Tempo Run and Training Thoughts

The thing about training in the winter in Maine is you have to be flexible and a little creative at times. Sometimes things fall into place, and sometimes they don't. Today, and hopefully the rest of the week, it looks like things are working out nicely.

With a major snowstorm expected on Wednesday (it'll actually start to rev up tomorrow afternoon), I'm planning my weekly rest day, or maybe a light cross training day (snowshoeing or backcountry skiing, light efforts), for that day.

Also, with somewhat fresher legs as a result of yesterday's rest day, I opted to crank out a tempo run this afternoon. Perfect timing for that on a few other fronts:

A) It was a good tune-up for this Sunday's Mid-Winter 10-Mile Classic. Plenty of time to recover and a good gauge of my pacing. Was pretty happy with today's effort.

B) It's been a handful of days since we've had measurable snow, so the roads were relatively clear with snow and pretty safe, making it most likely the best day of the week for a tempo run.

C) Because of 'B', I opted to wear my Brooks Mach 11's, my preferred shoes for speedier workouts. They're racing flats and therefore don't have a lot of traction, so not the best choice if the roads are pretty covered with snow and ice, but not a concern today. Wondered if my feet would still be warm in them since this was the coldest I've run in them, but with wool socks I was perfectly fine, which was good.

D) With today's run and Sunday's race, that's some good speed for this week, so the rest of the runs can be at a moderate or easy pace, which is much more manageable if the roads are crappy. On that note, I'll try to throw in some snowmobile trail runs in between now and the race.

So yeah. Good week for things to fall into place, and I'm entering that phase where I need to incorporate some more speed work for the Boston Marathon. I was looking at my training logs from last summer, when I was training for the MDI Marathon, looking specifically at where I was then and where I'm at now, comparing levels of fitness and workouts at this juncture before each race. Looking good and on track in terms of mileage and speed, even though the past few weeks have been a bit rougher than I'd like. Even with that, still ahead of the game overall, and things worked out really great at MDI. So feeling pretty good about things at this point. Just gotta keep working hard. Onward and upward!

Ran 6.3 miles @ 6:39/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 158/172
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Lower 20s, sunny.
Brooks Mach 11, long pants, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Gotta Love Maine

Ran on the snowmobile trails in the woods out back. Somehow it turned into me helping three hunters on snowmobiles track a coyote. I scouted out some trails for them and actually found the tracks of the coyote and their dogs. That was fun. Nice group of guys, was glad I was of some help.

Run itself went well. The trails themselves were soft and not well packed, so it was slow going. However, the really good news is that my quads feel MUCH better. Ten and a half hours of sleep last night probably helped. Only a tinge of soreness, and I don't think today's little run aggravated them. Tempted to go skate skiing this afternoon, but will continue to exercise caution and not my legs for now.

Really glad I backed off here the past few days. Tomorrow the trend will continue with a light day or even a rest day, which I'm due for. Glad I'm playing it smart. A few steps back in cases like this most often lead to bigger steps forward. Still going to end up with an acceptable mileage total for the week, so can't complain.

Ran 5.1 miles @ 9:25/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 138/154
Trails, soft snow. Pretty slow.
Mostly flat.
Upper 20s, partly cloudy.
Adidas Adizero XT (screwed), long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Keeping It In Check

The ego. It can be a runner's ally, but can also easily be its worst enemy. It drives us to push ourselves and compete, but it can also take us over the cliff and get injured.

I thought about this a lot during today's run. This has been a great week for mileage and I wanted to keep the momentum going. I had ten on tap for today, and a goal of getting in over 70 miles for the week.

Did some reflecting and decided it was important to keep the big picture in mind, which is the Boston Marathon. Quads feel slightly better than yesterday, but still need some rest. I decided pushing it today and the rest of the week could lead to increased recovery time next week, and just set back the training. Not where I want to be, and not worth the risk of injury.

So, begrudgingly I did a little under six today and I kept the pace and heart rate truly in the recovery zone. However, I'm more at peace with it the more I think about it, and typing this just makes me feel even better about the decision. On a related note, I'm happy to play things by ear the next few days.

