20s. Deviated at the very end to take the rail trail instead of the High School. Ended up with just over nine:

Time: 1:16:14
Distance: 9.16 miles
Speed: 7.2 mph

Comments: a very gentle pace, some good stretchy miles -- I pushed just a bit harder up the Allen hills and more again up Jabish. Pleasant chats both during and after the run, and Ivan and Mark came back to Clark for cocoa. Yay for running clubs!

Snowstorm 5k -- Sat. January 26

The usual regime, though a late night had me a bit worried, and I was slow leaving--didn't set off until 8:50. Cold, but not too bad, and very dry; arrived in my noisy car and went straight off for a warm up after registering (meanwhile saying hi to team Lewis -- first time they'd run there). Did a mile and a bit, thus:

1.24 miles @ 9:29 = 7.9 mph

then back and saw Ivan too; very good crowd, over 130 people. Lined up well back, so had to take to the verge at the uphill start, but made good enough time over mile 1 (had planned to take it slow, but no SteveO for pace this week). Then from mile two footsteps behind, steady and tappity tap, stayed there all race--turned out to be Frank R in the end. Joe F overtook us both on the stretch before the downhill and I borrowed some pull form him, but couldn't reach the guy ahead. Then Frank came very close after the downhill, but didn't overtake, and I pulled away again, really knackered at the end but finishing quite strongly to come in 14th; the clock gave me one second on him, and three behind the guy ahead. . .

Time: 19:41
Distance: 5k (3.11 miles)
Speed: 9.5 mph

Comments: only the last mile (with the downhill) was fast, just managing 5:59. Still, for a day with no great hopes, this was a good result. Maybe in two weeks time I should go for broke. . .

12+ stretch -- Tue. January 22

Last whole week before classes start, so I took the plunge and went for a midweek endurance/stamina run. Quite cold, but sunny and clear; slow start to the day, for whatever reason, so it's after 11 when I get going. Head right onto the trails (from the Poulin entrance) and follow rail trail exclusively all the way to 181; mainly pretty crisp going, with ways around the smooth ice patches. Cross 181 and up Michael Sears -- really FEEL the hill there -- and on to the Cold Spring farm turning; up past there to the lane that leads back down to 181/Mill Valley. Then along as far as the Jabish canal trail, and so far so good--just keeping my 7:30 pace at the hour, I think. But the snow there is barely trodden, and proves to be heavy work. Kept at it and found a snowmobile track once I got over a fallen tree, but it slowed me; pushed on back trail all the way to Jackson, then went down towards GeoHannum, to make sure I broke 12 miles. Stopped clok at the junction, then headed back up the hill slowly; here's the detail:

Time: 1:34:14
Distance: 12.44
Speed: 7.9

Comments: this felt hard toward the end, that pain that tells me I've run longer than I'm comfortable doing. Time was I could do 12-13 with out that. Have to work back to it and then some if I'm really going to do a 30K or two. . .

Second outing with SRRC - Sun. January 20

Again just in time for the 10 am start, and only Mark there in the parking lot. Turns out that everyone's in the police station getting introduced, as we have use of the community room there. Cool. It as absolutely *frigid* outside: lovely sun, but temp about 20 and a biting thin wind made it feel really harsh at times. A couple more than last week, maybe 10 people in all, and I showed Kathy and Brian the printout from yesterday with SRRC on it--seemed to enjoy it. Andy had already done 5.5 miles and looked very warm, but no Yarrow this week; Mark and I decided to go with him but aiming for a slower pace, 8s ideally.

Same course (extended reverse Enfield) as last week, but no trail sections. As ever, Mark had to really work on the hills, but the gentler pace was quite pleasant, as I wasn't exactly full of zing, and Andy was 平気。 Got a little bit chilly on the last couple of miles, but we were *exactly* on pace at one hour, 7.5 miles. Then finish a bit slower, thus:

Time: 1:14:53
Distance: 8.89 miles
Speed: 7.1 mph

Comment: this was really all about the distance; well, maybe plus the sheer fact of getting out there in the cold. Good start to the week, and a nice unwind from yesterday.

