Shuffling the Days

I'm due for a rest day and would have taken it today, but I have a staff meeting tomorrow and the weather looks somewhat questionable then as well. So, I ran today so I could take tomorrow off instead.

Short and easy today. Have a bit of a head cold coming on, so truth be told I was glad to be done and didn't feel like battling the wind. Bed early tonight and plenty of OJ on tap. I'll get some fresh garlic tomorrow if I still don't feel so well.

Ran 5.0 miles @ 8:16/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Lower 30s, sunny, windy.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Capping Off a Solid Week

Today's recovery run brought me to 71.4 miles for the week. Pretty happy with that. Quality workouts as well. I wouldn't call it perfect though. Would feel a little better if maybe I could have worked in four or fives at tempo pace into Thursday's run, but all in all not bad.

Recap:
M - 5.0 easy
T - 12.7 tempo
W - 7.0 recovery
H - 12.4 moderate
F - 5.2 easy
S - 20.9 long w/ hill repeats
S - 8.2 recovery

Total = 71.4 miles

Not planning on a duplicate for the upcoming week, given the Mid-Winter 10-Mile Classic is on Sunday. I'd like to do well with that and race it hard, so maybe looking at a 45-50 mile week. The race will serve as my main hard and fast workout, but would like to work in a shorter tempo run maybe on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Ran 8.2 miles @ 8:45/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Mostly flat.
Around 40 degrees, sunny, breezy.
Brooks Mach 13, long pants, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves (off and on). Was overdressed.

Beautiful Loop + Hill Repeats = Brutal Fun

Ian said it best: In trail conditions like today's, running alone would have really sucked. But with a group of good friends, it was an absolute blast. Ian, Jeremy, Zak and I ran the Beautiful Loop and tacked on four repeats up and down Bradbury Mountain via the Lunchbreak route to get in a brutal, but very fun long run. Mindy and Val were just behind us also did the same route. Jim and Andy also ran with us for a good bit before calling it a day early. 

Most of the trails in the first stretch were actually in very good shape for running. Packed snow and easy to move on. Not many slushy spots to dodge. However, that would soon change. The power line trails were sketchy, complete with hidden pitfalls that would plunge feet into icy puddles, several water crossings, and detours needed to get around open rivers and sections of trails that were coated in slushy ice water.

It was a blast.

Then we reached Lunchbreak Hill, which begins at a school and goes all the way to the summit of Bradbury Mountain. The plan was four repeats (each round trip about 1.5 miles) and we all agreed to go at our respective paces. Jeremy crushed it, of course, and Ian and I did them together with Zak not far behind, but on the fourth one he blew past us and easily cruised to the top.

After that fourth one, we rejoiced on the summit and enjoyed the downhill back to our cars where we regrouped at Edna and Lucy's for a feast. Great day! My legs will feel this one tomorrow.

Here are some pictures I stole from Ian:

Elevation

Powerline trails portion

Came up a little short on the this jump

Breaking through the ice isn't very good for the shins

Ran 20.9 miles @ 10:45/mile pace.

Trails, packed snow, slush, ice, puddles, rivers, streams. 

Extremely hilly. 

Lower to upper 30s, sunny to mostly cloudy. 

Adidas Adizero XT, shorts, short sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt, beanie (off and on), gloves, Salomon 45 waterbelt. 

Useless Weather

Some snow and slush last night, but only for a little while and then it was followed by rain. Lot's and lots of rain. By the afternoon, the streets and sidewalks were dotted with ponds and where there wasn't water, there was slush.

This weather doesn't do anyone any real favors. Winter sports like Nordic skiing, downhill skiing and snowshoeing are threatened. Winter activities like snowmobiling and ice fishing are also difficult to do. In summer, a lot of rain is typically welcomed by farmers. But rain in the heart of a Maine winter? Nobody really benefits. I'm guessing that the only people who are liking this weather are folks who would rather live elsewhere.

At least the rain had stopped by the time I left the school. Thankfully, I just had a short easy/recovery run on tap today anyway. Ran the Armory loop three times, knowing the route didn't have as many puddles and mounds of melting sleet to contend with. Nice to get out, despite the early November weather.

Ran 5.2 miles @ 8:45/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Mid 30s, overcast.
Brooks Mach 13, long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Hilly Dozen

Nice run after work today on some hilly backroads. My mind always wanders when I run, but today I got so lost in my own thoughts that a couple of times I honest to goodness forgot where I was. It was really weird. Just thinking a lot about the current book I'm working on. I really feel it overshadows everything else I've written so far, but who's to say if that's the case or not.

