Boston -28 -- Tue. Mar. 23

Rainy day after very rainy night. Work at home a while, then out into rain (right after F hears bad news from home-- this may be last chance to run for a day or three). Head out looking for a ten+ miler, and decide after stretching to do some hills. Up x-country trail (stretched at one mile at foot of trail on GeoHannum) and round to Lake Wallace, hard work but nice despite the rain; then out on to 202 and down all the way to Summit: go up there (heave ho!) and decide, slow start notwithstanding, to aim for 7:30s. At the top of Mountain View start to stretch out on the downhill, picking up pace (and a dead salamander--too bad! it was so big, and not immediately obviously damaged, so I though to shoo it off the road at first) and then at the bottom crossing over to Eskett and continuing at pace: at the one hour mark down already 8.2 miles, so better than pace. Keep going up Boardman, then add a Rural loop, going down geoHannum and round to do Boardman again for a second and final time. Keep pressure on through to 12 miles, then stop clock at rail underpass:

Time: 1:28:18
Distance: 12.15 miles
Pace: 7:16s

Comment: well, a bit sore after this (again forgot to take vit. I in advance), but I got hills and speed both in this. Main goal was a lung workout, and the miles over 10 are a bonus. Still aiming for the last race, Oleksak half, on Sun., after this one last high mileage week.

Boston -30 -- Sun. Mar. 21

After a few drinks with Shannon and Dave last night, on top of the Holyoke 10K and with a 6:30 start this morning, the DnD run was all about recovery. Having left my car at Dave's (not fit to drive last night) I ran over to DnD, getting in 1.38 miles @ 12:08.

Waited a while, but only Ken turned up besides me (though I chatted a bit w/ Sean P's dad about yesterday's run). Weather not the perfect of yesterday, but still nice, mild and breezy. Suggested a Jabish canal, and Ken agreed, so off down the rail trail chatting, with a pace of 8:00+; Ken pretty knackered from yesterday (not v. happy with his time--I noted how the heat had made the whole thing a bit more than we were ready), and we keep the easy pace along the canal. At the road we both feel the effort of the uphill, but plod on: it's a lovely day, nice to be out. Pick up a bit heading back along OldSpfld, then through the school and back to our start. Not quite far enough for me, so grab drink and gear and head out to high school through the back cut, then along to rail trail and up to Dave's to collect car, reaching this total:

Time: 1:15:57
Distance: 9.33 miles
Pace: 8:08s

Comment: felt very relaxed and quite recovered after that, and got my double digits for the day. I suspect the alcohol after-effects (*good* whiskey) helped some, but nice anyhow. After yesterday's run the weekly total reached 58.7 miles; that will probably be my peak week...

Boston -31 -- Sat. Mar. 20

The weekend of St Pat's Holyoke was spectacularly nice--sunshine and 70 degrees Saturday, and Sunday was pretty good too. Carpooled with Ken, leaving a bit later than expected at 10:45, and stopping at DnD on the way, we arrived in Holyoke by 11:30, and parked in the same spot I did last year (handy!). Then walked down to remind ourselves where the start and finish were, and checked out the growing crowd, then back up to the car. Ken decided to do a small warm up later, but I wanted 3-4 miles, so headed out up the hill into Holyoke, using church towers and steeples as waypoints, ending up in the cemetery, then round and back via the finish area (reststop) and back up to the car. That got me nearly 4 miles, so put on numbered shirt and headed back to start sipping gatorade. Crazy mob scene: found a way over the barriers in near the front, and stood for the 10 minutes it took till start time. Countdown chant from 10 instead of a gun (at least I didn't hear a gun), and then we're off.