Ran 5.7 miles @ 8:33/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 129/152
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Mid 30s, partly cloudy.
Saucony Kinvara, long pants, fleece jacket, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Afternoon Eleven

Temps were actually above freezing for most of my run and the sun was shining, so today's run felt rather inviting.

Roads were in much better shape with snow than I had expected. Still, I stuck with a loop that's nearly three miles long in Sanford since it had light traffic and low speed limits. Ran that a few times and headed back to the school. Kept the pace very easy with the goal to get in the miles.

Quads are feeling pretty sore. I'm convinced that's due primarily to running on snow coated roads. That slight skid seems a likely culprit for giving the quads a beat down. Still, nothing bad, but might need to cut back the mileage tomorrow to give them some more rest. Will make that call tomorrow.

Ran 11.5 miles @ 8:13/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 136/152
Paved roads, some patches of slush.
Moderately hilly.
Mid to lower 30s, sunny.
Saucony Kinvara, long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Slushy Roads

Roads were already very slushy, and a light snow that was falling throughout only served to makes things a bit slick as the run went on. I was careful though, not hesitating to slow down especially on the downhills.

Good run, and goal was just to get in 12 miles on the hills at an easy pace. Heart rate was a touch higher than I would have liked, but I think that's a direct result of the extra work of running in the slush and snow. Quads are feeling pretty sore, I think that's because of the bad road conditions the past few days.

Ran 12.2 miles @ 8:04/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 142/159
Paved roads, coated with slush and snow.
Very hilly.
Lower 20s, overcast, light snow throughout.
Saucony Kinvara, long pants, fleece jacket, short sleeved shirt, refl. vest, beanie, gloves.

Lessons in Time Management

Just thought I'd mention something I've been doing recently that's really helped with time management and therefore running: Teaching is a pretty intense job at times, and there's a lot of work to be done aside from running a class. What I used to do was get some prep work done before classes started, but any additional grading and prep work I'd do after classes let out.

This wasn't working well for me. Like most teachers, my brain is mush by the end of the day. The last thing I want to do is grade projects or prepare lesson plans. Take into account my planning period is right at the end of the day and, well, that doesn't help much. I'm ready to get out and run as soon as teaching and the planning period is over, so often I do that, and then I used to bring the rest of my work home for when I was done running. Even then, that is often difficult. It's too easy to procrastinate and when I'm home, I'd rather just enjoy being at home.

So, the past month, I've been getting into work extra early in the mornings, an hour to an hour and a half sooner than usual. My brain is fresh, there is hardly anyone around so no distractions, and I've found I am MUCH more productive at that time and I get so much more done and in a shorter amount of time.

The result of this is that I can just relax when afternoon comes along and do my runs easier without worrying as much. It's great. Just wish I started doing this routine sooner.

Today's run went well. Another inch of snow this morning, so roads were a bit sloppy. I stuck to the neighborhood roads which were the best option since they were pretty clear and traffic was minimal. Very good run. Felt energetic and all around great again today, the likely result of not much running last week from being sick.

Ran 8.2 miles @ 7:28/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 148/163
Paved roads, large stretches of snow and slush.
Moderately hilly.
Upper teens, partly sunny.
Saucony Kinvara, long pants, fleece jacket, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Running the Degrees

Eight degrees out. Eight miles run. The fun part is that it was during the warmest part of the day. I was dressed very comfortably, and really enjoyed it out there.

Energy felt great and the run felt effortless. It was a moderate effort run, but it came easily, and over some pretty good hills to boot. I had only planned on six miles over lighter hills, but adjusted that on the fly to get in some bigger climbs and more mileage. Good call and a good run.

Ran 8.6 miles @ 7:47/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 145/158
Paved roads, mostly coated with packed snow and ice.
Very hilly.
8F/-13C degrees, sunny.
Saucony Kinvara, long pants, long tights, Goretex jacket, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, mittens.

