A Week Since Tragedy

Time: 71:25
Distance: 16.28 km
Pace: 4:23/km
Map

It's been a week since the Boston Marathon bombing tragedy took place. It sure has been a week to reflect and see all of the New England running stores come together. It was actually been a more widespread connection than just in New England, but the bombing particularly hits close to home. Meagan and I headed out to start the week off with an easy run along the trail in Marblehead. We are both recovery from the race yesterday and wanted to start off the week on a positive note.

Ring Around the Neck 5 Miler

Time: 46:06
Distance: 12.15 km

W/u: 19:07 for 4.01 km
Race: 26:59 for 5 miles

This was the second race of the YMCA North Shore Race Series that Karhu and Craft is sponsoring. If you are finding this blog and have interest in running the series, feel free to hit me up and I can provide some entries. I will only require that you head on over to the New England Running Company and purchase a pair of Karhu shoes. If you're in CLT or OKC and want to run a race this year, I'll be more than happy to host your and have you race in one of our events. Really... don't hesitate to ask. Salem is great during the summer.

Meagan and I set up our booth and hung out for a couple hours before heading off for a light warm up. The wind was going to be a slight factor during the race, but I didn't foresee there being too much competition. Going into the race I wanted to see how the drums were beating to use a term coined by Gabe Jennings. If the rhythm of the race felt right, I would run fast and hard. If not, then I would just run what felt like a good effort and see what the pace would be.

Splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	27:02.6	8.14	3:19
1	3:14.1	1.00	3:14
2	3:22.1	1.00	3:22
3	3:24.5	1.00	3:24
4	3:25.4	1.00	3:25
5	3:18.8	1.00	3:19
6	3:18.8	1.00	3:19
7	3:18.1	1.00	3:18
8	3:16.2	1.00	3:16
9	:24.7	0.14	3:00

I took the race out and had a lead from the start. My legs felt pretty good running into the wind but I never felt the effort really squeeze on the lungs. I was running hard and let the race come to me with the terrain dictating the pace. I would have liked to have run faster, but the effort was what it was.

After the race Meagan and I headed over to Scott Freedson-Crosby's new house and enjoyed a great spread of food. We were celebrating he and his fiancé's new home and her birthday. Great times on the weekend.

Meagan's MHD Track Workout

Time: 79:19
Distance: ~15.3 km

W/u: 20:24 for 4.01 km
W/o: 5 x 1k (2:00 rest), 5 x 300m (90 sec rest)
C/d: 20:55 for ~4 km

I was in Marblehead this afternoon getting some items out of the Karhu Airstream and waiting for Meagan to get done with her hair appointment. We planned to head over to the Village track and run a workout, but I was a little hesitant given her relatively recent effort a couple of days prior. Her goals this spring are to run some big PRs on the road and we need to get her dialed in to clicking of 80 secs per 400m. Today's workout called for just that with some faster intervals at the end to run fast on tired legs.

Splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	38:10.6	0.00	--:--
1	3:22.4	1k	0
2	2:00.8	0.00	0
3	3:21.1	1k	0
4	2:00.2	0.00	0
5	3:19.4	1k	0
6	2:00.6	0.00	0
7	3:17.0	1k	0
8	2:00.5	0.00	0
9	3:18.6	1k	0
10	3:00.2	0.00	0
11	:53.7	300m	0
12	1:29.2	0.00	0
13	:55.2	300m	0
14	1:30.2	0.00	0
15	:54.0	300m	0
16	1:30.5	0.00	0
17	:54.4	300m	0
18	1:30.3	0.00	0
19	:52.4	300m	0

I would say the workout went well and Meagan handled the opening kilometers with a little bit of strain. We ended up averaging right about where we needed to be and then ran faster than expected on the 300s. Overall, it was a good workout and will set her up to run fast in a couple of weeks in Texas and Boston.

Marblehead Loop

Time: 72:39
Distance: 17.62 km
Pace: 4:07/km
Map

I headed out the door from the Salem neighborhood and ran into Marblehead looking for the most protection from the wind. I decided to loop up West Shore Dr. and through the center of town before heading back to Salem. I never felt great as I tried to relax and let the run unfold. My legs were tired from the effort last night. My splits show that I hit a few splits under 4:00/km the last 5km or so.