But I digress... Good run. Really enjoyed myself out there and it went well. Pace was supposed to be slower, but I ended up dropping it down a notch or two towards the end. I'm at peace with that, as the weather seems a bit schizo for tomorrow and it'll make it easier mentally to take an easy day if need be.

Ran 12.4 miles @ 7:42/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Upper to mid 30s, mostly cloudy.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves (off and on).

Slow Seven

Recovery run on tap for today. It was a nice way to mentally wake up after a long afternoon meeting that left my brain feeling like green jello. At least the days are getting noticeably longer, which always helps.

I really like the recovery days, especially when they're earned. There's no pressure on the pace. Just get out there and run super slow with the intent on getting in some miles and help keep the muscles loose. My quads are a bit sore from the combination of Sunday's snowshoe race and yesterday's tempo run. Nothing bad, and today's run seemed to help them out, along with the rest of the leg muscles. Good stuff.

Another nice day today. Not as warm as yesterday, but it was still quite comfortable outside.

Ran 7.0 miles @ 8:42/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Mid 30s, sunny.
Brooks Mach 13, long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Warm Tempo-atures

Was itching to run today with it being somewhat sunny and the thermometer hitting 50F/10C outside. So, as soon as I was allowed to leave work, I was out the door in shorts for my tempo run (FWIW, after the run I worked for another hour before coming home).

Went really well on all fronts, except that I jumped the gun and didn't really warm-up, aside from the first mile at 6:57. That mile included with the next nine, I ended up with the planned 10 miles at tempo, with an overall pace of 6:42/mile. It felt like it should, smooth and controlled. While it was work, it wasn't overly so. Never struggled.

Nice that this was done on a moderately hilly route also. Last week's eight mile tempo was pretty flat by comparison, so it was good mentally to go two miles longer, have more elevation change and do it faster. Ran the last 2.7 mile portion easy. Good day for sure. Very pleased.

The overlay on Google Maps via runningahead.com shows 12.63 miles, but my Garmin is always short. Will call it 12.7 miles overall, but I have no doubt that's still conservative. I could measure it out manually, but I'd rather take a shower right now and get some grub.

Ran 12.7 miles @ 6:53/mile pace (adjusted)
Tempo portion: Ran 10.0 miles @ 6:42/mile pace (unadjusted)
Paved roads, several puddles.
Moderately hilly.
Around 50 degrees, partly sunny.
Saucony Kinvara 2, shorts, long sleeved shirt (sleeves pushed up 1.5 miles in), cap.

Monday Meltday

35F/2C outside and misting pretty heavily this afternoon, yet it seriously felt tropical. Dare I say it also felt pretty pleasant out. Legs are sore from yesterday's race, but not overly so. Normally I'd take a rest day today, but I knew an easy five miler would help shake the legs loose (plus, I'm looking to give the weekly mileage a little push this week).

Went well. Slushy out, but the consistency wasn't very slippery so it felt pretty safe to run in as long as caution was warranted. Energy felt great. Looking forward to getting in a tempo run tomorrow.

Nice to come home and see my Dion Snowshoes arrived! Very stoked with them. It's the same model I raced in yesterday and at the Bradbury Blizzard last year. I really like the fact that not only are they solidly built and perform well, but they are manufactured here in New England (read: not China) and the company is super supportive of snowshoe racing not just locally, but elsewhere. No wonder they're such a popular choice. Dion Snowshoes rock.

Dion Model 121, quick release bindings, ice cleats. 

Ran 5.0 miles @ 8:03/mile pace.
Paved roads, slush and puddles.
Slightly hilly.
Mid 30s, overcast, misting.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Bradbury Squall Snowshoe Race Report

First off, huge thanks to Ryan and Ian for putting on a killer event. The Bradbury Mountain Snowshoe Series rocks. This was the first of three and the series is off to a great start!

I've only done one other snowshoe race, which was last year. Like then, I finished feeling humbled at how tough the sport is, but boy, is it also a lot of fun. For me anyway, there seems to be a bit of a gap there with my running and snowshoe race performances, but I'm up for the challenge of getting better.

Kate and I got there early, as she was helping with registration. It was 4F/-15C when we got there, but fortunately we were both dressed warmly. After a lot of socializing, it was time to shed the layers down to the race apparel and do a quick warm-up.