Bradbury Mountain Snowshoe Series & A Short Skate Ski

I spent the morning volunteering at the Bradbury Mountain Snowshoe Series. Today's race was the Bradbury Squall, directed by my good buddies Ryan and Ian. Race went extremely smooth and everyone appeared to have a very fun time, which was great. The sponsors were very generous so everyone left with great merchandise and/or food. Still can't get over how awesome that tomato-curry soup from Frontier was. Please consider doing one of the other upcoming races. Ryan has even secured some loaner snowshoes from Dion if you don't own a pair, but they're on a first come, first serve basis. It's a really fun time.

Afterwards, my buddy Jim and I got in some light skate skiing at Twin Brooks. There were dozens and dozens of munchkins out there today, presumably as part of some ski clinic. Despite dodging the skiers in making and not really pushing the pace, I ended up with a higher than expected average speed, which was nice.

Skate skied 5.5 kilometers @ 10.7 kph/avg.
AHR/MHR - N/A (just didn't feel like wearing the strap)
Trails, well packed and semi-fast.
Moderately hilly.
Around 20 degrees, partly cloudy, windy.
Long tights, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, fleece jacket, beanie, gloves.

Post Flu-Run

Today was a good follow-up to yesterday's short excursion on the snowshoes after getting knocked on my butt with the flu earlier in the week. Did one of the loops in my neighborhood with very little elevation change and is under five miles. 

As expected, the heart rate was on the high side. I'm sure the bit of extra work of snowy road shoulders contributed to that some, but the bulk of it was no doubt some rust from five days of no running. All in all it went well, and it simply felt great to be running again. 

Ran 4.6 miles @ 8:16/mile pace. 

AHR/MHR - 141/155

Paved roads, coated with packed snow. 

Mostly flat. 

Upper teens, sunny. 

Saucony Kinvara, long pants, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, heavy gloves. 

Snowshoeing Out Back

The woods out back. 

I've been antsy the past several days. I feel better after the flu and was anxious to get out, but best to take a few days easing back into my training regiment and a perfect opportunity arose this afternoon. The storm had passed, and Kate and I hit the woods out back to snowshoe in the unbroken snow. Pace was casual and even though the snow was about two feet deep, it wasn't much work thanks to my snowshoes being 36" boats that are good for this kind of stuff (but only this kind of stuff).

Snowshoed 2.2 miles @ 29:06/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - N/A
Trails, ~2 feet unbroken snow.
Slightly hilly.
Mid 20s, partly cloudy, breezy.
Tubbs 36" snowshoes, long pants, Goretex jacket, long sleeves shirt, beanie, gloves.

Flu: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

It started Tuesday night... I woke up at 11pm with a feeling of indigestion which soon turned into vomiting, trips to the toilet, and full-on chills. Two hot showers and one hot bath later, I managed to doze into a delirium-based sleep in which I awoke several times with nightmarish dreams that intertwined the sci-fi book I'm reading, Dan Simmons' "Hyperion", with real life events, and I was unable to discern if they were real or not.

A blessing came when I got a text from my school announcing it was a snow day. I was so delirious at that stage I'm not sure if I would have had the presence of mind to call in sick that morning. I remember my cat walking into my bedroom at that moment and I thought it was a black lab.

Fortunately, since it was a snow day, Kate was off also. She was a complete angel, looking over me the entire day and tending to whatever I needed. As late afternoon turned into evening, it became obvious that work the next day was not a good idea. Kate deciphered my grunts as I dictated a lesson plan for the sub and emailed it off. However, it was beginning to feel like the worst was over.

Last night I slept very soundly. The fever had broken and I don't recall waking up at all during the night. My body still aches a bit and I still feel weak, but I should be able to return to work tomorrow and hopefully feel up for a short test run on Saturday.

The bright side is the timing of this. Better now than closer to the Boston Marathon, and though it's possible to get really sick again, the law of averages swings the odds greatly in my favor of avoiding another bout of viral hell. Plenty of time to rebound from this, and I'll have only missed less than a week of training. So yeah, unfortunate but things could have been worse.

