Tri-Mania Double Run

Time: 45:59

Distance: 10.29 km

Pace: 10.29 km

Map

After breaking down from the Tri-mania expo, I set out to kill an hour while waiting for Meagan's flight from Raleigh to arrive. I went back out on the river and fit in a loop that I probably should have run in the opposite direction. I wanted to finish with the wind at my back, but that meant running directly into the wind for a 5-6 km stretch on the Boston side of the Charles River. My legs were really beat up and terribly sluggish the entire way.

Before Tri-Mania

Time: 41:03
Distance: 10.21 km
Pace: 4:01/km
Map

I arrived early to the Tri-Mania expo and set up all the Karhu goods for the day. There wasn't a consensus on when the expo officially started, so I suited up in my running costume and snuck in 10 km along the Charles River. I finished up on the MIT track which is a nice Mondo service. If it's open to the public, not windy and I'm looking to run a fast workout, I'll consider it next time.

My legs still felt like muck from the last three days of running. I didn't intend to hit an average of 4:01 and was trying to slow down, but the aerobic fitness must be there.

Emily's 30th Birthday

Time: 130:32
Distance: 30.84 km
Pace: 4:14/km
Map

Today's run was in celebration of Emily Kroshus' birthday and to make it even more memorable we ran 30k with a 30 minute tempo section. Meagan gives a better recap of the run so I'll direct you over to Green Lightning Running to read all the delicious, hilly and poorly communicated details.

The splits of the tempo section were:
3:45.1, 3:42.8, 4:01.0, 3:38.3, 3:49.3, 3:42.8, 3:50.6, 3:25.2 for 29:55.1 and 8 km total.

The effort on all of the splits was about the same, but the pace fluctuated wildly due to the terrain. Meagan ran hard throughout working the uphill and practicing her downhill skills.

We ran easy for a section while looking for Terry and then the pace picked back up the final few miles running back to Emily's. I was pretty tired toward the end of the run, but feeling like I had made good use of the faster sections. My legs are still a little beat up from the 16 miler last Sunday which became apparent trying to press the hills in the Arboretum.

Boston Course Long Run

Time: 113:16
Distance: 25.08 km
Pace: 4:31/km
Map

Meagan and I drove to Cleveland Circle to run with a group looking to put in their long run. Last week when the BAA met at the same location there were nearly 100 runners in attendance. This week it was all women and me. Then Jenn (Donovan) Lutz and her husband Justin arrived and I had someone to share football with.

Did you see the 49ers game? I expect big things from them this playoff season.

My legs were pretty tired after yesterday's effort so I was content to take it easy. We ran a little slower than I would have liked, but I was able to recover and just enjoy being on parts of the marathon course. I have never raced the Boston Marathon and I'm not sure if I'll ever think the Newton Hills are "easy." The few times I've run the hills have been when I'm: a) out of shape, b) running on tired legs, c) coming back from injury and out of shape. So, today was no different.

Cambridge Workout

Time: 110:26
Distance: 28.28

W/u: 20:39 for 4.61 km
W/o: 77:11 for 21.04 km
C/d: 12:36 for 2.63 km

Meagan and I drove back to the Harvard Athletic Complex for a series of progressively faster loops. Terry Shea of the BAA organized a group run and nearly 20 individuals arrived to run the roughly 1200 meter loop around Harvard's indoor track, football stadium, hockey rink and other arenas. Given the weather and the size of the group we could have ventured out onto the 4.2 mile loop, but most stayed true to running what the email had stated.

I got in a few warm up laps before venturing off to the standard tempo loop with Jared, Alex and Brian Chorney. We decided to pick up the pace just after 20 minutes into the workout instead of gradually cutting down. The target pace was 5:30s with maybe some 5:20s if the group was feeling good.

Splits:
3:28, 3:35, 3:32, 3:21, 3:21,
3:24, 1:35 (at 3:26/km pace) for 22:16 at 6400m (4 miles)

I stopped with Chorney and we ran back to join the group that was still looping the 1200m course. The pace had dropped to the low 6:00/mile range and would continue to get faster.

Splits:
4:16, 3:53, 3:57, 3:56, 3:53,
3:46, 3:49, 3:45, 3:44, 3:44,
3:43, 3:44, 3:42, 3:33, 3:21,
1:55 (at 3:19/km pace)

That was pretty much the extent of me running hard. The uptempo section was just over 21 km. I was pleased to have felt better running low 3:20s at the end of the workout feeling better than on the opening faster section.

