Double -- Sun. Mar. 20

No SRRC run, but meet Bill at 11 for a gentle trail recovery run -- rail trail and state school to Wallace pond, then past the police station and back into the state school, out t'other side and down road to GeoHannum, back up to the wilds behind the supermarket, then in for some trail mud and slush, all along to rail trail, cross the road and come out again at Bill's place, but stretch it round the development a bit, ending up thus:

Time: 58:42
Distance: 5.74 miles
Pace: very slow!

Then, since Bill's against the long run so soon after the race, decide to do the double as advised. Wait until later in the afternoon, after a nap and some housework, etc., then go out for a second round: enter trail at AustinG, along through muddy bits to come out on to Hamilton at rail crossing, then to Allen, up and over 9 and 202, to Enfield; too little time to go to Quabbin, so straight down to 9 and back home that way, all at gentle pace, thus:

Time: 53:28
Distance: 6.43 miles
Pace: 8:19s

Comment: felt fine in the morning, but the double is tricky -- felt okay, but moving very slowly. By the end I was feeling well battered, definitely at the end of a long training. 90 miles in 8 days, pretty much, so I'm having a REST day tomorrow.

St Pat's 10K Holyoke -- Sat. Mar. 19

Leave home about 10:30, needing to park and get bib, etc. Drive straight there and park in the usual spot, almost exactly; walk down to the Wherehouse, well wrapped up (fleece!) as it's a cold morning. See Nick, and then Bill too on the way back; lots of people, of course. Back to car, change into race shoes and head off into upper Holyoke in search of a DnD for coffee and loo. After over a mile, no joy, but a Subways. Nice loo, and even coffee but food choices as hopeless as usual. Settle for a dry bread roll (crappy bread) to go with the coffee. Then backtrack and change into full gear at car; jog off for a bit more distance before one more portaloo visit (long lines -- the crowds are really out this year) and then to the start. Total 3.21 miles @ 28:33 before resetting clock.

*Hopeless* mob at the start -- just give up, and eventually find a place a good way back. Nice and warm in the huddle, with well coiffed and made-up ladies all around, hardly a running runner in sight. Finally the gun: can't see any movement, but stand on tiptoes and see heads near the front bobbing up and down, so it's started. Nearly 20 seconds later, we finally start to move, shuffle shuffle, cross the line eventually and then jog with the crowd, looking for spaces to move up. After about three minutes of dodging and darting into gaps, finally starting to be able to move properly, but the first mile takes 7:13, about a minute slower than it should. Oy.

After that, things get better. Taking it carefully with the three uphill-ish miles, steadily move forward, spotting Nick in the third mile and saying hi before moving ahead again (he's in good form and happy); 6:46, then 6:35, then 6:30, and it's downhill time. Still moving quite steadily up: as the crowd thickens and gets noisy, pull a 5:41 then into the last full mile confident that numb leg will not be a problem. Mile 6 is a 5:57 (chap calls out, "you can get under 40:00!" -- not so sure. . .), and I'm just happy the end is near: that last turn is a relief and a horror as I see the last hill, but make a go for it and get one or two more places, then tank, but enough momentum and determination to get to the end before running right out of steam. 40:15 or so, and then I heave, twice, but then recover quite quickly. Pretty happy, and turn to wait for Nick, who's not far behind, then meet up w/ Bill, and also SteveO, Joe F, Rob L, and some others. All in good cheer!

Decide to do a cooldown w/ Bill and Nick, and chap from Granby; down by the canal and up again, then Nick peels off, and after a bit I decide to as well, since my car's in a different direction. Take a while finding it and finding how to get back to it, clocking up 2.08 miles @21:22. Total for the day:

Time: 1:30:10
Distance: 11.56 miles
Pace: 7:48s

Comment: *official* time for the 10K was 40:17, but that was GUN time; my NET time was a dramatic 39:26 = WAAAY better than my previous best of 39:55 on the same course in 2009. I'll take it.

Recovering -- Fri. Mar. 18

Meet Ken at 8 am for a shortie -- he's got the New Bedford half coming up, so just wants to do a donut, and I'm keen just to move a bit. Do the Rural lollipop route, but Boardman out and GeoHannum back for a bit of a change. No extra miles, just this:

Time: 52:08
Distance: 5.98 miles
Pace: 8:43s

Comment: a donut run, partly to loosen me up for tomorrow's race, and partly to make sure I hit my 70 mile goal for the week. So far so good.