Winter Double

Like Saturday, I had plans of running in the morning and skate skiing in the afternoon. Not as far with either distance today, but both went very well, especially the skiing.

AM:
I waited until the temperature got above zero before heading out. I was dressed fine and got in a pretty solid run despite a gurgily stomach. Fortunately, no need to duck into the snowy woods to take care of business, but it still wasn't a pleasant feeling.

No real goal with the pace so just took it pretty easy and let the mind wander. Road shoulders were in pretty good shape, just a few small patches of snow and ice which were easily avoided. Hardly any traffic on the roads, which was nice. Went well overall.

Ran 9.2 miles @ 7:55/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 142/157
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
5 degrees to start, 12 degrees at end. Sunny.
Saucony Kinvara, long pants, long tights, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, heavy gloves.


PM:
Unlike Saturday, I didn't feel worn out from the morning run. That was good news, as it would be easier to maintain good form. Really fast trail conditions today, which helped give a fast average speed (for me), but I have to give myself some credit as I just felt very efficient all around. I never felt like I was pushing it, at least compared to other sessions, which was great.

I took very few breathers, and most of the session was effortless. Continued to just relax on the uphills and as a result V1-ing my way up came efficiently and quickly. So glad I'm making progress there. Just felt great all around and really had fun. Very, very pleased with today.

Skate skied 7.4 kilometers @ 11.4 kph/average.
AHR/MHR - 150/166
Moderately hilly.
Fast trails.
Mid-teens, sunny.
Long tights, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Harris Farm

After yesterday, a recovery day was in order. That came in the form of attempting to teach Kate to skate ski at Harris Farm. I use the word "attempt" because of my ability, not hers. Classic case of blind leading the blind. I am hardly qualified to give any real instruction, but figured she'd still be okay.

Turns out Kate was a natural. I anticipated staying on the flat and easy meadow while she learned, but she picked it up quick and she expressed intrest in hitting some of the harder trails, so that's what we did. It worked out well.

It was good for me as well, as I just took it easy and concentrated on all aspects of my form. One thing I relearned is to wipe away the runner mentality of charging hills with wreckless abandon. With skate skiing, you need to have good technique to V1 uphill efficiently. Today, I just relaxed, took it slow and concentrated on technique. The result? Getting up hills without being winded and probably getting up faster as well. Was very happy about that.

Ended up getting in close to eight kilometers. Kate appeared to have a lot of fun with it. Fun day on the trails!

Skate skied 7.8 kilometers @ 10.0 kph/average*. (several breaks were taken and not included in speed).
AHR/MHR - N/A (opted to not use the strap)
Trails, well packed fast conditions overall.
Very hilly.
Around 30 degrees, sunny.
Long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

How To Kick Your Butt

The short answer to the above title is to do both running and skate skiing in the same day. I've done this before, but never with the distances I did today. I'm pleasantly wiped out and will no doubt sleep very well tonight.

AM:
Despite it being around -5F/-21C at the start of the run, several had shown up at Bradbury Mountain for the weekly run. Ian, Emma, Val, Rick, Jim D., Al and Andy were all there.

Trail conditions were pretty good, but even with somewhat firm footing it was still work. Most of the group took the 10-mile turn-off but Ian and I continued on to do the full 15-mile loop. As always, it was great to run with Ian.

After the run, we met up with Emma, Val and Rick at Edna and Lucy's to get lunch, which I mowed down with reckless abandon.

Ran 15.4 miles @ 9:48/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 146/153* (estimated, as the readings were erratic the first few miles)
Trails with moderately packed snow.
Very hilly.
-5 to mid teens, sunny.
Adidas Adizero XT (screwed), long pants, long tights (underneath), Gortex jacket, long sleeved shirt, beanie, heavy gloves first half, light gloves second half.



PM:
A few hours later, I met back up with Jim D. at Pineland Farms. I had originally planned on skate skiing 15 kilometers, but I was so wiped I only got in a little over 10, which I was content with.

