Early Morning Run

I woke up at 3am, never fell back asleep and ended up crawling out of bed an hour later. The sun slowly began to rise and the birds increased their morning symphony as I sipped on a few lattes while reading Stephen King's Hearts in Atlantis. The legs began to feel restless, so I was out the door at 6am for a run.

Really nice to get out early morning for the first time in a long while. While I only had five miles on tap, I still felt great compared to yesterday. I made it a point to eat super healthy after the bonk, including this awesome salad for dinner consisting of spring greens, spinach, cucumbers, summer squash, carrots, onions, tomatoes, grilled chicken rubbed with Frank's Finest Chili-Garlic Salt and just a little Goddess salad dressing. It rocked.

Healthy and seriously tasty.

Ran 5.1 miles @ 8:05/mile pace.

Paved roads, dirt roads, trails. 

Very hilly. 

Lower 60s, sunny. 

Brooks Mach 13, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap. 

Kabonk

A longish run on tap for today. Things were going reasonably well for the first twelve miles. I was running an easy pace of around 8:00/mile with no problems. Then in the last five miles the wheels fell off, and I averaged around 8:45/mile for that last stretch.

It was frustrating, but then it really hit me why this was happening: Crappy diet. I won't detail how I've been eating the past week or two, it's too embarrassing, but I'm surprised I haven't bonked more often. If there is a bright side, at least the overall caloric intake has been pretty low, and I've actually lost a few pounds in the past few weeks. It's just when I've been eating, I haven't been making the best choices.

The good news is that such things are very easy to turn around, and the results are seen very quickly. Just eat healthier. Make sure I'm getting lots of fruits and veggies, protein and quality complex carbs. It really is that simple.

So onward and upward. Glad to get in 17 miles all the same. Looking forward to a big salad with quinoa and local farm veggies later today.

Ran 17.1 miles @ 8:16/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Lower to upper 70s, partly cloudy.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt, bandana.

Trail Run in the Rain

After the slog two days ago, I made the smart call to take a rest day yesterday. During a pool party over at Jeremy and Alison's, I could tell my energy was returning. Jeremy and I had a blast seeing if we could run and jump on an inner tube and surf it across the pool... first short ways, then long ways. It was total fun. We were 10 years old again. 

I woke up this morning to a light rain falling. Perfect. That would keep the deer flies at bay and I could comfortably hit the trails. That also provided the benefit of not worrying about pace so much. When running roads, I tend to pay much more attention to the quantitative data but during trail runs I usually focus more on the qualitative... which fit in perfectly with coming off a bonk. 

I figured the energy would be there but wondered how the legs would feel. They felt a little heavy, especially at first, but still a far cry from the other day. On a good track and I mostly just ran along and enjoyed it, noting the increased prevalence of Queen Anne's lace and goldenrods, wildflowers that signify late summer. 

Would like to do something medium-long to long tomorrow, but we'll see. Best to continue to play things by ear for a few more days before pushing myself harder. 

Ran 7.9 miles @ 9:21/mile pace. 

Trails, about one mile of paved roads. 

Moderately hilly. 

Upper 60s, overcast, light rain. 

New Balance MT110, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.  

De La Slog

Nothing doing today. As I headed out the door, I told Kate I was running anywhere between 5-15 miles, depending on how I was feeling. I ended up with four. That about says it all. No point in trying to start a fire with wet wood.

Ran 4.0 miles @ 9:01/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Mostly flat.
Mid 60s, overcast, light rain.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Breakfast On-The-Go

A real treat during this morning's trail run in the woods out back...I explored a short side path which led to a huge wild blueberry patch. I felt like the kids in Willy Wonka when they first entered that candy garden inside the factory. And like those kids, I feasted big time. Huge low bush berries that were as big as high bush ones. It was awesome.

And while there wasn't a forbidden chocolate river to tempt me into disaster, there were deer flies to contend with. However, they actually weren't too bad. They were moving pretty slowly which I assume was because of the overcast skies and the approaching rain. Definitely tolerable.

Pretty good run. Legs felt pretty tired. Also, I've had a bit of a shin splint issue in the right leg for a few weeks now, but per usual, after a few miles it didn't really bother me. Not a big deal. I think a shorter, light day might be in order tomorrow to let the batteries recharge a little.