Managed to break out quite quickly this time and shake free of the most crowded bit, amazed all the while by the crowd numbers and noise. Realize that the first mile is gentle down hill and very fast, so try to hold back: goal is 6:45s for first 4 miles, to make sure leg/back are okay. Look for people to pace on, but noone I know, so just wing it. Very hot, and fortunately water tables everywhere; at the end of mile one we're starting uphill, and then I just settle in for the slog, trying to keep pace mild, keep hydrated (alternate drinking with pouring water on head), and not lose too many slots. All the way round the crowd is amazing, and I'm feeling mainly okay; very happy to reach the end of mile 4 a bit ahead of schedule and with no numbleg. Then the downhill, flying quite nicely, but so's everyone else, so no ground gained. Little uphill at the start of mile 6 and I'm pushing a bit, when I see Billy R ahead--start to work on catching up w/ him as some guys I've recently passed regain position: everyone's in last stretch mode, and then April's mum yells encouragement as I pass her at the same spot she was last year too. I call out to encourage Billy as I don't think I'll catch him, but then as we make the last turn I push hard on the slight uphill and get alongside, say go for it to him, and pass him almost, then he digs deep and pushes back--I'm done, trying to make sure I won't heave at this point, so can't fight back, and he gets a place and a second on me as we cross the line. Queasy for a bit, but then okay. First, here are the official results:

gun (official) time: 40:25
official pace: 6:31s
net time (startline to finish line) 40:20
finish place: 78
of male runners: 73/2665
by age group: 13/568 M4049

For the record, I calculated my position by net-time too: reordered the first 100 runners by net times, and found I came in with the 85th-fastest time. Some people had two minutes difference between official and actual (distance based) time; for offiial results, you really have to get up to the front and fight out of the crowd quickly to do well. Live and learn.

My digivice had it thus:

Time: 40:25
Distance: 6.28 miles
Pace: 6:26s

After the controlled start, miles 5 and 6 were 5:54 and 6:08, quite a shift up.
After a watering, I went off down to the canal and over the river for a cool-down mile, coming back to meet up with Ken; we grabbed ice coffee samplers, then jogged back to the car and headed out. Total war-up/cooldown mileage: 5.1 miles in 43 mins @ 8:25s. All in all, a satisfying but somehow not very dramatic outing; my mind is really on Boston. Got a slight sunburn -- something to think about for Boston too. . .

Boston -33 -- Thu. Mar. 18

Tied up w/ rec ltrs in the a.m. so head into work with running gear, planning a run home in beautiful sunny weather. Almost too warm: carry a water bottle for the first time this year, I think, and a good sized one. Change in ISOM and move car to lot 33, then start out back homewards just after 1:30. Along to trail, aiming for a few miles of warmup at 7:45; stop and stretch by farmer's supply place after 2 miles, then continue--downhillish, so turn in a sub-7:00, then slow down, deciding to aim for an average in the 7:20s (which will be work, but shouldn't be too much). Follow rail trail as far as Station Rd, then head left up the hill to slow pace down again; along to North, then down the connecting trail to rejoin rail trail; to end of paved section, then cross road to continue along trail. Follow roads briefly until trail picks up again off Federal, then trail again (a bit hard going at this point, feeling coldy and tired), across Cheryl, then at Grela head back to Federal, and along to Metacomet, over to Bay, along and up the hill (saying hi to Dave A as I pass) and into Hamilton. Sore, tired, and achilles nagging at this point, so decide to stop at 12, which I get to by heading down Jackson to about the small farms place. Then gently on with a cool down, not resetting clock; pause it while I clamber up through the chestnut grove, then restart as I jog along to the trail and follow it to GeoHannum, and on up as far as the culvert, finally stopping it thus:

Time: 1:37:45
Distance: 13.06 miles
Pace: 7:29s

Comment: should have taken vit. I before this (before any double digit run?), especially when I'm carrying a stubborn sinus cold. Ouf. But, even with the cooldown, pace was (just!) under 7:30s, so good enough. Tomorrow, a rest day, then penultimate race before the big one.

Boston -34 -- Wed. Mar. 17

No run today. Work to do, and too tired -- tendon and I need a break. Tomorrow morning, one more good run before the St Pat's 10K on Sat., and that'll do it for this week.

Good news: got my Boston number (9044). It's really not very long now! Also, signed up for what will be the last run before taper, the Oleksak half marathon, set for March 28.

Yosh!