L O N G one -- Thu. Mar. 17

High point of spring break training and peak run in my peak week: a planned 24 miler. Got a neat route that started as 23, out to Amherst and back, but it ended up 24, so what the hey. Out via Hamilton, Bay, Metacomet, Federal, Orchard, WarrenWright, North/Station, SE, Groff, 116, round the common in Amherst and down Main: back along Pelham/Amherst, up that darned hill, and then right on to Packardsville, along past Knight's pond to Gold, Munsell, and then 202 to VFW and stop clock at supermarket, thus:

Time: 3:12:18
Distance: 24.02 miles
Pace: 8:00

Comment: exactly on clock, though I thought I'd be a bit faster after a good opening eight. The uphills were a bit much, enfin, and I was getting pretty sore by the end -- but not tired! A lovely day for it, almost 60 and some sunshine too.

Moonlit run -- Tue. Mar. 15

The ides of March, and a busy day for me so I couldn't get out until late (spring break notwithstanding). Fortunately, a gorgeous day and a full moon -- aiming for a long half-m distance, so went out on the Dufresnes Park route: starting down to Boardman/Eskett, then on 202 corner a dog comes out at me, but obeys a shout to go home; along to Chicopee, then along to School and across to Kendall, then down 202 a bit to Lyman, and back via Batchelor to rejoin GeoHannum, and Rural round to head home via Boardman.

Time: 1:50:52
Distance: 14.15 miles
Pace: 7:50s

Comment: thinking about the earthquake disaster most of the time. A gorgeous night, so full of light -- and a nice route to just run, no goal, no pace.

Wakeup run -- Mon. Mar. 14

Meet Ken at 8 for an early start, heading out for the Rural loop (a lollipop route, to be more accurate), gentle paced; then at Hamilton, peel off for some extra miles: up Allen, across 9, across 202, all the way to Enfield, then down to 9 and back directly, ending up thus:

Time: 1:29:18
Distance: 11.12 miles
Pace: 8:02s

Comment: useful mild miles in what will be a long week. Still a bit residually sore from Sat., however. . .

SRRC run -- Sun. Mar. 13

Daylight Saving Time starts, so an hour short of sleep. Arg. And sore from yesterday, and still not digesting right. But what the hey, so off to DnD and find Nick and Bill there, and Ken and I arrive to make four. Ken's after double digits, so aim for a reverse Enfield with Brandywine/Sheffield. Feeling very stiff--Nick full of beans and Bill keeps him company, while I stick between them and Ken. Regroup at Brandywine, but Ken still slower, so Nick and Bill are ahead when they go off up Spring hill; I stay back with Ken and we go on past. Back to Allen, all the way on to Hamilton, and Ken starts to feel better, as I feel more and more sore. But keep going, and as we pass DPW, realise we're short on distance, so at Howard, keep going up Jackson -- only to hear Bill's voice from behind, "You bastards! I was going to catch you on Howard!" Much LOL. Go on up to town, staying ahead of Bill on the uphill, then together through town and back down 202--Bill heads back to rejoin Nick, and I finish the run w/ Ken, thus:

Time: 1:27:11
Distance: 10:52 miles
Pace:8:17s

Comment: Good gentle way out of some of the soreness. Start of another week, hopefully peak mileage. Not a very nice day, damp chill, England style. . .Roll on spring.

LONG run -- Sat. Mar. 12

Bill joined me at 10 for this one, the two part run I did on Feb. 21. Not quite as warm as forecast--also, digestion not really cooperating, but Bill's strong as ever. First lap we deviate by going through the schools to avoid the icy/soggy rail trail, but otherwise as mapped. Back to the house where Bill has gatorade and I pop in for a sip of 'Gansett, then out again for the scenic lap. Feel pretty beat as we hit the turnaround on Goodell, with very stiff ankles, etc. Bill decides to head off for an extra hill as we start up the last hill on Federal: by the time we reach the Allen turn off he's got 30 seconds on me, and I keep going straight. Run round supermarket parking lot to get extra distance, ending up thus

Time: 2:55:02
Distance: 22.06 miles
Pace: 7:56s

Comment: felt pretty sore in all ways at the end. Bill mentioned that local runner Kathy L. had had a heart attack in Jan., surprisingly, and as I crossed 9 there went an ambulance, siren on. Both he and I worried about the other, LOL. He went on for 3 hrs, and I was happy to be *under* three. Also, hit 64 miles for the week, w00t!