Ran 8.1 miles @ 9:29/mile pace.
Trails, fire roads.
Very hilly.
Around 70 degrees, overcast, humid.
New Balance MT110, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Dry Air

One of our cats is getting over an upper respiratory infection, but if him repeatedly attacking our feet and being a general pain in the arse in the middle of the night was any indicator, I'd say he's feeling better.

As a result of the interrupted sleep, I was a bit slower this morning and didn't get out the door to run until around 9:30am. However, yesterday's cold front brought in some much dryer air which was a real treat to run in.

Plan was to run by feel and let that dictate the pace. I think that's a pretty good pattern to follow post race... day one, run really slow for recovery and shake things loose. The next day, run by feel to better gauge how much I've recovered. Then it's easier (and safer) to map out the game plan for the next week or so.

Ran 10.1 miles @ 7:46/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Upper 60s to lower 70s, sunny.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Cumulonimbus Contemplations

Did my second run a few hours earlier than planned. A cold front moved through earlier today and cooled things off a little, so I figured I'd get the run in now so I could kick back and enjoy dinner and the rest of the evening.

Some neat clouds were out... the front definitely stirred up the skies in its wake. The remaining cumulonimbus formations contrasted beautifully against the blue above, reminding me of a half full ballroom dance floor. Slightly cooler and dryer weather tomorrow that will be most welcome. Still a good chunk of summer left, but at the same time the days are becoming numbered. Already looking forward to the start of a new school year, cross country season, football and the MDI Marathon.

Ran 3.0 miles @ 8:41/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Upper 70s, mostly cloudy, humid.
Merrell Bare Access, shorts, short sleeved shirt.

Reflections

Been doing a lot of thinking about Sunday's race. Initially, I wasn't terribly pleased but also far from disappointed. However, the more I think about it the more happy I am. Yes, it was another hot race and I knew that slowed me down, but c'mon, expecting perfect weather for every race is stupid. And you can't PR every race.. expecting that is also pretty foolish.

Everyone else had to run in the heat also... and for me, coming in 12th place out of 1043 finishers and second in my AG is something to be proud of. That's actually my highest percentile placing ever. My fragile ego definitely appreciates it.

Furthermore, I wasn't feeling so great before the race and also during most of it, but the numbers turned out just fine. It was a lesson relearned to always battle and move forward when you can. Unless really ill or injured, things can turn out favorably simply by plowing ahead. Not always, but there's enough chance to usually make it worthwhile.

Enough patting myself on the back though... it's time to move forward. Next race is the Bradbury Breaker, which is the one that always gives me the most trouble in the three race series. Hopefully some revenge will be had.

As for today, a nice barefoot recovery run on the soccer fields. Nice and slow. Hoping to do another short recovery run this evening.

Ran 4.5 miles @ 9:52/mile pace.
Grassy fields.
Flat.
Upper 70s, sunny, humid.
Barefoot, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Old Port Half Marathon Race Report

Bit of an odd start to the morning, but all in all the race went pretty well. The sun did start to get to me though. It warmed up pretty quickly and it was also humid. Compounding matters was there wasn't much shade on the course. Not my best day, but I still finished in 1:27:17, good enough for 12th place out of 1043 finishers and second in my age group (40-44).

Pre-Race
Kate and I got there about an hour and ten minutes early. We opted to park closer to the finish and walk to the start, a little less than a mile away. By the time we got there, I had to go potty really bad and then I went for a warm-up.

During the warm-up I had to go potty again REALLY bad. I cut it short and headed over to the start area, but by then the lines were wicked long and as I exited the stall I only had a minute to get up the big arse hill to the start line. In a stroke of luck, the start was delayed, and I had some time to get in some additional active stretching. Still, I was in a bit of a negative mindset because of all of that and also the more-humid-than-I-expected conditions. I just wasn't really feeling it.

I chatted with a few runners, including one really nice guy from NH who was expecting to run about the same pace as I was. It turned out he did and I didn't. Still, I'd fare pretty well overall.

We're off!

Miles 1-4
The first mile was fast. NH Guy and I ran for a bit in the first half mile but he pulled ahead after I got my pace into check.

A series of turns led to the path on the Eastern Promenade along I-295. From there we hit the bridge on Route One that crossed over to Falmouth. During this time, quite a few runners passed me, but I smiled inwardly. I sensed I'd get most of them back, especially now that I had settled into my pace. I knew I could hold what I was running, but wasn't so sure about some of the dozen or so runners that had formed a pack a hundred feet ahead. Funny how you can just tell and often be right.