Snowstorm 10K -- Sat. January 19

Reached Forest Park just at 9:30, so after signing in (and recklessly predicting a 41, not sure why) I went out for a sub-mile warm-up, just to make sure of the temp. Decided I could do it with shorts, and I wasn't the only one, as it happened. Not too much ice on the roads, even in the shady areas, so a pretty good run ahead, I hoped. I signed in with SRRC as my club, even though it's not exactly official -- kind of cool to have a club, enfin :-)

Ivan was there, too, for his first run in a couple of weeks, but looking ready for action; there was generally a good turn out, given the weather--over a hundred all told. As ever I was marking Steve O, and we headed up the hill at a steady pace with me a bit ahead. But at the top he attacked quite soon, and for the first half of the race he kept attacking and I kept defending. Several times I thought he'd go ahead, but I just had enough to keep pushing back. As we came to the three mile mark a GSH organiser yelled, "Go get him, Steve!" so I grinned and said to SteveO that that could work for both of us. He grinned right back and said if I was a Steve too I should take it and run; then he settled back a bit. As we entered the park again I vaulted the gate and gained a bit on him; but it was about then that I noticed the runner ahead had disappeared. He must have really pushed ahead because I never saw him again; meanwhile SteveO was dropping back a bit but still pushing me from a distance. No events from there to the end, except that I noticed that my time was going to be slower than 41, and that the numb leg problem surfaced, or seemed to, but then went away. Came in ninth, feeling good but having run pretty hard:

Time: 41:29
Distance: 10K (6.34 miles GPS)
Speed: 9.2 miles

Comment: first time to beat my 同い年（一つ違い）rival, and a solid time, but I've got a shot in two weeks (inshaallah) to go for a sub 40, I think. Just got to keep training as the semester gets going.
Pace wise, this was just short of my old "race" pace, and well short of my new one.

snowlit 5 -- Thu. January 17

Managed to get home from work in enough time to get out there, despite distractions, before 8:30. Dark, of course, but *comparatively* mild (not much below freezing, and no real wind) as it was clouding over before the forecast night's snowfall. Took trail shoes for predicted ice on roads and training pants against the cold, aiming for a 4-6 miler at stamina pace (too tired for a speed, even though the distance is suitable). By my new measure, that's 8.28, up from 8 mph. Headed out on GeoHannum, left at Jackson, then right onto Howard and then trail under road, thinking of heading to schools, but trails feel good, so stick with it along as far as Springfield--then up the hill to town center. Trail felt good but was slow, as that mile clocked over 8:00, so pick up pace going down Jabish and along back to 9/202, passing 5 miles and pretty much evening out the pace, thus:

Time: 38:43
Distance: 5.26 miles
Speed: 8.2 mph

Comment: five varied miles, but overall pretty much on pace. I guess that's how it is for me, though I *know* that the serious runners have more consistent paces . . . Well, each to his own and make the best of it for now. Still not quite fast enough for a stamina run, but not far off. I should aim to be doing that pace for 10-14 milers in training, I think. Next week, perhaps.

Training Note: paces

Based on an article I was reading, here's a set of my estimated running paces:

Endurance = 8 minutes, 7.5 mph
Stamina = 7:30, 8 mph
Speed = 7:00, 8.57 mph
Race = 6:30, 9.23 mph
Sprint = 5:45, 10.43 mph

The article had only 4 paces: I added race because it seems I function differently in competition.
For my *target* paces, to get some effective training done this year, I want to up them all by about 15 seconds and run in those brackets over all distances, from one mile to 5K and on up to 18 miles.

Here are the target paces then:

Endurance = 7:45 minutes, 7.75 mph
Stamina = 7:15, 8.28 mph
Speed = 6:45, 8.9 mph
Race = 6:20, 9.47 mph
Sprint = 5:40, 10.6 mph

From here on all runs logged should have one of these paces as a goal (though running on trails gives a bit of a variation, maybe 15-20% slower?). Make it so.

solo five -- Wed. January 16

Slow and rather sluggish morning, but somehow got myself out and running. It was *cold* but gorgeously sunny -- nearly midday, and fortunately the ice was melted on the roads, except in the shade. Decided to take a downhill start, so GeoHannum all the way to Rural Rd, left onto it and along to Boardman, then back up again; fade on the uphill and stop the clock just before Greenwich, having achieved the 5.2 I needed:

Time: 39:03
Distance: 5.46 miles
Speed: 8.4 mph

Comment: intended to make it a stamina pace (7:30ish), but with the downhill the first couple of miles were faster. Numb leg still a bother at 5 miles though.

SRRC first run! -- Sun. January 13

First foray out with the nascent Swift River Running Club, though I almost missed it and Mark didn't quite make it (arrived just after we'd set off, and decided after a brief pursuit to give it a miss--we'll get it right next week, I hope). Arrived just after 10 a.m., and there were 7-8 people, maybe -- the Anytime Fitness owners (Brian and Kathy, I think) plus a few prospectives like me. One chap (Andy) had a dog with him; he turned out to be the one looking to do the nine miler. I said I'd go along with him, and I suggested 7:30 as a pace; I'm sure he was good for much more (aged 25, averages 50-70 miles p/w, and has done 3 marathons, fastest being a shade over 3 hrs). We ended up doing a sort of reverse Enfield, but starting and ending at the police station. The first few miles were faster, as we headed out throught BHS and up into town, then down Jabish and up Enfield. Hard pull, up that hill at that pace after the week I'd had, but a good challenge; then down Allen was faster and I suggested we take to the trails, so we did from Bay up to GeoHannum (man, I was dead on the steep bit before the baseball field! and he was bouncy and fresh, despite having done the same stretch once already as a 6 mile pre run warmup. . . ) and more trail to Jackson, then roads back to the start. Ran in shorts (w/ hat and gloves) and in road shoes, so the trails were a trial, but a good change of rhythm. We highfived at the end, exactly on the predicted pace:

Time: 1:04:51
Distance: 8.68 miles
Speed: 8 mph

Comment: well worth the effort, and I'll hope to do the same next week (and get Mark and Ivan, if both there, home for tea after). Left me thinking about doing a 26.2 myself though . . .

Snowstorm 5K -- Sat. January 12

Very mild morning, and in fact the route at Forest Park was clear -- good chance for records, they said. 137 people, a v. good turn-out (though Ivan couldn't make it, unfortunately). Arrived just in time to sign in and get out to warm up before the rush, but I was _very_ stiff and tired. That run on Thursday took it out of me. Still, did just a shade over two miles, with even a tiny bit of trail (but in road shoes, and they really were no good at gripping). Found Steve O to track, and at the off we took the hill pretty fast, then settled into the straight, with me edging ahead. Lost him behind for a while, but as mile one was coming up he approached (and I made a sort of chatty comment, first of several in the race -- hope he didn't mind) -- I figured I'd try resisting and I didn't cede the lead; then for most of mile two he pushed, periodically attacking and I kept thinking he'd go ahead, but I kept pulling back. Then on the side streets as we're late in mile three I faded and figured he'd pass, but just then a couple of faster guys came up and pushed though kind of aggressively (albeit smiling); all three of them got a bit ahead, but then I figured I'd have one last push and I passed all three and led as we turned left into the downhill to the park proper. It was a matter of time, though, and one by one all three passed, SO chasing the faster of the other two. I kept plugging away, but my legnumb was pretty bad as we hit the bottom of the hill (at five miles including the warm-up, so right on schedule). The other guy also passed SO and I was getting closer, but it had been a hard third mile and I had no sprint. Just plugged on to the end, to come in 14th, after being 11th most of the race. Them's the breaks, and I *know* I need more speed training.

The 5K:

Time: 19:48 (third best own time, best snowstorm 5K)
Distance: 3.24 miles
Speed: 9.8 mph

The other two runs (pre-race two, and warm down mile right after):

times: 16:59 & 9:22
distances: 2.02 & 0.99 miles
speeds: 7.1 mph & 6.3 mph

Comments: Satisfying. Managed to get a good few miles overall, and I'm happy enough with the place and the race. Big if is the numbness -- without it maybe I'd have gotten those three seconds and beaten SO for the first time. But there's always next week. . .

double digit miles -- Thu. January 10

Afternoon midweek run, a luxury for wintersession and summer only. Home from work and out to run at about 4 on a chilly but clear day; trails almost snow and ice free, and shorts were fine (but hat and gloves, bien sur). In my trail shoes, straight from the development onto the trail, and stick with it all the way down to 181: lots of slippery bits, and one foot went through ice into a puddle, and I almost did the splits at one point, plus (grumble, grumble, I know) I had classic legnumb at just about five miles. Ouf. Still, it was getting a bit darker, so I didn't head back on the trail, but took 181. No real pace, but steady, and I was feeling a bit better after the seventh mile. Traffic was a bit heavy, so I peeled off at Jensen and went round that way to Jabish, then up onto the common and down to the junction, stopping the clock at Quabbin shops. Here's the data:

Time: 1:18:38
Distance: 10.49 miles
Speed: 8 mph

Comments: finally a bit of distance, and while I wasn't feeling zippy, it got better as it went along. The trails were hard work, which will help in the long term (I hope). And I've got two runs lined up for the weekend. . .

Looking back and ahead -- January 2008

Just did some totting up of my mileage for 2007. Not so good, in retrospect: goal was 1250, but actual was just over half that, approx. 772. That's an average over 50 weeks of about 15.5 miles -- I guess in that form I'm not so unhappy with the data, but I _know_ I need to do more to make some progress.

So, a new tack this year: aim to get out a rock-solid FOUR times a week (basically Sun, Tue, Thu, Sat), and hope the mileage will follow. I don't go out for less than 5 miles these days, except for 5 K races, but even then I can add a two mile warm up easily. So, if I just get out a *minimum* of four times weeky, I'll be at about 20 miles a week. Aim higher, but that's a good base.