Donut -- Fri. Mar. 11

Long day, again, but need to wrap up the 20 miles so out for a quick run before dinner: down GeoHannum to Boardman, then up start up Eskett just for a hill sprint: turn round and continue on Boardman to Rural, then round to GeoHannum and back home, sprinting twice on the hilly bits, ending up exactly (plus 1/100 of a mile) at the needed distance:

Time: 46:29
Distance: 5.96 miles
Pace: 7:48s

Comment: just what I needed, and I hope it won't wipe me out for tomorrow's long one. . .

Gulf hill -- Thu. Mar. 10

Having again missed a regular day, on Wed., took drastic measures: home after morning classes for a good run before going back for evening classes. Needing 20 before Saturday, figured I could get 13 and still be sharp for the evening. 久しぶりに wanted to go up Gulf, so did that route, figuring the downhill end would be nice too. Here's the route: Hamilton, Allen, 9, Federal - 5 slow start miles; Gulf - 3 hill miles; Packardsville, Gold, Munsell and 202 - 5 fast miles; then round to 9 and home on a slow down mile, ending thus:

Time: 1:45:12
Distance: 14.05 miles
Pace: 7:29s

Comment: Felt *great* to do the fast finish, or at least the opening two (7:11 and 7:12) and then the first two downhill (6:30s), but at about 12.5 miles it felt like hitting a wall. . . somehow I kept it to 6:35, so a good result enfin.

Late repeat -- Tue. Mar. 8

Missed Monday completely, and didn't get home till late (as usual for a Tue.) but clear and nice night, so out for a [dry!] repeat of Sunday's run -- exactly the same route, and the same plan: slow start, then pick up for some 7:10s for 3-5 miles. Here's how it ended up:

Time: 1:25:09
Distance: 11.21 miles
Pace: 7:36s

Comment: unfortunately, the push to get more pace brought on the first numb-leg symptoms I've had in ages. Gah. I'm just not in v good shape, somehow, at least in terms of flexibility. Must build in more stretches, post-run as well as pre-.

Wet run -- Sun. Mar. 6

Late start in the morning, so miss SRRC outing (Ken away, Nick runs solo). Rain all day; I eventually get free to go out pretty late, and it's raining still--and quite hard, on and off, with plenty of water pooling and streaming on the roadways already. Dark night, so stick to local loop: down GeoHannum, to Boardman (through a massive puddle, arg!) then Eskett to 202, down to a left onto Chicopee, then back along School, across 202 (into driving wind and rain now) and along to Batchelor, then GeoHannum to Rural, and back up Boardman to rejoin GeoHannum, then home, thus:

Time: 1:24:07
Distance: 11.13 miles
Pace: 7:33s

Comment: took the first five miles slowly, in the 7:50s or so, then tucked under 7:30 for the second five--very hard work, but maybe a useful addition to the workout (ran in shorts, given the wet, but it still felt like I was *carrying* and extra load most of the way).

Long run -- Sat. Mar. 5

Planning a 22 miler, but not sure if I'll manage that: sore throat since Fri. night, and feeling busy and coldy. Delay until the day gets nice and warm, and delay some more, but finally out just before three. Wear longs, and hat and gloves, but only fleece and shirt on top -- no jacket. It's SPRING (ish, today at least). Planned a 7.5 mile loop, to repeat, then add variant loop on top as far as possible. Aiming for 8:00s, a pace with no stress. Start off fine: the loop is a Rural Eskett figure of eight, and after a bit fast of a start, slow down and get into a good pace. Come back up to Jackson, along to railway crossing, then back along trail for start of second loop: a shade under 1 hour for 7.5 miles, so pace is fine. Second loop also good -- meet some horseriding groups on the way, a nice boost for me to get the quicker miles in to compensate for slower ones, so overall I'm dead on pace. At end decide not to do any extra, but run home, stopping clock just outside development, thus:

Time: 2.08:41
Distance: 16.11 miles
Pace: 7:59s

Comment: Okay, so weekly mileage is off by 8 miles this week, but this was useful: felt comfortable the whole way, with maybe a bit of a twinge at 11 miles and beyond from right groin, but keeping pace slow meant nothing was serious. Hoping to get over this cold next week in time for a hard-running spring break week. Then it'll almost be time to taper ! !