After the bridge into Falmouth we made a right turn through some neighborhood streets. That pack had begun falling apart and I was picking some of them off. This was a good mental boost that I needed. But the sun felt pretty intense and wasn't helping my mood. I was hanging in the balance.

Miles 5-8
Back on Route One and up towards the Audubon Center which featured nearly a mile of legit trails. However, I was in the second wave and I had now caught up with the first wave (26 minutes ahead of us). It was pretty congested and tricky to manage.

I was thankful to get through the first wave folks on the trails and back on the roads where there was a bit more breathing room. Still crowded though. There were sometimes three or four runners side-by-side and wearing headphones, so yelling "on your left" was a waste of energy. Kind of annoying, but I tried to focus on remaining positive. My pace was pretty steady so I was concentrating on that.

We crossed the Route One bridge back into Portland and not too much longer we were at the Back Cove.

Miles 9-12
I was struggling on the Back Cove and my splits were showing it. More first wave runner dodging. I checked the weather history and it was only in the mid-70s at this point but it felt way hotter. However, I was able to pass a couple of guys here who were also in the first wave (running pace made it pretty clear who was who).

As we turned off the Back Cove and on to the Eastern Promenade trail, I noticed one guy in particular a few hundred feet ahead of me wearing black shorts who was also in the first wave. From hence forth he shall be dubbed Black Shorts Man. I kept my eyes locked on him and I made him my target.

The Final 1.1 Miles
There were several times when I didn't think I would catch Black Shorts Man. It was proving pretty difficult to gain ground but as the path veered to the right and towards the Old Port I could tell that I was making progress.

It wasn't until about a hundred yards or so from the final left hand turn on to the pier that I would be close enough where no first wave runners were between us and as I got about 10 feet behind him, he must have heard me and gave a very quick glance over his shoulder and began to speed up a little.

I stayed just behind Black Shorts Man, matching his slight increase in pace and I listened to his breathing. He appeared to be working about as hard as I was, but I knew I still had a kick. The final sharp left turn was now approaching and a few dozen yards before it, I made my move.

It's harder to judge distances on turns, so if I could put enough between us by the time he made the turn, he might be demoralized a little in terms of trying to catch me. I passed him and gave it all I had and made the turn a few moments later. I continued pressing with all I had, dodging a few more first wavers and not daring look over my shoulder just yet, however, I couldn't hear him. 


The finish line was a little further away after that turn than I had anticipated but I managed to keep the pace up. I eventually did steal a glance over my shoulder but didn't see the guy. I crossed the finish line in 1:27:17. 


I chatting briefly with Brenda who was volunteering (more her talking, me grunting), while I waited for Black Shorts Man to come in. He was farther back than I had thought and I wondered if he had even gave chase. We exchanged fist bumps and congrats and then I went to find Kate. 


Post Race
Hung out with Kate while I rested and she filled in on new information on our various friends running the Vermont 100. Big congrats to my Trail Monster teammates Ian, Jeremy, Joe and George for stellar finishes!

Got caught up with Jeremy of Atayne for a bit and also found Bob M. and we had a barley soda together at the beer area, which was free thanks to Shipyard (had to throw in plugs for those two race sponsors because they rock).

Waited for the results to be posted but when they were, there were clearly some big errors which still haven't been fixed as of this posting, but hopefully they'll have it worked out soon. Looks like the two wave start threw off the timing company and a lot of the first wave folks were gifted 26 minutes off of their times.

I also got second in my age group, but I thought the awards only went one deep so we left since it would still be an hour when they made announcements. A friend told me I was called up though. I knew there was one guy ahead of me, but apparently that was it. Oh well.

Chilling in the Misting Tent

Barley sodas with Bob!

Analysis
Given the stomach issues before the race and my head not being in a good spot at the start, I'm actually pretty proud of how I did. The heat didn't help my mindset either, especially in the early stages, but I'm thankful I was able to pull it together. That's what's important.

I checked my pace several times throughout, as I always do, but I rarely looked at the distance. That wasn't really on purpose, but it was still helpful. Just concentrating on the pace while knowing what mile I was on most of the time was all that really mattered, which was good.

Strategically, things went really well. It really only came into play significantly with keeping my cool as that pack moved ahead very early in the race and again at the end with the Black Shorts Man.