Harvard Parking Lot Workout

Time: 73:36
Distance: ~16.19 km

W/u: 18:39 for 3.79 km
W/o: 6 x 1km, 4 x 500m
C/d: 11:59 for 2.33 km

The first workout back for 2013 is in the books. It was rather light as the main focus was for Meagan and Emily to get in some more serious running. I obliged to drag them around the parking lot of the Harvard Athletic Complex aka the Sheatock Loop. It's a roughly 1200 meter loop that is mostly lit, ice and traffic free. There was a group doing 3 x 2 miles on the Harvard indoor track which might sound appealing except when thinking about it as 3 x 16 laps. No thanks! That's a hip injury waiting to happen for this guy.

The purpose of the workout was to see where Meagan's fitness is at going into a more speed based spring. I used it as a way for me to feel comfortable running uptempo and in control. We dragged a kicking and screaming Emily Kroshus out the door who, of course, is never nearly unfit as she says she is.

Splits:
6 x 1km
3:32.9 (1:27), 3:31.3 (1:30),
3:25.0 (1:33), 3:26.7 (1:30),
3:24 (1:30), 3:21.5 (3:32);

4 x 500m (estimated by looking at split on Garmin)
1:39.8 (1:31) - 3:16/km pace
1:41.6 (1:31) - 3:15/km pace
1:38.6 (1:32) - 3:14/km pace
1:38.9 - 3:13/km pace

It was a solid workout for both Meagan and Emily. I felt comfortable leading them through the opening intervals. The paces fluctuated just a little depending on the wind and how hard we started off the line. I don't think Meagan is any less fit than she was a few months ago and Emily has to be one of the toughest runners I know.

BAA Cleveland Circle Run

Time: 69:50
Distance: 17.96 km
Pace: 3:53/km
Map

This morning I headed into Brookline to meet up with a crew of BAA members. I arrived to find roughly 50 individuals standing around in the parking lot ready to run. It felt colder than the 34 the car thermometer stated. I couldn't complain too much as others were in shorts and lightweight pullovers.

I wasn't sure how far I was going to run, but I opted to head off with Brian Harvey, Tim Ritchie, Ian Nurse and Eric Ashe. Given my current fitness, I was hesitant to commit to the full run and just wanted to see how I would handle a quicker long run pace. We dipped under 4:00/km by the fourth kilometer and gradually got faster. It has been many months since starting a run at the pace, but I was relatively relaxed until decided to pull off around the 8-9 km mark with Eric.

We headed back along the Boston Marathon course up the Newton Hills. The pace fluctuated given the terrain and I found myself having a solid run. It would have been nice to run longer and go with the top guys, but given my recent training, I'll take it.

Charles River Uptempo Long Run

Time: 111:14
Distance: 25.10 km

W/u: 13:43 for 2.64 km
Workout: 79:30 for 19.21 km
C/d: 17:51 for 3.25 km

Meagan and I drove into Boston (actually) Cambridge to meet up with a crew of city runners. We were meeting Emily, Jenn and a couple other members of the BAA to do 12 miles at 5:50 to 6:00 per mile. I think this was Jenn's workout and we would just be tagging along. I had few goals for the workout other than running in the group as relaxed as possible. My legs were a bit sore from that terrible mile I ran on Friday night.

I would have liked to have gotten in more of a warm up but time didn't permit. We started just after 8:00 and got the workout rolling along the Charles. I settled into the back of the group trying to do as little work as possible. I didn't want to hit the front and push the pace to ruin the workout for anyone. That would come later.

Wayne and Dan up front set the pace with Emily and Jenn tucked in behind. Meagan and I followed with Will on our shoulders. We streaked past baby joggers, bikes, guys on roller blades and countless runners. There were moments when I would find myself coming up on the shoulder of Emily but then I would consciously back off and retake my place at the back on the pack.

The loop took us out 6 miles and then turned for the trip home. Everyone was still grouped up minus Will who is just starting workouts again. Somewhere around the 7-8 mile mark I moved to the front to take a turn at the lead. There was a little bit too much talking for my liking and I decided to get the pace rolling. The group responded to my increased tempo and things just progressed from there. You can see in the splits below where I went to the front around the 11 to 12 km mark.