Race start

Ryan suggested I go out fast to jump ahead and hold it, saying it was easier to do so in snowshoe racing. Made sense, so I more or less kind of did that. Not full-on, but maybe a little faster than I would have otherwise. Still, I felt out of sync for the first mile, not really able to get in a rhythm. Zak and some other guy passed me during that time.

I kept Zak in my sights and was starting to find my stride now. Hard but steady breathing, and moving forward with relatively good efficiency. I started to reel Zak in and passed him back with maybe about a mile and a half to go.

Nobody in front of me, so I just kept pushing and eventually reached the finish line in 36:08. I then caught my breath, vurped, blew some snot rockets, had a coughing fit, and then saw I actually came in 9th out of 40 finishers. That's a little better than I expected placing wise, but not as well as I had hoped time wise. Tough sport, but a lot of fun. Can't wait for the next one!

Approaching the finish

And...done.

w/u: Ran .4 miles @ 9:57/mile pace.
Ran 3.7 miles @ 9:44/mile pace.
Time: 36:08
Placing: 9th out of 40.
Trails, snowshoed-single track and some well packed double-track.
Very hilly.
Mid to upper teens, sunny.
Dion 121 snowshoes, long tights, sleeveless shirt, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Not So Great Eight

Physically I felt a little tired, but nothing too bad. Mentally, I was very tired, thanks to a very busy work week. It really made getting into the run today difficult. I had originally planned on twelve, but eight miles was better than the 5.8 mile route I had considered at one point.

On the drive home, I was on the 12-mile route I had considered earlier and saw the road shoulders were in horrible shape. Made me feel even better about my choice.

Just as well if I didn't get in the mileage I wanted. The legs will be tired for Sunday's Bradbury Squall 3.5 mile snowshoe race already, but it'd be nice to have a little in the bank.

Ran 8.1 miles @ 8:10/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Mid 20s, sunny, breezy.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long tights, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Snow and Sun

I was treated to light snow flurries throughout today's run while the sun was shining. The odd combination was really beautiful and a real treat to run in. Wish I had my camera with me.

Short run at an easy pace on tap today. Legs actually felt pretty heavy throughout. But I also planned on doing some stride work afterwards and that came along easily enough. Good day.

Ran 6.1 miles @ 7:57/mile pace (includes 10 X 100M strides).
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Lower 20s, sunny, flurries.
Brooks Mach 13, long pants, fleece pullover, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

The Human Sail

Brutal wind out there today. I tried to look up the exact wind gusts but the official data from the NWS wasn't available, but they were easily over 30mph and maybe even in excess of 40mph, if I had to guess.

Last weekend, I compared the tailwind to a mother's gentle hand on a toddler's back. Today it was more like a 230 lb. bully giving me a hearty shove in the back. When it was head-on it nearly brought me to a standstill and at times it felt like I was running on a treadmill. 

At least today called for an easy pace, so no worries about the wind affecting performance. I had planned on a short run yesterday after a day of meetings up in Augusta, but the day ran late, so today's 12-miler turned into a 15-miler to make up for it. That worked out well. It was nice to get out in less-than-desirable weather like this. Good for the mind. 

Ran 15.3 miles @ 8:30/mile pace. 

Paved roads. 

Moderately hilly. 

Lower 30s to lower 20s, sunny, very windy. 

Saucony Kinvara 2, long tights, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves. 

Lazy Monday

I spent the entire morning writing and was on a good roll, but I also had a tempo run on tap today. With each passing hour it was getting harder to get outside, so I decided it was time to break the cycle and kick my butt out the door before it became too late.

Really glad I got out there as it went very well and it was a run I needed mentally. After not feeling very excited about my two speedier workouts last week, today was good vengeance. The plan was to warm-up for two miles and then drop the hammer, but I let go of it early and began the tempo pace after the first mile. I continued that for the next eight miles, and then hit the last two miles for the cool down as planned. So, I ended up with a bonus tempo mile as a result. Nice, but a bit risky, as I've put renewed importance on properly warming up (and cooling down).

Now, if only I can apply the same motivation towards getting some grading done, I'll feel really accomplished...

Ran 11.1 miles @ 6:54/mile pace. (1 mile w/u, 8.0 miles @ 6:46/mile pace, 2 miles c/d).
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Mid 20s, partly sunny, breezy.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long tights, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Warmest Temperature of the Day

I had planned on running this morning. Really, I did! It would have been good mental training to get out there in the sub-zero temps. But, I was up in Bangor and the morning got a little busy so I waited until I got home. By the time I was out the door, it was the afternoon and during the warmest part of the day, a tropical 14F/-10C outside.