I also took water or Gatorade/Cytomax/whatever at every aid station except one, I think. That was smart with the heat. Compare that to the Midcoast Half last March when the weather was very cool and I only took one Gu and half a cup of water during the race and was more than fine.

w/u Ran .6 miles @ 8:09/mile pace.
Ran 13.1 miles @ 6:40/mile pace.
Official time: 1:27:17
Official placing: 12th out of 1041
Age Group (40-44): 2nd out of 62.
Paved roads, about four miles of trails.
Upper 60s to mid-70s, sunny, humid.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, singlet.

Tiny Run

Nothing special. Just a short and slow three miles. Nice to wake up to it being 48F/9C outside but after a couple of lattes and checking up on friends running the Vermont 100 it had warmed up to the lower 60s by the time I headed out the door.

Feeling pretty good for the half marathon tomorrow. I've only raced one before, the Midcoast Half last March. Did very well there, finishing in 1:24:53 on a very hilly course. Tomorrow's course is very flat. I do better on hills, so not sure how that'll translate over, but I expect to break last March's time. Regardless, this will serve as another great building block for the goal race, the MDI Marathon in three months.

Ran 3.0 miles @ 8:25/mile pace.
Paved roads and dirt trails.
Slightly hilly.
Lower 60s, sunny.
Brooks Mach 13, shorts, short sleeved shirt.

When Pick-Up Trucks Attack

A bit of a scary start to my run this morning. The road near my house has a very wide breakdown lane, which is great for runners and cyclists. I was running in said lane when I looked up to see a full-sized pick up truck crossed halfway into the lane a few hundred feet ahead, barreling right at me.

It became apparent he wasn't going to move. Texting while driving? Hatred for runners and humankind in general? I don't know. I didn't get a good look at the driver. However, a large slimy blob just may have shot out of my mouth and just may have landed with a loud splat in the middle of his/her windshield. It was a knee-jerk reaction on my part and perhaps not very smart, but at the same time I also feel it was justified. Regardless, the person never turned around. Too bad.

That aside, it was a good run. Kept the pace really slow to save the legs for Sunday. Really looking forward to it.

Ran 6.3 miles @ 8:32/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Lower to mid 60s, partly cloudy.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt.

Cool, Dry Air

A cold front moved through yesterday, dragging along some very welcome cooler, dryer air in its wake. That was a nice treat this morning. 

I took yesterday off somewhat unexpectedly. The tendon or ligament below my inner, right ankle felt pretty tight, so I used that as an excuse to devote some more time to home improvement stuff. However, it felt 100% this morning. 

Because I had the rest day, I opted to tack on a little more mileage but still ran it at an easy pace. Very pleasant run, despite not having had a real breakfast yet (just two lattes). 

Ran 9.2 miles @ 8:02/mile pace. 

Paved roads. 

Moderately hilly. 

Lower to upper 60s, sunny. 

Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt. 

Twin Brooks

Kate and I headed over to Twin Brooks this evening to run with some of the Trail Monsters. Small but fun crowd, consisting of Nathan, George, Tom and a really nice guy, Doug, who I met for the first time.

I felt bad as Kate had nobody to run with, but she got in a few miles and appeared to have fun. Meanwhile, while I was out with the boys the pace started getting gradually faster and I just wasn't feeling it. I decided to cut it a few miles short and save the batteries. No big deal, I think it was just the heat getting to me, along with this morning's run.

Pretty short and easy runs from now until Sunday's half marathon... all just 5-7 milers easy (maybe a session of strides though) and no doubles.

Ran 3.8 miles @ 9:24/mile pace.
Trails.
Slightly hilly.
Lower 80s, partly cloudy, humid.
Nike Waffle XIII's, shorts, short sleeved shirt, bandana.

Hills and Clouds

I woke up later than I had hoped, courtesy of one of the cats struggling with a hairball in the middle of the night and interrupting our sleep (he's fine). Thankfully, Mother Nature thew me a bone and provided cloud cover throughout the run, sans 10 seconds of sunshine up on the ridge, but that was it.

Did my 10-mile town hall loop, which I love. Good hills and it's scenic. Easy pace overall, but I did have a true progression for each split. That's pretty moot since I took it slow overall, but there's still something satisfying about seeing each mile being faster, especially over hills.

Planning on hitting Twin Brooks this evening for a second run with the Trail Monsters.