Marblehead Neck Morning

Time: 74:17
Distance: 18.37 km
Pace: 4:03/km
Map

I was out the door for a run to Marblehead and opted to make a loop around the Neck. I wasn't feeling particularly great, but I made the most of the effort. I will probably run NRFTW tonight and make it a workout, so I wanted to keep this morning relaxed. I'm just waiting for the spring weather to get here! I'm over the need for jackets, hats and gloves and this is coming from a guy who has the greatest access to the nicest jackets, hats and gloves.

Spotting Fort Sewall

Time: 71:46
Distance: 17.60 km
Pace: 4:05/km
Map

I opted to get in a slightly longer morning run and headed into Marblehead. The loop too me through town and within site of our seasonal rental when we first moved up to New England. The pace dropped gradually and I was clicking off some sub-4:00/km splits towards the end of the run.

Tired Sunday Effort

Time: 73:34
Distance: 17.35 km
Pace: 4:12/km
Map

You know you're Garmin is acting a little funny when it claims you set the world record for 1000m less than 5k into a run. I think the rain had a bit of an effect on my run early on before stabilizing around 30 minutes. I was able to manually make the adjustments as I ran this loop on Monday and know the distance.

3	3:55.9	1.00	3:56
4	2:05.2	1.00	2:05
5	2:05.4	1.00	2:05
6	2:54.4	1.00	2:54
7	3:08.2	1.00	3:08
8	2:04.1	1.00	2:04

The cold rain made getting out the door a bit of a struggle, but I was able to keep the spirits high throughout the run and finish strong.

Saturday Morning Long Run

Time: 95:10
Distance: 24.33 km
Pace: 3:55/km
Map

I must have been feeling pretty good on this Saturday morning as the pace and distance are pretty solid. I ended up taking a loop around the Marblehead Neck and then looped through town before coming back along West Shore Dr. I think I was trying to protect myself from the wind and this route provided the most neighborhood coverage.

New Week, New Loop

Time: 72:45
Distance: 17.28 km
Pace: 4:13/km
Map

After a day off and somewhat being a wimp, I laced up the shoes and headed out into the wind. The precipitation from the storm is gone, but the wind is still around to make finding a protected loop difficult. The Marblehead trail is still a mess so I opted to stay on the roads and figure the least windy area would be West Shore Dr.

My legs had a bit of pop in them today and the pace reflected a solid effort despite the breeze. I will certainly use the route many times in the future as it takes me back to when Meagan and I first moved to the northeast.

Late Run that Should Have Been Longer

Time: 63:57
Distance: 15.01 km
Pace: 4:16/km
Map

I got out the door late today after hanging around the house all morning and afternoon. That really good wine from last night left me with little interest of heading out the door to run in the wind. When I did finally leave the house I headed south to Marblehead for some distance in the neighborhoods. I never felt great and my stomach was in a bad place for much of the run.

Had I taken the weather forecast seriously and my stomach weren't feeling awful, I would have added on back in Salem to boost the weekly totals. That didn't happen.

Bagged Workout

Time: 86:04
Distance: 20.14 km

W/u: 28:16 for 6.01 km
W/o: Run at a hard effort for Meagan
C/d: 45:57 for 11.05 km

Meagan and I jogged from the house over to near the Marblehead Neck to start a section of hard running. I didn't have a particular distance in mind, but given the really windy weather I figured we would do something like: 5km at 3:50/km, 5km at 3:45/km, 5km at 3:40/km or faster. I just wanted her running hard for a sustained period of time.

Splits:
3:52.9, 3:48.3, 3:53.2 and then called it a day. 11:53 and 3.08 km

I gave Meagan the out on this one thinking we would be able to hit the gym tomorrow for a treadmill workout (more on that later). We were still hitting the splits but the effort was really elevated running into a brisk headwind across the causeway. I was doing my best to block the wind, but the gusts were too much. The point of the workout was to be running hard, but in the relaxed fast mindset. The weather just wasn't what it needed to be to accomplish the task.

Instead, we looped the Neck and sprinted the uphill sections and did a couple long pick ups with the wind at our back.

Back Home in Salem

Time: 58:24
Distance: 13.02 km
Pace: 4:29/km
Map

I arrived home late last night after being on the road for most of the week. Meagan and I headed out for a short run along the trail to Marblehead. The pace was easy and the legs are feeling fine.