Early eight -- Fri. Mar. 4

Meet Ken at 8 and off for the usual Rural loop route; feeling a bit stiff after last night, but okay once we warm up a bit (still cold, but much better than the night run). Steady pace, chatting, until we reach Hamilton, then I head left as Ken heads home. Take Allen to 9, then straight along until almost geoHannum, but go left to VFW, and home along 202, through DunkinD and that way-- pick up pace in last couple of miles, too.

Time: 1:07:02
Distance: 8.52 miles
Pace: 7:52s

Comment: this salvages a bit of weekly mileage, and even with the cold was not too bad.

Night run -- Thu. Mar. 3

Home from work later than I'd hoped, but determined to get out for something (even though I've got a run w/ Ken set up already). *Cold* night, but go out well dressed and aiming for easy-ish miles: down GeoHannum as usual, all the way to Rural, then round to connect to Eskett, then 202 and back to Boardman and homewards, but stretch the final bit by running all the way to supermarket before turning round, thus making sure to break the 8 mile mark, thus:

Time: 1:05:12
Distance: 8.23 miles
Pace: 7:55s

Comment:basically an extended donut. Brr! Best thing was meeting almost *no* cars in the whole outing.

Shortie -- Wed. Mar. 2

Took Monday off, just not feeling good, and late worknight too. Late again Tuesday, and still coldy & under time pressure this day too, so a short one: down to water plant, stretch, then up trail on top of firm snowmobile tracks, all the way to Wallace pond, then out on to 202, along to police station, then through state school roads to come out at Checkers, and 202 to Howard, but then trail along to Jackson, and then down the road to GeoHannum and home, thus:

Time: 40:55
Distance: 5.2 miles
Pace: 7:52s

Comment: nice mix of surfaces and inclines, etc. A good wakeup jolt, but done easily enough so as to not worsen the cold. . .

Jones Ten-miler -- Sun. Feb. 27

Another lovely day (hah!), but not too cold -- arrive in good time, and dodge puddles and snow to go and register ($35! not cheap). See SteveO with lovely golden retriever Brady, and several other old faces. Back to car to change, then run for a bit to loosen up. Find Ken and Nick, also Dawn and Kara; Nick assumes we're running together, and I'm dithering, but in the end decide to do it -- see what he can manage. He's aiming to get 7:30s or so, but I figure 7:15s. He's done 8 miles (I thought 10) at 7:17, so it's in reach.

Take it easy for first mile after a slow start, but pace is still quick for him (6:40s). Then on to the main route, with me trying to slow us down a bit, but not too much. That holds till we get to the steeper hill, as we're pacing Rich C all the way. The hill wears Nick down, but stick with him and he recovers at the top. Looking strong right up to the reservoir, but slower to pick up there (and the going's not easy. Finally make a bit of pace once we get to the downhill stretch, and I tell him I'll stick around to 8 mile mark.

Once we get to 8 miles down, at the start of the open straight, decide to stick with him -- he's doing well and I want to make sure he doesn't slow down, and also be there at the end to see how he does. By this point, unless he folds heavily in the last uphill, I'm thinking possible 1:13 for him. The uphill near the end is tough, but hang around and he keeps coming back, and then finally we're over the crest and I'm nagging him on to the last loop. Figure he's got a sprint in him so stick close, and as we come to the last 100 yards or so he attacks and so I go hell for leather for the line (not going to just let him win!). Pull a couple of seconds away there, ending thus:

Time: 1:11:57 (official)
Distance: 10 miles (")
Pace: 7:12s

Comment: my first race as a coach! I was elated to find Nick had beaten 1:12, and quite happy to have spent the 35 bucks on a non-race effort. It was a perfect MPace workout for me, and the final sprint reminded me how much I need to work on sprinting! (and my quads were *sore* after that!). With warm up miles and a bit of a cool down run around town I managed 13.93 total. A useful day. The after race eats were generous and various; chatted with Ken for a bit, then headed home.