Looking back on the week, it went well as a whole. I got in the elements I'm shooting for each week: Interval work, tempo, and long. Granted, I wasn't pleased with the splits for the interval work and the tempo run was a bit on the short side, but I'm pretty happy overall and am getting where I want to be. Finished with 56.3 miles.

Ran 4.9 miles @ 7:51/mile pace.
Paved roads, a one mile section heavily coated with pebbled ice.
Mostly flat.
14 degrees, sunny.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long pants, windbreaker, fleece pullover, long sleeved shirt, beanie, mittens.

Chilly Seventeen in the Wind

I awoke at my usual 4:30am and spent the next three hours performing my usual routine of alternating between reading and writing along while sipping coffee. I'm currently reading Haruki Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Kate has been trying to get me to read his work for years and I finally relented. I wish I would have listened sooner. Incredible imagination and talent and the surrealism in his writing is like reading a dream. As for my own book, this one is in its infantile stages but it's coming along really well so far.

So, when the sun was up and it was time to run a lot of my thinking was about Murakami's book and my own (two very different leagues). Great thoughts to have in my head for a longer run where the pace was slow and easy.

Run went really well with steady pacing throughout. Very windy out there. When it was a tailwind for the first half, it reminded me of the supportive hand of a mother on her toddler's back, gently urging her child to continue walking forward. On the way back, it was quite different. I felt like a warrior battling an ice dragon, the roar of its frozen breath an attempt to keep me at bay. Funny how the wind speed can be the same, but it's not really noticed when it's at our backs but it's a much different story when it's in our faces. I was layered just right for it though. Good run.

Ran 17.1 miles @ 8:03/mile pace.
Paved roads, some stretches of pebbled ice and slush.
Moderately hilly.
Upper 20s, partly sunny, windy (wind chill in the mid-teens).
Saucony Kinvara 2, long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Short Tempo Run

The weather and roads were in better shape than expected this afternoon. I didn't think I'd be able to get in the tempo run, but alas, I did. However, I was feeling a bit tired so I only did four miles at tempo pace, sandwiched in between a couple of easy miles on either side to warm-up and cool down.

I took advantage of the same neighborhood in the town I teach in that I did last year. They plow it well, there's low traffic and it has low speed limits. There are also some pretty good hills depending on which roads you take. Went well, considering that I was really tired this afternoon, but I really need to make these tempo runs longer.

Ran 8.0 miles @ 7:18/mile pace (middle four miles: 6:54, 6:42, 6:41, 6:39)
Paved roads, some slushy sections.
Moderately hilly.
Mid 30s, partly sunny, windy.
Saucony Kinvara 2, shorts, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

 

Snow Day

School cancelled. Day off. The sun - obscured in the clouds - came up and I headed out for a trail run in the woods out back. The footing was pretty ideal, all things considered. Just enough snow to provide good traction without robbing forward momentum too much.

I did a simple out and back on the fire roads and felt great. A moderate snow was falling throughout and on the return, I watched the footprints I laid down before become increasingly muted with the snow, fading away like a dream upon awakening. I considered tacking on a few more miles than the planned five but opted to come back, telling myself I can let it loose on a tempo run tomorrow if the roads aren't too bad. But I wish I still would have done a little more. I suppose I can always go out again later today.

Ran 5.1 miles @ 9:18/mile pace.
Trails and fire roads, coated in about an inch of snow.
Mostly flat.
Lower 20s, moderate snowfall.
Adidas Adizero XT, long tights, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Rail Trails

Earned the easy day today after yesterday's interval work. I hit the rail trails from the school. Legs felt pretty good. That being said, keeping the pace slow was not a problem.

Impending snow storm tonight and tomorrow and a snow day from school is pretty much certain. I hope to get out before it accumulates too much. I have a lot of grading to do, so the snow day will be welcome! I should also be able to get plenty of extra writing done. Yesssssss.

Ran 8.3 miles @ 8:56/mile pace.
Rails trails.
Slightly hlly.
Around 30 degrees, overcast.
Adidas Adizero XT, long pants, fleece pullover, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Pyramid Scheme

Interval work was on tap today. I decided to do a pyramid workout and Jeremy and I were joking on Facebook about alternate names and "Amway Intervals" came up. Hardy har har!