Splits:
3:44, 3:49, 3:49, 3:37, 3:42,
3:39, 3:45, 3:41, 3:40, 3:43,
3:45, 3:36, 3:35, 3:37, 3:31,
3:31, 3:30, 3:17, 3:15, :41

Dan who is back visiting from Florida kept it rolling until the end of the workout. He timed our final full mile in 5:13 which I initially thought was short until Emily told me it's been measured by multiple people and accurate. I'll take it.

Harvard Track Tempo and 400s

Time: 91:35
Distance: 19.50 km

W/u: 22:16 for 4.40km
W/o: 4 mile tempo (jog back to track), 8 x 400m
C/d: 20:32 for 3.86km

Meagan and I headed off to Boston this morning for a workout with the BAA. Earlier in the week Meagan reached out to Terry Shea inquiring if anyone wanted to run a workout from the Harvard track that consisted of a tempo run and some 400s. We arrived to find 7or 8 other women looking to partake in the workout at various paces.

The workout was designed to tire the legs with the 4 miles along the Charles River and then come back to close out the effort with some quicker track work. It mixes both 10k strength with mile/5k speed. I set the pace from the outset which had us going out a little quick. A group of women started about 40 seconds in front of us and it seemed that I wanted to close that gap as quickly as possible. I think we made a pretty big dent withing the first 1k.

Splits:
3:36.3, 3:41.5, 3:35.7, 3:32.5, 3:33.8, 3:29.5, 1:28.1 (3:32/k pace for final 400m) for 22:57.4 seconds

Slow jog back to the track 8:45 total which is a little more than I would have liked but we still covered over 1k and waited around

76.9 (60), 75.5 (61), 75.7 (60), 75.3 (60), 74.5 (61), 74.4 (61), 73.8 (60), 71.6

I thought Meagan handled this effort really well. She sounded and looked great on the tempo run that was faster than I had suggested. I wanted something like 6:00, 5:55, 5:50, 5:45 and got something closer to 5:47, 5:45, 5:41, 5:40. It seemed fairly comfortable for her which is a great sign in terms of fitness heading into the 10k in two weeks.

The 400s were solid off 60 seconds rest. You can fake running a lap of the track pretty easily so having Meagan run right around 5 min/mile pace was positive.

I think we both decided to do more workouts where we mix a tempo run and hit the track. Neither portion is too long and you can focus on each segment fully without feeling a little overwhelmed.

SEAC Workout

Time: 29:48
Distance: ~6.82 km

W/u: 12:18 for 2.22km
W/o: 400m (hard), 100 (easy), 100 (hard), 100 (easy), 100 (hard), 200 (easy), 200 (hard), drills, 100 (easy), 100 (hard), 100 (easy), 100 (hard)
C/d: 11:31 for 2.86km

And this is why I get injured. I can't say "no." This what trying to quit cigarettes must be like. I ran a workout this morning and then visited accounts for work. I purposely ended my day at the South End Athletic Company for a Karhu wear test run and Balega raffle/trivia night because they have Thursday night group runs. What I didn't realize is that it's really a workout night from the store. I could have said "no," but that's not my style. I laced up the shoes and started taking strong puffs around the track with the group.

We started with an easy jog over to a track in the South End and then began with a hard 400m. As a footwear rep, I had to show everyone what Karhu was all about. It just turns out that the store owner was an 800m/1500m runner at Boston College not too long ago. I wasn't sure how fast he'd open the workout, but it turns out he was going to rip a 57! I was back with a more relaxed 62 and then went into the strides winded and hoping to catch up. It wasn't pretty but I managed to complete everything near the front.

Next we did a bunch of drills. Not butt kicks or high knees, but the hard ones like bounding, standing long jumps, and backwards strides. It was getting ugly. Fortunately, I was warmed up and more coordinated than others to hold my own. It ended up being pretty fun and a really good workout.

Now that I know what I'm in for at a SEAC workout group, I'll come more prepared next time!

City Sports & Balega

Time: none
Distance: none

Surprise, surprise... Today was another day off due to a nagging hamstring. I'm trying not to stretch it, but rather massage it with a firm round object. I drive with a Trigger Point massage ball placed underneath my upper hamstring, right where it meets the buttocks.

My travels today took me to Spark Bike & Run Sports in Taunton, MA and City Sports corporate. I like hanging out at Spark because the owner is good guy. His store is new, he's making connections with his community and he's interested in learning more about the industry. He also carries BMC bikes (repped by my buddy Liam) and will soon have Karhu.