Boston -35 -- Tue. Mar. 16

Clear and sunny, really nice spring day, the first such with temps in the 50s. Chores kept me busy till 6:30 again, but with the new lighter evenings, still okay, so (after a quick PBsandwich) off for a Jabish canal run: opt for the road section first to use light there, as I know I can do the trail in the almost dark at the moment (surface is okay). A lovely day to run, no hat or gloves, and jacket unzipped mostly. Start by cutting across development, through retention pond and across trail out to state school, but unlike last night, exit at police station to go into high school and there, after two miles, do stretches. Then off along OldSpfld out to 21, left and along to the canal trail. Not feeling very energetic, so aim mainly for a 7:40s or so, although one or two of the miles feel a bit better. Up the canal to the sound of some creatures splashing into it (!) and then out on to NoWash, across and continue up the railtrail--pretty dark at this point, so take it a bit slow. Out past checkers and finish same as yesterday, stopping clock up by baseball field, then jogging home slowly. Here's the data:

Time: 1:18:33
Distance: 10.21 miles
Pace: 7:42s

Comment: definitely feeling sluggish and a bit battered -- that was the fourth run-day in a row. Still, pace feels about right for the conditions, and all I want now is to get a long run in to see how 18-20 feels. But maybe no till next Tuesday? Or could I do it Sunday (day after St Pats 10K -- hmm)? We'll see. Achilles tendon is getting sore again on right, as usual when I increase mileage somewhat abruptly. . .

Boston -36 -- Mon. Mar. 15

Rainy blustery day, and schedule ends up nudging me towards an evening run. Taking advantage of the extra light, head out at 6:30 to do a rail trail, aiming to get muddy! In fact the sandy trail bed was mainly un-puddled, so I barely even got wet (the rain was as much wind as water, though I was glad to have my showerproof cagoule on). Started on road, down GeoHannum to Jackson, up to state school, then stretched a bit; continued through, past Checkers and into the trail. All the way down, across NoWash, and on, past the high bridge over river, up to one of the old stone bridges, then (at 5+ miles) turn round, and back into gathering dark with footing a bit harder to see. Aim to keep pace overall steady, bringing it down to an average of 7:30 after a gentle start; final section on road (w/out reflective jacket, but w/ finger flashlight from R) past Small Farms and up to get the 10 miles in (just short of the underpass), thus:

Time: 1:16:00
Distance: 10.12
Pace: 7:31s

Comment: after this, went out w/ F for another 0.75 miles of cooldown. Felt good, overall, though the effort to keep high stepping on the trail (to avoid any obstacles and keep ankles safe) meant for a weary midriff afterwards. That and the ongoing cold (which I hope I'm sort of recovering from...) left me pretty socked. Still a long way back to good form. . .

Boston -37 -- Sun. Mar. 14

The day clocks changed, and we all needed sleep, so missed 8 a.m. and went to 10:30, thereby missing the SRRC run. Headed out for my own run later, keeping in mind that I then had to drive Ninja girl back to college: decided to do a tougher shorter run, rather than a long slow. First went out for the extra bit I missed on yesterday evening with F (unclocked), then off for a reverse Jucket HIll run. Out to cross 9, past VFW, then up 202 all the way to Munsell, in and up to Knight's Pond, then back across 202 and into the Quabbin, down to Jucket Hill lane and up and over that one all the way to rejoin Allen, then Enfield and across 9 to haul up Jabish before finishing down 202 and round to stop clock just by the supermarket, thus:

Time: 1:38:22
Distance: 13.18 miles
Pace: 7:28s

Comment: with a total climb of 780-some feet, and similar descent, this was challenging: started gently but then decided to go for 7:30s, which meant picking some faster miles to make up for the uphills. Ended up with three sub-7:00s, including mile 13, which left me a bit pounded at the end, but okay. Still grappling with this cold, but determined to keep at it. Nice day for running, though there were a few patches of icy snow still on the trail over the big hill, and Knight's pond was still ice/sluch covered.

Boston -38 -- Sat. Mar. 13

Raw early spring day, blustering rain and wind, but after a week carrying a cold I was ready to get outside. Second bad week in a row, so the Boston prep is seriously off-track at this point...

Fingers crossed that will be the last major interruption. Thank goodness spring break has arrived -- it won't do to jump to the 70 mile-week I'd planned for it after a week where I didn't even reach 30, but I'll get out 6 days in a row, maybe 55 miles, then hope to keep it going for one more week before the taper.