I wanted to do the pyramid format for a number of reasons: 1) I've never really done one before. 2) Because I've never done one before, I wouldn't get too discouraged with my times which is probably what would have happened if I did my usual 800M or mile repeats. Not having a lot of work done in the training cycle yet on top of the 25-miler on Saturday both were no doubt working against me a bit. The wind didn't help much either.

So, with all of that in mind, I guess I was pretty on par at this stage. Great workout. I found out the pyramid really messed with my head as well. The distances get longer which screws with pacing and mindset, but in the second half when it gets shorter I was thinking it should be a bit easier, but not nearly as much due to the legs being tired. It's harder to get a rhythm going, which is a good thing.

w/u: Ran 2.9 miles @ 8:01/mile pace.
Pyramid intervals: 400M, 800M, 1200M, 1600M, 1200M, 800M, 400M w/ 400M active recovery. 1:20, 2:53, 4:43, 6:14, 4:37, 3:07, 1:30.
c/d: Ran 1.3 miles @ 9:47/mile pace.

Lower 40s, partly cloudy, windy.
Brooks Mach 13, long tights, windbreaker (w/u and c/d only), short sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt, beanie (w/u and c/d), gloves (w/u and c/d)

Rhythm

Normally, for me Monday is a rest day. I didn't want to take one though, even if I could use it. That being said, legs are feeling great after the big run on Saturday. The real purpose of today was to get myself in a better rhythm so I opted to just run really short and slow instead.

Good little run. Some speed work is on tap for tomorrow.

Ran 3.3 miles @ 9:12/mile pace.
Paved roads and trails.
Slightly hilly.
Mid 30s, partly sunny.
Brooks Mach 13, long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Hair of the Dog and First Draft Complete

I awoke with the legs feeling a bit stiff and sore, but all in all not that bad. I looked forward to doing a recovery run to loosen them up. That was definitely the case. Though I understand the physiological reasons why, I still always find it pretty fascinating how legs that are creaky and sore from running can feel better with more running. 

The start and finish of the run were on roads to avoid a muddy stretch of trails, and then I turned on to the fire roads in the woods out back. From there, I took a trail out to the pond and sat on the log near the water and just enjoyed the quiet of being outdoors for a few minutes before making my way back. 

Oh yeah, the first draft of my novel if finished! I'm pretty happy with it and it was a lot of fun to write. I'll set it aside and try to forget about it for the next six weeks, at which point I'll read it over with a fresher mindset, make revisions, let others read it over and give me notes, make more revisions and then publish. 

I'm already excited to begin working on my next story. I'll begin outlining it today. This one will be more horror than science fiction. Can't wait to get started!

Ran 6.3 miles @ 10:07/mile pace. 

Some paved roads, fire roads, trails. 

Very hilly. 

Mid to upper 30s, overcast. 

Brooks Mach 13, long pants, fleece pullover, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves (shed halfway). 

25 Miles at the GAC Fat Ass

Wow, great day today. The run went considerably better than expected. In fact, most of us seemed to have great performances (especially Ian, cranking out a 4:25:XX and making it look easy). Given there was no snow on the trails...NONE...it made it easy to put the hammer down a little and have a great run. I believe I've headed down to the annual GAC Fat Ass every year for the past five or so years, and each time it's been what you'd expect: snow covered trails and cold. Today? Over 50 degrees and bare trails.

The plan was to get in a slow 20 miles, which would mean running the 6.2 mile loop three times and tacking on a little more on the end. Since the MDI Marathon last October, I've done exactly one run over 15 miles. So, today was all about ensuring I get in the twenty and do so successfully.

After three laps I was feeling great and I told Jim D., who I was running with at the time, that I was going to switch gears a little and do a fourth lap. I did just that, finished the loop and then tacked on a couple of extra tenths of a mile to round it up to an even 25 miles.

Lot of fun today as well. I ran with Ian, Blaine, Jim D. and Ryan G., each for considerable stretches. Since I do virtually all of my runs during the week alone, I always look forward to running with friends on the weekends, and I got my fill of that today. Big congrats to Joe, Dave, Nathan S. and Dave who also put out great performances. Thanks guys!

Ran 25.0 miles @ 8:30/mile pace.
Trails.
Moderately hilly.
Lower 30s to lower 50s, sunny.
Adidas Adizero XT, shorts, sleeveless shirt, long sleeved shirt (shed at 6.2 miles), cap, Salomon water belt (shed at 12.4 miles).