Ran 10.1 miles @ 7:49/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Mid 70s to around 80, overcast, humid.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Evening Run

Got out this evening for a second run. Nothing special, just a short and easy jaunt around the neighborhood. Still warm and sticky out but a cold front is on the way in a few days.

Might break up tomorrow into doubles again to avoid the heat. Haven't been very disciplined lately about getting up early enough to take better advantage of the cooler mornings, but so be it.

Ran 4.6 miles @ 8:19/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Mostly flat.
Mid 70s, partly cloudy, humid.
Merrell Bare Access, shorts, short sleeved shirt.

Barefoot Recovery Run

Hit the soccer fields sans shoes for a recovery run. Legs felt pretty great after yesterday's race. I guess not running much last week allowed me to absorb it easier.

Hopefully I'll get out for another short run this evening after it cools back down a bit. Looks like a cold front is going to move through by Thursday. As of now, the weather is looking pretty acceptable for Sunday's Old Port Half Marathon. Thankfully, it has an early start (male wave: 7:48am).

Ran 5.3 miles @ 9:25/mile pace.
Grassy fields.
Flat.
Mid 70s, sunny, humid.
Barefoot, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Bradbury Scuffle Race Report

Kabam!

A fine day. Very happy with how I ran. Came in 8th place overall, won my age group (40-49) and my time also contributed to a team win. Time was slower than last year (44:35 vs. 43:46), but the weather was hot and soupy so I suspected my time and most other folks' would also be a little slower.

The race, as always, was super. Big ups to our fearless leader Ian for once again directing a totally kick ass event. Aside from a few very unethical a-hole bandits causing some confusion for the timers at the finish line, everything seemed to go smoothly and a great time was had by all. But c'mon guys, banditing a small trail race is NOT okay. Don't do it.

Pre-Race
Kate and I arrived about an hour and ten minutes before the race and I jumped in helping with registration. That's one of my favorite volunteer jobs, and I guess I was having so much fun with it and plus it was wicked busy that I lost track of time. I looked at my watch and realized there was less than 20 minutes until the race start and I still had to use the bathroom and get in my warm-up. Fortunately, by then it had slowed down and there were enough folks helping so I was able to do what I had to do to get ready.

The warm-up was a short one but that was probably a good thing given how humid it was. However, the legs felt spry. Barring doing something stupid, I knew I was probably going to have a good day.

Miles 1-2
The race started and we were off. The first section is downhill and given the race start adrenaline everyone is usually going pretty fast. It's pretty rocky here as well, so I was concentrating extra hard on the footing here while trying to keep up with the pack.

Course then started a gradual uphill and we settled into our paces. I linked up with Scott H. here, which was awesome. He's a great guy and we are always within a few placings of each other. It's pretty much a given lately that we end up running together for a good chunk of every race we're both in.

Miles 3-4
Heat and humidity are making themselves known. Very rollercoaster-like here with some pretty sharp ups and downs. Lots of sharp twists and turns to boot. Part of my strategy was to run these middle two miles somewhat conservatively.

I was leading a pack of three other runners at this point (Scott, First Woman, and Shirtless Dude...kind of a dumb nickname as I was also shirtless), and on one sharp uphill I let them all by. Peter K. was also catching up to me. Truth be told, kind of demoralizing and I began to question my strategy. I really wanted to go with them, but I figured if they stayed in sight I had a chance at getting them in the final two miles, which has a big downhill that you can really fly on and I tend to run that stretch really well since it's not as technical.

Towards the end of mile four, I had caught up to Scott and passed him and was now running with First Woman. Now I was glad.

Miles 5-6
Shirtless Dude had pulled ahead pretty far but was within sight and now the course was beginning that fast, mile long descent. I told First Woman "Let's get that shirtless guy", which may have been a mistake (more on that later). She muttered something that I think was an agreement and we picked up the pace. I ended up pulling ahead of First Woman here and had my eyes locked on Shirtless Dude.

That descent was fast. Because I was a little conservative in those middle two miles, I had a little extra energy that I was able to pour into this stretch. I cranked it and was gaining a little ground on Shirtless Dude but not much. I still kept pushing, hoping he would run out of gas.

The trail turned right, which I knew meant we had roughly a half a mile to go. I stole a glance behind me here and First Woman was farther back than I thought and I relaxed a little. Shirtless Dude had pulled ahead even further here and I really had no chance of catching him. It's difficult to run that last stretch hard, as there's a pretty sharp uphill and it's pretty technical. Hat's off to the guy, he killed it.