Fortunately, Jim mercifully slowed to my speed and we skied out to the yurt and back. He was a good carrot, and despite tired legs I ended up with what is a really good overall speed for me. I know my speed is a crawl for proficient skate skiers, but I'm showing signs of progress. Trails were in great shape and fast, so that also helped.

Jim continued on to hit some other trails, but I opted to head back to the practice field and do some work there and the short loop a few times. I worked on my V2, as opposed to the easier V2A. It felt awkward at first, but after some practice I got much more comfortable with it.

Great day. Winter's in Maine rule.

Skate skied 10.3 kilometers @ 11.1 kph/average.
AHR/MHR - 146/162
Fast trails.
Very hilly.
Around 20 degrees, mostly cloudy.
Long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Short Time Out on the Trails

Not much time this afternoon, but thankful to get in some skate skiing nonetheless. So glad Harris Farm is less than 10 minutes from my house.

Took some of the blue and black trails for a bit of a challenge. V1 on the uphills was a bit sloppy and inconsistant. There were a few climbs where I felt on and got up pretty efficiently but I wasn't able to duplicate that every time. Practice, practice, practice.

Skate skied 6.5 kilometers @ 9.8 kph/average.
AHR/MHR - 143/160
Trails, a bit soft and slow.
Very hilly.
Mid 20s, overcast.
Long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Embracing Winter, Part Deux

Over a foot of snow yesterday, so I was itching to hit the Harris Farm for some skate skiing after work today. Conditions were pretty slow since the snow is new and not fully packed down yet, but no doubt it'll only get better as the days go on.

I did well overall though. At one point, I stopped to watch two obviously way more experienced skate skiers V1 up a hill. They were so efficient, so I tried to note what they were doing that I might not be doing. One thing I noticed is that they "V-ed" out their skis more. I gave that a shot on the next uphill and it definitely made a difference, which was nice.

Made the mistake of trying to cross one of the fields where the wind had blown powder on the trails so I hit a few drifts and that made the going very slow for at least half a kilometer. That put a big dent in my average speed, but at least it was out of stupidity on my part and not entirely bad technique.

Great session overall. Look forward to hitting there again over the next several days as no doubt the trail conditions will only get better as they get more packed down. Looks like mother nature is also going to cooperate with cold temps and maybe even a little more snow... should be a great three-day weekend!

Skate skied 9.8 kilometers @ 9.8 kph/average.
AHR/MHR - N/A (forgot to wear the strap)
Slow trail conditions.
Moderately hilly.
Around 30 to upper 20s, sunny.
Long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Embracing Winter

I woke up at 5am and the snow was already coming down hard, but I really wanted to run today. So, I headed outside in the pre-dawn hours to test my headlamp in the dark and snow. Wasn't going to work, there was too much reflection. Dang.

So, by the time the sun came up I was antsy. Around 2"-3" had now fallen but I figured I could still hit the trails. Donning my screw shoes I was off to hopefully get in at least three miles. The wind was blowing hard and it stung my cheeks, making me wish I had my balaclava. But I warmed up after about a mile and was comfortable. Visibility was a few hundred feet, but when the wind was in my face I had to shield my eyes from the blowing snow.

The footing was very slow going with the accumulating powdery snow, but also very manageable, even after another few inches built up during the run. Really glad I did this. It was both a great idea and a stupid one, which is what trail running should always be about.

Worth noting my heart rate was the equivalent of running at least three minutes per mile faster on the roads. Pretty funny.

Ran 5.1 miles @ 11:03/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 138/159
Trails, coated in 3"-6" of unbroken powdery snow.
Moderately hilly.
Lower 20s, overcast, heavy snow (2"+ hour) and winds.
Adidas Adizero XT (screwed), long pants, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Post-run self-portrait. 

Mt. Hope

This route is easily a major buttkicker since it climbs Mt. Hope, a pretty challenging hill in the town I teach in. My legs are always jello by the time I get to the top around four miles in and my heart feels like it's about to explode, but at least after that it's pretty mellow.