Easy Fiver and Writing

Just ran easy today. I did the distance as planned but 86'd the stride work. For one, the roads were a bit slick from the blizzard one inch of snow we got this morning. Besides, I didn't feel too peppy and I really want tomorrow's planned long run to be a success. Good run all in all.

Writing update: I'm nearly done with the first draft of the novel. It should be finished in about two weeks. And then? I tuck it away and try to forget about it for six weeks. Then, I'll reread it and make revisions. Next step will be to have a trusted half dozen or so friends who aren't afraid to be critical read it over and give me notes. Then another round of revisions and...Tah dah! Done. Or that's the plan anyway.

During that six week gestation period I'll get started on my next story. I already know what I want to write and can't wait to get started. Writing is fun!

Ran 5.7 miles @ 8:16/mile pace.
Paved roads, patches of snow.
Moderately hilly.
Upper 20s, overcast.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long pants, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Mullet Ten

Business in the front, party in the back. It accurately describes the mullet, and also runs where you go uphill and into the wind for the first half and downhill with the wind at your back the second half. Such was the case today (for the run, not the hair).

Another good sign today as it was supposed to be an easy run and I kept having to remind myself to put on the brakes. Didn't aggravate the lingering remnants of my cough, which is good. Energy was great. All systems go.

Tomorrow will be a shorter run. Would like to get some speed in there in some capacity, perhaps throwing in some 10 X 100M strides after the run. Saturday will a long run on the trails, which I'm looking forward to.

Snow remains nowhere on the ground and nowhere in sight in the forecasts. Ugh. Would be nice to be XC skiing and snowshoeing by now, but I guess I'll take advantage of the dry conditions and get in some interval work on the track next week.

Ran 10.2 miles @ 7:58/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly (the elevation graph below looks more dire than reality)
Mid 30s, partly sunny.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long tights, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Finally...

That 13-mile run with Jeremy on New Year's Day went okay, but it was obvious it sapped my strength and ushered the symptoms of a lingering cold forward like a bursted dam. That sucked.

Monday was a planned rest day, and well needed. Yesterday saw a return to work after vacation, but an internet outage in the morning put me way behind and since I still wasn't feeling so well (coughing, mostly), I opted to skip my afternoon run and stay at work longer to play catch-up. That worked out well, at least.

Today though, I was feeling better. Definitely on the tail-end of things and while there's still a lingering dry cough, my energy felt fine, so I felt a little five-miler would serve as a good test run.

It went really well, which is great news. Didn't set me back in any way. After last month with the hurt foot, leading into the travelling home for Christmas, leading to this cold from hell, I'm really anxious to finally get the intensity and mileage ramped up for Boston. Bring it on!!!

Ran 5.0 miles @ 7:38/mile.
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Lower 20s, partly sunny.
Saucony Kinvara 2, long pants, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Hello 2012!

I awoke feeling like crap. No, not from drinking. From a bad head cold. I've had it now for over a week and it doesn't want to go away. So far today, it feels even worse. But enough whining. There were trails to run today, dagnabbit! 

So, I muttered "rabbit, rabbit" and rolled out of bed. After a few cups of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, I was off to meet up with Jeremy for a planned 14-miler on the trails at the landtrust over in Kennebunk. 

The trails here are very deceiving on several fronts. For one, I've ran there four times now and each time we've gotten lost. Secondly, the elevation profile fails to accurately show the constant dips and rises of a few feet in elevation along the trail that very subtly slow down the pace and create more work. Every time I run here, I end the run and see the overall pace and think that slow? WTF?

So Jeremy and I trotted along at an easy pace, conversing about races, training and the possible existence of Sasquatch. It was grand fun. We got a little lost, as expected, and searched for an elusive quarry that we never found. 

Once we hit about nine miles, my head cold was getting the better of me and I felt tired and announced my plans to cut it short. However, I got a bit of a second wind towards the end and we tacked on a little bit of extra trail and I called it good with 13 miles. Jeremy went out and back to get his planned 14 and then we parted ways. Great run with great company. Jeremy rocks. It was a fun way to start 2012. 

Happy New Year!

Ran 13.0 miles @ 10:26/mile pace. 

Trails. 

Moderately hilly (but deceiving, perhaps I should call it very hilly). 

Upper 20s to lower 40s, sunny (where's the snow?!?!)

Adidas Adizero XT, shorts, windbreaker, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.