Final few turns and there was the finish line. Crossed it and was glad to no longer be running in that soup.

Post Race
Exchanged congrats and thanks with other runners, especially Scott, First Woman and Shirtless Dude. I told Shirtless Dude I did my best to catch him but had no chance. I also told him that I mentioned to First Woman let's try to chase that guy down. He smiled and said "Yeah, I heard you" and that it made him pick up the pace. I laughed, but not before my face probably turned a little red with embarrassment, but it was really funny. Glad he didn't appear to take it wrong, but memo to self: when strategizing with other runners during a race, make sure that no one else can hear you.

Glanced at the placing board and saw I came in 8th place and, more importantly to me, won my age group! Sweet!!! Really stoked about that.

Ran a cool down with Zak and Jeremy. They, along with Ian, ran it pretty conservatively to save their legs for the Vermont 100 next week, which was smart. I'm familiar with what they've been doing in their training cycles and they're going to crush it.

Waited for Kate to come in and was happy to see her running with our friend Bob and both were smiling and having fun. Interesting to note, the wind must have switched from the ocean by this point as it started to feel a few degrees cooler.

Awards came up, and for winning my AG I won a $25 gift certificate to Frontier, a very awesome pub/art gallery/theater in Brunswick that I love. My time also contributed to the Trail Monster team win, which meant a six pack of beer! Always nice to come away from a race with awesome swag.

Analysis
Very happy all around today. Pacing and race strategy were all very sound and I don't think I would have changed anything, aside from vocalizing plans too loudly (which was moot, the guy was a beast and I wouldn't have caught him anyway). Very happy with taking those middle miles conservatively, and keeping my cool when I let three people pass. It would have been very easy to become frazzled then, but I stuck to the plan and it worked.

Really hard to race in soupy weather and quite frankly I hate it. But, at least there was plenty of shade on this course and it went well. Can't complain. Hopefully we'll have cooler weather next weekend for the Old Port Half Marathon. Looking forward to seeing what I can do there.

Ran 6.0 miles @ 7:26/mile pace.
Official time: 44:35
Overall place: 8th out of 171
Age Group (40-49): 1st
Technical trails.
Moderately hilly.
Mid to upper 70s, very humid.
New Balance MT110, shorts.

We Now Return to Your Regularly Scheduled Blogging...

It has been a very awesome past week. You see, Kate and I got married:

Then we went to Quebec City for our honeymoon:

I went for one run while we were up there. Kate and I ran the fortress walls that surround Old Quebec. It was short (2.8 miles), but a lot of fun. We had to leap over cannon wells at times which provided a small element of parkour-esque fun.

GPS track of our run on the old fortress walls. 

We did a LOT of walking during our honeymoon, at least 3-5 miles a day. I also went ice skating (indoor, obviously). I was hoping that would help keep some of the rust off. Today tested that. Went for a short six mile run from the house and the legs felt pretty darn good. A little rust, but when setting out to run by feel and you end up with a progression run, that's usually a very good sign.

The Bradbury Scuffle is tomorrow. Feeling pretty good about it. However, it's going to be a hot, soupy one. That will make breaking last year's 43:46 pretty tough. 

Ran 6.3 miles @ 7:33/mile pace. 

Paved roads. 

Flat. 

Lower to mid-70s, sunny, very humid. 

Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt. 

Bangor City Forest

Nice trail run with friends and family on my wedding day this morning. Time is short, just making a quick entry because I go nuts if I don't log my runs the same day.

Ran 8.5 miles @ 9:19/mile pace.
Trails.
Slightly hilly.
Upper 60s to lower 70s, sunny.
New Balance MT110, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Stephen King Loop

Why haven't I done this before? At my soon-to-be in-laws' house in Brewer, I ran across the bridge to Bangor (aka Derry in Stephen King's books), past the public library (It), through the Barrens (It, 11/22/63) and then up the hill to the Standpipe (It).

After those landmarks, I topped it off with a run past King's house. This was good as his street has plenty of tall trees and therefore good shade...it was quite hot and humid out. I've driven by his house a few times already which made it easier not to gawk, but I did note the really cool gargoyles on the iron wrought fence surrounding his yard.