This wasn't the goal, but it's easily the fastest I ever ran this route, which was nice. I'll take it. Great workout. Cranked it on the steep downhill nine miles in to pound the quads a bit and then picked up the pace even more on the flat, final mile (6:38 and 6:24 respectively).

Ran 11.0 miles @ 7:33/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 147/176
Paved roads.
Extremely hilly.
Upper 20s, partly cloudy.
Sauncony Kinvara, long pants, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt (was too much, should have went with short sleeve under the windbreaker), beanie, gloves, handheld water bottle.

Hair of the Dog That Bit You

Was feeling a bit creaky after waking up this morning, the result of yesterday's run. Fortunately, that dissipated as I hit the trails in the woods out back and shook things loose, which was one of the main goals for today. Kept the pace easy and just enjoyed being out in the woods. Trail conditions were very good overall and the screw shoes provided sure footing.

This was a great run to cap off a solid week of training that had me getting in 61.3 miles of running. That was the other goal today, to get my mileage over 60 for the week. More important than the mileage though, I had many quality workouts to boot, notably the session of 800M repeats mid-week and yesterday's long run.

It seems a bit early to be cranking the intensity too high though. Specifically, I think it might be a good idea to tone things down a bit on the speed workouts. 5-7 repeats of 800M might be more okay at this stage, as opposed to doing a full 10. And if I opt to do mile repeats, perhaps just do three instead of five. Still important to continue working on the general mileage base though, but steady as she goes to avoid injury.

Ran 7.7 miles @ 9:38/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 130/158
Trails, packed snow.
Very hilly.
Lower to mid 30s, sunny.
Adidas Adizero XT, long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

20 Miles at the GAC Fat Ass

Kate and I headed down for the GAC Fat Ass down in Ipswich, MA to get in some miles on what was a really fun day. We met up with Ryan and Danielle and as the race got started, Ryan, Danielle and I were all running at the same, casual and easy pace for the first two laps, then it was Ryan and I for the third.

Because we were running easy, the conversation flowed like wine, and as always, with Ryan it was quite humorous. Really had a blast out there. Trail conditions were PERFECT. Snow was very packed down and it was perfect for screw shoes. Light snow was falling at the start and it got progressively harder as the morning went on which also made it fun.

The course consists of a 10K loop and my plan from the get-go was to run it three times then tack on a few more miles to bring me up to 20. I was feeling great, and was tempted to go on with Ryan who planned on getting in the marathon distance. But, logic prevailed and I stuck with my plan of just doing 20 and was happy with that.

On the way back, Kate and I stopped in Portsmouth to refuel on grub and drinks, a perfect cap to a fun day. I'd write more details of the overall run, but the NFL playoffs are on. Big thanks to the GAC folks for providing a very fun run!

Ran 20.3 miles @ 9:54/mile pace (includes stops)
AHR/MHR - 132/152
Trails, well packed snow.
Moderately hilly.
Mid to upper 20s, overcast, light to moderate snowfall.
Adidas Adizero XT (screwed), long tights, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Recovery Run

Legs were feeling just a little bit heavy today, the result of some solid running this past week. So, recovery run was on tap today and the goal was to keep the average heart rate under 130. Ended up with 128.

Rather pleasant and enjoyable run. Very happy with how the training has been lately. Hopefully we'll get enough snow this weekend to recoat the local Nordic trails, I'm itching to do some more skiing.

Ran 5.6 miles @ 8:35/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 128/141
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Mid-upper 20s, sunny.
Saucony Kinvara, long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Easy 10

Just did an out and back on Route 109 from the school and kept the pace easy. Road is only slightly hilly (graph below makes the elevation look more drastic than it really is) so I just puttered along and let the mind wander. Rather pleasant and feeling fine after yesterday's workout. Nothing else to really report.