The City Sports visit was mainly for Balega which I was fortunate enough to pick up recently. Everybody loves a good pair of socks and Balega has the best ones out there. It was the first time I had a chance to visit with the sock buyer. She was cool, British, and likes coffee. The headquarters are in the North End where the streets are narrow and it's impossible to find parking. I managed to find a spot and leave the neighborhood with no scratches on my car. The only bigger win would have been to lace up the kicks and get out for a run.

Sir Charles of IKEA

Time: 39:39
Distance: 7.30 km
Pace: 5:26/km
Map

This morning I drove into Boston with the Karhu CEO to run along the Charles River. Our goal was to put in a few kilometers and then scope out a few parking spots near the Boston Marathon finish. I don't want to ruin any brand activation events in April, but we are going to be doing something pretty sweet involving a 24 foot Argosy.

I never really fell into a rhythm on the run for various reasons: (A) it was really cold and windy, (B) we were running slow, (C) my hamstring was hurting as if it were really cold and we were running really slow.

After the run we toured Comm. Ave, Newbury and Boylston Streets, grabbed a coffee and headed to IKEA. I got roped into the Swedish furniture behemoth part, but it was okay since I got breakfast out of it. Did you know they serve breakfast for $1.99!? Free coffee too! I'm not a fan of IKEA, but after learning of their food offerings for rock bottom prices, I could become a convert.

Lost Boston Night Double

Time: ~80 mins
Distance: ~19 km

I'm bummed that my Garmin geeked out and erased this run during a software update as I actually looked forward to seeing the route map. I ended my travels in Boston this evening and spent some time working at Jeff's house to kill time before the South End Athletic Company group run. I found the shortest route to the store and I made it just in time to meet up with one other guy for the run. He planned on going 5-6 miles and knew of a good loop around the city. We ended up hitting the Charles, TD Garden where the Celtics play, the North End, Faneuil Hall, another park that I didn't catch the name and then ran back into the South End (aka "gayborhood"). Most of the run I had little clue as to where I was, but then I would recognize a landmark or store. It was a fantastic loop that toured much of the city and losing the route due to technology sucks, but that's the breaks.

I logged a ton of distance today and am feeling good with how the week has started off. Another day in the books...

Long Run with the BAA

Time: 121:05
Distance: 30.82 km
Pace: 3:56/km
Map

Meagan and I drove into Boston this morning to run long with some members of the Boston Athletic Association. We had exchanged emails with Terry and Carly Shea who both used to run for the Hanson's and now are key members of the training group with the BAA. Terry was doing a progressive long run with a couple of the other guys and I was game to partake in the effort.

Whenever Meagan and I have run with the BAA they have looped the same 4.2 mile route. Terry apologized for the monotonous loop, but I don't mind running the same course because it eliminates surprises. The goal for the run was to run the first loop easy as a warm up, run the second loop around 3:45/km as part of Melissa's tempo, run the third loop around 3:35-3:40/km and the final loop could get a little aggressive in the 3:15-3:20/km range.

Splits:
4:55.0, 4:30.9, 4:27.3, 4:21.7, 4:10.9, 4:15.6, 4:14.6;
4:08.0, 3:46.2, 3:49.9, 3:47.3, 3:44.4, 3:42.4, 3:35.8;
3:31.3, 3:36.0, 3:36.6, 3:32.7, 3:25.0, 3:27.1, 3:21.6;
3:23.6, 3:30.9, 3:56.4, 4:03.0, 4:07.6, 4:19.9, 4:16.2;
4:14.7, 3:39.7 (for .82km) = 30.82km total

The warm up lap was the warm up. The second lap was relaxed as we chatted about spring marathon plans. The third lap had us running steady but in control. I made a move to the front around the 18-19km mark and dropped the pace. Soon after, I tired and started to struggle around the 22km point. I was going to back off for a kilometer and then rally for the rest of the loop, but just when it was time to start running hard again, I saw that Terry had ended his workout and I decided to run back easy with him. I got in a solid effort and was pushed through the middle portion of the run.

Getting down to Boston once a week this winter and spring will become a priority if I want to run as fast as possible. The BAA has some very talented guys that will push me on tempos that I generally struggle to do on my own.