Overall I find I broke a few of my PBs last year, but no reason I can't aim to do the same again. Here's where they are right now:

5K -- 19:19*
5 mile -- 31:53*
10K -- 40:37
10 mile -- 1:06:32
1/2 Marathon -- 1:28:47*

Asterisks are the ones I set in 2007. Chief goal for 2008 I think has to be to get a good 10K, but the 10 miler would be nice too--I had a pretty tough run in Marlborough this year.

So, in about ten days, aim for 40:30 or better in the Snowstorm? Their 10K always seems to measure *very* long on my GPS, but it's a goal, at least. If I can do 6:30 / 40:23 I'll be well set for other 10Ks (if I can ever find them!).

Mild morning miles -- Tue. January 8

Taking advantage of the intersession schedule, I headed out after doing household chores. Warm in the sun and mild, with birdsong-- real January thaw, and I figured it's a day to stick to the roads. So, road shoes, and off for an Enfield. GeoHAnnum and Hamilton for a fast first mile, then down to Allen and up and over, all the way to Enfield, getting properly warm and tired; straight down to 9 and along 9 toward the 202 junction, fighting off increasing numbness. Finally give up at 6 miles, just short of the junction--it was really like running with a wooden leg. Hopefully just transient, as I've got two runs set up for the weekend and want to get a longer run in on Fri a.m. Here's the data:

Time: 41:32
Distance: 6.03 miles
Speed: 8.7 mph

Comments: looking back briefly over the blog entries I see I'm not making any speed gains at the shorter distances (5 and 10 K). I need a specific goal or two for this year, and some training to achieve it. More on that later. Meanwhile, still hoping to get my neck and shoulder pains sorted and the numbness figured out. The snow slush on Saturday gave my ankles a real workout, and they still feel pretty strained. Maybe I should buildin some sandrunning to my summer schedule too. . .

Biking XTraining -- Sun. January 6

Another mild day, and too full of food to run so a dab at the trails on my bike. However, the snow was so soft and thick, even where the snowmobiles had compressed it, I couldn't make any headway, so pushed the bike to an exit and took off on a road jaunt. GeoHannum to Stebbins, left along Batchelor, follow round and go as far as Harris Mountain--dither a bit, then decide to go up and over, and left on Bay round to Hulst, then cross to Orchard and up to Federal: do a tiny bit of trail around the lakes via Grela, then dive into Metacomet and back to Bay, up to Hamilton and home that way.

1:05:05 @ 13.5 mph for 14.66 miles biked.

Comments: good exercise -- I'm aiming for 15-18 mph as a biking speed over a couple of hours, but I'm not there yet. Must try with the road bike when it gets a bit drier . . .

Social Snowstorm 10K -- Sat. January 5, 2008

So, my first run of the year and a race to boot. Head and neck feeling better enough to run, at least, and Ivan said he'd be there, so headed to Forest Park and got there in time for a bit of a warm up. Milder day, lots of snow still on the ground, so there was the dryish sluch to run through -- made for heavy going in lots of parts. There was a good turnout (111 people, evidently) and I took the first mile gently, then tried to keep up with Steve ONeill, who was being dogged by a highschooler the whole way. I got to observe the struggle, though I just couldn't catch them. In the end the kid made up a big lead and pipped the 56 y.o. at the post--really good racing. I struggled in mile 4, as usual, and didn't go flat out at any point--had plenty left at the end, though no speed to spare. Somehow I ran a really LONG race, 6.5 miles according to the GPS. Not quite sure how, but maybe running on the road instead of the sidewalks?

Time: 43:09
Distance: "10k / 6.2 miles" (6.5 by GPS)
Speed: 9 mph

Comments: not a very good time, given the racing, but I'm happy with the placing (came in tenth) and will just have to build from here. And hope my back gets better too. . .

Biking fool -- Sun. Dec 30, 2007

Out biking with F on roads and snowy trails, when I encountered an obstacle: tried vaulting a snowberm, but on landing front wheel dug right in and pulled my handsdown with it, as I continued over the bars so I headfirsted into the ground. Wooly hat hit snow and gravel, and while I escaped with a mild graze on my forehead, my neck and back screamed bloody murder. The crunching cracking sound in my neck as I hit was heart stopping, but then as I flopped onto the ground I could feel my feet so I realised it can't have been too bad. It was my left forehead and my right side suffered most. I think all the muscles snapped to full tension just like that, and I ended up straining the whole lot, as well as getting what felt like a bruise on the back of my neck (compression?).

Now over a week later I have what feels like a torn muscle under my right shoulder, and the rest is just tender, with still quite limited head turning mobility. Live and learn.

I didn't run at all during the week after that.