Ran 10.2 miles @ 8:04/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 136/147
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Upper 20s, sunny.
Sauncony Kinvara, long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Yasso 800s

Today called for speed work. On tap: a full, 10-rep session of Yasso 800s. This workout is the kind that has me cursing in my head practically non-stop while I'm doing it, but if it goes well I'm super stoked afterwards.

Before my warm-up, I noticed the track was coated in snow, but fortunately, last month I had wheeled out an 800M loop around the school I teach at. This was my first time using the route and it worked out well since the parking lot was plowed. There were a few small patches of black ice in a few isolated spots, but all in all not bad.

After each rep, I swiped a mark in the dirt and grime on the back bumper of my car to help keep track of how many I had done. I felt pretty good and energetic from the start, and while it of course got tougher, I continued to feel very good overall (relatively speaking) as the marks made their way across my bumper. Ended up finishing with my fastest overall average for a full, 10-rep session yet (2:56). Pretty happy about that.

wu: Ran 1.7 miles @ 8:03/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 132/146

Yasso 800s: 10 X 800M w/ 3:00 active recovery in between. Splits were 2:58, 2:59, 2:57, 2:56, 2:57, 2:54, 2:56, 2:55, 2:54, 2:49. Average of 2:56. Total mileage w/ recovery = 7.6 miles.
cd: Ran 1.7 miles @ 8:52/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 154/176

cd: Ran 1.7 miles @ 8:52/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 136/148

Paved roads, some icy patches.
Mostly flat.
Lower 30s to upper 20s, partly cloudy, breezy.
Brooks Mach 11, long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Easy Six

Decided to skip my somewhat normal Monday rest day. Feeling great after yesterday's run, it's as if I never even ran it so that's a great sign that I'm getting back on track. With that in mind, I opted to run.

Still, logic prevailed in today would still be an easy day, so kept the pace slow and just enjoyed the run. Colder, seasonable air has returned and it was quite windy out there today, but at least the sun was shining and not a cloud was in the sky.

Ran 6.4 miles @ 8:13/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 137/161
Paved roads, some icy patches
Slightly hilly.
Around 30 degrees, sunny, windy.
Brooks Mach 11, long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Rock Solid 15-Miler

Had the goal of doing a 15-miler down to the Saco River and back at under 8:00/mile pace but would let how much under be dictated by how I was feeling. Everything seemed to be clicking so I just let the pace come down naturally and ended up with what is a pretty fast run for me.

Felt good to cap off a pretty solid week of running and skiing with a run like this one, especially after I felt like I was struggling a bit last week. A good reminder that taking a step back when one isn't really feeling it usually always yields two steps forward.

Ran 15.3 miles @ 7:18/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 149/166
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Around 40 degrees, overcast.
Saucony Kinvara, long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie.

Looking Ahead for 2011

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions, but I do have some goals for the year, which in my opinion are different than resolutions. Resolutions commonly involve drastic change without proper preparation (which is generally why they often fail!), and all because of a silly calendar change. But what goals I have for the year are goals I'd make anyway... just so happens that the year changing is a good time to list them.

1. Stay injury free - I haven't been injured since spring, and hope to keep that momentum going by playing things smart.

2. PR at Boston - Truthfully, I'm just happy to be in the race and if I don't PR it won't matter to me that much, but I'm going for it.

3. Hmmm. Well, I guess there is no third training goal that is in the forefront right now. I have some other things I want to do accomplish in mind, but 1 and 2 listed above are my main focus with running right now. I guess if I had a third it'd be to continue to improve with skate skiing.

As for this morning, I met up with several others at Bradbury Mountain for a trail run. The snow was moderately soft, which made things a bit slow but all in all the conditions actually weren't too bad, especially considering the ridiculously warm temperatures.

We kept the pace very easy and had some great conversation going this morning, which continued afterwards when Jim, Joe and I went out for breakfast to refuel. Fun start to 2011.

Ran 7.8 miles @ 10:20/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 129/144
Trails blanketed in moderately soft snow.
Very hilly.
Mid 30s to mid 40s, sunny.
Adidas Adizero XT, shorts, windbreaker (shed halfway), short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.