Headed out aiming for 10, but with a time limit, so ended up having to call it a bit short. Down GeoHannum to Boardman, then Rural and out to Stebbins; back to Bay, then to Metacomet and up Federal to 9, then down Allen to Hamilton and home directly. Stretched at 1 mile mark (exchanged greetings with Ken who was heading home after his run) then kept an easy pace for 5 miles, at which point I was about 50 seconds behind 7:30 pace. Next three miles I opened up a bit, all sub 7:10, so at the hour I was just over 8 miles. Then cruised through to the end, thus:

Time: 1:12:12
Distance: 9.63 miles (plus evening jog w/ F to get to 10.5 miles)
Pace: 7:30s

Comment: felt great, and under control. More miles tomorrow.

Boston -44 -- Sun. Mar. 7

Bill invited folks for a 22 miler, but I'm not ready for that (definitely off schedule a bit now, but hope to get back on track), so go in for a Swiftie run. First to the DnD, then Savannah arrives, followed by Ken. Decide to do a reverse Enfield--*gorgeous* day for running, no gloves or hat (wore a fleece as breeze still chilly, and pace goal was slow). Savannah feeling sub-par, so she backs off once we're through the high school, after Ken and I run back to check on her. We go on, down Jabish and up Allen, chatting all the way. Pace pretty gentle, though I'm stiff from yesterday and it takes 5-6 miles before I feel comfortable. Ken in good form, and after crossing 202 we pick up a bit, moving to 7:45s pretty much. Keep it steady back along Jackson, then finish flowing nicely on Howard and 202 (so much traffic though--sunny day, get in the car, it seems!).

Stop briefly to say hi to Savanna and get a swig of gatorade, then back out for a second loop: trails! Down rail trail, across to Jabish canal out to 21: somewhat muddy, but also quite a lot of more frozen stuff in the shady areas. Make good time, but back off after faster miles, aiming for 7:30s overall. Up 21, enjoying the sunshine, then right onto OldSpfld and start to feel the distance aches, but press on; into high school and back, but only 7.6, so go down past Checkers to the trail that leads back to high school, then loop round and hit the 8 mile mark a bit ahead of schedule after a last mile push, 59:35 (started to get a bit frantic hungry in the last half mile, but under control). Totals:

Time: 1:12:49 & 1:00:08 = 2:12:57
Distance: 9.05 & 8.07 = 17:12 miles
Pace: 8:03s & 7:27s = (average would be 7:46s, but this was really two different runs...)

Comment: solid. That's what I needed, a good distance and some more marathon pace miles. We (Ken and I) ran into Bill on Allen and chatted briefly--he's not doing St Pat's as the New Bedford half is the day after. I need to get my schedule for this crucial last month sorted! More on that in next entry, I think.

Boston -45 -- Sat. Mar. 6

So, thanks to back pain a week of not running, though I would probably have tried a short one on Thu. or Fri. if I'd had time. But no, so Saturday morning and I'm more or less ready for an exploratory slow distance run. Late start, but a perfect day -- no hat, no gloves, just ear-warmers. Almost thought about taking a water bottle, but decided against.

Chose the 13+ miler that I tried on Feb. 18, as an easy course off the main roads. Went out gently, stopping at one mile for a stretch session, then continued. Initial goal was 7:40, but as I got going and everything felt more or less okay I figured marathon pace would be okay, and though it varied a bit from mile to mile, I was within a few seconds at the hour, and at 12, then I pushed a bit for a mile, coming in at 13 miles 7 seconds under (this was pretty much in front of the DPW: I added a bit along Jackson to get the distance up). Then I ran on back up towards home, past the development and towards the supermarket until I hit 14 miles, thus:

Time: 1:46:46
Distance: 14.07 miles
Pace: 7:35s

Comment: the last mile was very slow, a cooldown built into the total; the 13 miles were at 7:29s, so a marathon pace run really. But I'm so down on distance this week I wanted to see the full mileage up there. At least I'm back on the wagon, with no numbleg and a new week ahead.