Kept the pace very easy because of the less than ideal weather. A pretty funny note, earlier in the run when I was between the library and the Barrens, I exchanged hellos with a fit looking older runner. Saw him again over in Brewer about an hour later when I was almost done. Both pretty random areas. We both laughed and slapped hands when we passed each other.

Ran 8.7 miles @ 8:53/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Lower 70s to lower 80s, sunny, humid.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt.

Thursday Long Run

Nice long run this morning over a very hilly route. Normally I'd like to put a short, easy day in between a speed workout and a long run, but given the marriage this weekend this was my best only chance to get it in.

Not to get corny, but the mind often wanders on long runs. Today, I couldn't help but think what a lucky guy I am and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Kate, and I'll just leave it at that since this a running blog.

Went well. Felt yesterday's speed workout and it made it easy to keep the pace very slow. Didn't realize it until yesterday, but I hadn't done any runs over 20 miles since the Boston Marathon. Yikes. Glad to get this one under my belt and glad it went well.

Ran 21.1 miles @ 8:26/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Upper 60s to mid 70s, partly cloudy, humid.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt.

Morning Track Session

It had rained earlier in the morning, making conditions pretty soupy, but a great session at the track nonetheless. I had planned on 7 X 800M w/ 400M of active recovery. Was in a groove until a stomach cramp hit me on the seventh split, so I issued a Code Brown and stopped at 400M to avoid disaster. I think I drank too much water just before that last one and it threw me off. At least it happened on the last split as opposed to earlier in the workout.

800M splits were: 2:48, 2:49, 2:46, 2:50, 2:50, 2:50. The 400M split was 1:23.

Very pleased, especially with the humidity. Felt very in sync... pushed hard yet it felt comfortable to push hard. I was drenched in sweat afterwards. Kicked off the shoes and ran barefoot on the soccer fields to cool down.


Speaking of track stuff: Shame on Nike and the USATF for their corruption in two recent incidents. The whole Tarmoh vs. Felix showdown cancellation just reeks of WTF-ness, and it seems pretty apparent to me that some sponsor money changed hands. Really, really lame and not good for the sport. And now you have this about scumbag Mark Block. Kudos to Letsrun.com for breaking the story. 

w/u: Ran 1.0 miles @ 7:32/mile pace.
6 X 800M w/ 400M active recovery.
1 X 400M
c/d: Ran 1.1 miles @ 10:24/mile pace.
Lower 70s, partly sunny, humid.
Brooks Mach 13 on w/u and intervals, barefoot on cooldown, shorts.

Hilly Ten

Hit a favorite 10-mile loop from my house. Nice morning out with it being seasonably warm and with a cool, dry breeze from the northwest. Great time to be outside and it made for a very enjoyable run.

Ended up being a light progression run, with only one split being off. Overall, nothing crazy though. Just one of those runs where you go by feel and let things come along. Felt pretty darn good, thanks to the rest day yesterday.

I'm considering doing a track workout tomorrow and then a long run on Thursday. Weekend will be crazy, so it'll be nice if I can get in those key workouts beforehand. Then I can just do short-medium distance general aerobic runs for the rest of the week.

Ran 10.1 miles @ 7:34/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Upper 60s to lower 70s, partly cloudy.
Saucony Kinvara 3, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Cathance Preserve Trail Run

Ryan and Danielle were kind enough to host a number of us for a trail run and pancakes and other goodies afterwards. Another crazy hot day today. I was feeling pretty tired from the past few weeks so with the heat I was very content to call it good with just doing the shorter 4.3 mile route.

Of course, it was a lot of fun to hang out afterwards and chat with everyone. It was also nice to sample a batch of Kate and I's latest homebrew, which we've dubbed "Bevy From the Levy Hefeweizen". It's only been bottled for 11 days, but it's already a winner. Can't wait to taste it another week or so when it will really reach its potential.

Will be happy to take a rest day tomorrow after 13 straight days of running. The past week has been very tame, aside from Wednesday's 5K race. Just 41.6 miles. Served as a nice step back week of sorts. But I'm ready for a rest day all the same.

Looking forward to taking a nap on the couch while getting caught up on the Tour de France before getting some more cleaning and wedding stuff done.

Ran 4.3 miles @ 10:15/mile pace.
Trails.
Moderately hilly.
Lower 80s, sunny, humid.
New Balance MT110, shorts, short sleeved shirt, cap.