BAA Workout in Boston

Time: 107:31
Distance: 25.46k

W/u: 17:16 for 3.29k
W/o: Run Meagan's 16k tempo (10 miles) while doing 2k w/ group, 1k hard
C/d: 27:05 for 5.41k

Meagan and I drove into Boston this morning to meet up with some of the BAA women and their coach, Terry Shea. I had put on Meagan's schedule a 10 mile tempo at 6:05 to 6:10 pace which was similar to a workout Emily Kroshus (formerly of Princeton) would be doing. This morning we would also be having the company of former Stanford standout, Teresa McWalters, joining us for a loop around the Charles. I didn't get in my workout yesterday, so I would be running 2k with the group and then accelerating for 1k, backing off to let the group catch me and repeat.

After a brief warm up we made our way to the start of the loop with the agreement to start with a relaxed opening mile. Off the line the group was crawling. It felt like we were all just out for a run and not there to put in work. I was immediately in front by about 5 meters and soon backed off so as to not be labeled a half-stepper. We split the opening kilometer just over 4 minutes and the mile around 6:25. The pace picked up soon after their first marker and we were running strong as a group.

The second kilometer beep came and I took off with a quickened stride hoping to run somewhere between 3:00 and 3:07/k. My plan for a workout within a workout was going well as the group would catch up to me after about 500 meters of easy running. I would resume with the group until it was time to pick up the pace again.

Since Meagan had a group to run with, I didn't feel as obligated to set the pace or ensure she was hitting the appropriate splits. She looked strong running behind Emily who would add on an extra loop for a great workout after a really short warm up.

Splits (mine):

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	1:03:10.8	16.76	3:46
1	4:01.0	1.00	4:01
2	3:53.6	1.00	3:54
3	3:08.2	1.00	3:08
4	4:26.3	1.00	4:26
5	3:40.2	1.00	3:40
6	3:04.7	1.00	3:05
7	4:27.1	1.00	4:27
8	3:43.3	1.00	3:43
9	3:04.9	1.00	3:05
10	4:28.8	1.00	4:29
11	3:46.1	1.00	3:46
12	3:02.3	1.00	3:02
13	4:25.0	1.00	4:25
14	3:49.6	1.00	3:50
15	3:01.7	1.00	3:02
16	4:20.7	1.00	4:21
17	2:47.5	0.76	3:41

I'm pleased with my ability to change gears so to speak and run a respectable pace. Aerobically I felt really good the entire way and my legs felt a little more accustomed to the pace than in previous workouts. My 5 hard 1ks ended up being 3:08.2, 3:04.7, 3:04.9, 3:02.3, and 3:01.7. My overall average ended up being the same as Meagan's as we both ended together at the 16.76 mark (roughly 10.4 miles). Two workouts in the right direction for our respective training plans.

Boston Long Run

Time: 107:57
Distance: 26.40k
Pace: 4:05
Map

After a late night arrival back to Marblehead, it was an somewhat early departure to meet up with friends in Boston. Did you know that Buffalo is basically in Canada? And that it's close to 500 miles from Marblehead? That was a looonng solo drive.

I'm almost embarrassed by the fact that our trip into Boston was our first official trip into the city together since moving to MA. We'll have to do more of it as today's run was pretty ideal. We ended up parking and getting ready at Betsy Burke's house and then were off to meet some of her training partners who compete for the BAA (Boston Athletic Association). It was a short jog to the Charles where Betsy and Meagan met up with 5 or 6 other very fit looking women. Introductions were brief as we all started running soon after arriving. I only got to run about 100m with everyone as I had to meet Jeff Gaudette of Runners Connect.

Once Jeff and I linked up we turned and were off to try and find another guy who runs for the BAA. The only description I had was that he was tall, skinny and finishing up his PhD at Harvard. As we approached the pedestrian bridge several minutes late I saw a tall, skinny dude who looked pretty fit to be starting his run. We figured that it had to be Will and the pace immediately dropped in hopes of catching him. It took us about a mile to run him down with an awkward question of, "are you Will?"

The three of us ran over to Jamaica Pond before Jeff headed home and Will and I returned to the Charles for some additional distance near Cambridge. The pace clipped along at points and felt fast at times, but that's mostly because my runs are with Meagan. Not to knock her training, but my easy days are really easy. It was good to get out and run with Will who is getting ready for Club Cross in Seattle sometime in December.