Salvaged Workout

Time: 77:57
Distance: 16.80 km

W/u: 28:14 for 5.50 km
W/o Target: 4 x 400m, 5km tempo, 5 x 2 mins
C/d: 11:14 for 2.25 km

The workout tonight called for some opening 400s to get the legs and lungs opened up, a short tempo for some aerobic work and then some hard 2 minute efforts to close things out on tired legs. The workout got shot to hell when we had to make a pit stop just before 2 km into the tempo. I had to adjust on the fly at the top of the hill on the Neck to try and salvage a decent workout.

Splits:
84.3 (76), 84.6 (76), 80.8 (78), 83.5 (2:01);
3:33.8, 2:53.7 for .81 km
(6:15)
3:33.8, 3:35.2, 3:35.9, 3:33.5 for 38:29 total and 9.05 km

I wasn't happy to have to stop during the tempo but those things happen. I inflicted a little punishment by keeping the pace hard for a remaining 4km of work. I was pushing on the uphills trying to build a gap to see how Meagan would respond. She ran tough and was able to get in a good hard effort that will serve her well the next time she toes the line.

Saturday Morning Back in Salem

Time: 82:51
Distance: 20.05 km
Pace: 4:06/km
Map

I left Rochester, NY for home last night around 7:30 PM. It's a 6+ hour drive when the weather cooperates. There was snow again last night. I didn't pull into our parking lot until a little after 5 AM. I did however stop a couple of times to take a nap in rest stops or at a gas station.

I slept from about 5:30 until 8:30 AM when I got up to move the car into the neighborhood. I milled about drinking coffee and caught up on the running scene before heading out the door. My run took me to Marblehead and I did a loop of the Neck. The body didn't feel too bad given the few hours of sleep and long travel time in the car.

I'm scheduled to run the Boston Prep 16 Miler tomorrow in Derry, NH and have no idea how it will go. I guess it will be a check to see where my fitness is at.

Loop of the Neck

Time: 76:04
Distance: 18.15 km
Pace: 4:11/km
Map

Meagan and I started out together with a run out to Marblehead for a loop around the Neck. There must have been some snow or ice still on the ground because we opted to take the shorter road route instead of the trail. I remember feeling pretty good the final 5-10km when the pace picked up. The final 10 kilometers were all run under 4:10/km and finished at 3:40/km.

Icy Marblehead Trail

Time: 60:51
Distance: 14.02 km
Pace: 4:20/km
Map

I haven't run on the Marblehead Trial since returning back from Texas and North Carolina. I wanted to grant it some time for the snow/ice to melt which I figured would be the case given the warmer winter temps. Well, it needs more time to thaw out. Some sections were runnable while others were still sheets of ice. Meagan and I opted to run back on the roads due to the slippery conditions. There isn't too much to report about this morning's run as the goal was to just put some time in on the feet.

Short Loop to the Neck

Time: 74:16
Distance: 18.42 km
Pace: 4:02/km
Map

I wanted to hit up Marblehead this morning but figured the trail would be too messy to traverse. I didn't feel like skating on patches of ice that would still remain in the shady sections of the dirt. I'm talking literal shady sections, like no sun, as there are no sketchy sections of Marblehead. Coincidentally, there is a shady section of Salem. It's called The Point and our real estate agent wouldn't even show us property there despite my asking. Anyway, that's beside the point.

My attempt at avoiding the trail and found a more direct route to the Neck. It will be key in future weeks and months for workouts. I can now get to the starting point of a good tempo loop in just over 5 km. It might make the cool down a little long, but the warm up will be spot on.

I ended up running across the causeway and looping the big homes. My legs were a bit tired from yesterday's effort, but I managed to negative split the run. The lack of wind this morning was probably the best part of the effort.

Another Good Run

Time: 71:01
Distance: 16.17 km
Pace: 4:24
Map

Despite having a hard time waking up when the alarm went off this morning, I felt really good on the run. My legs felt fresh, stride felt efficient and body didn't feel tired. Meagan and I just ran out and back along the Marblehead trail in a light rain. Tonight we head to the Salem Common for some strides and plyometrics.

Monday Morning Sisu

Time: 85:40
Distance: 20.04 km
Pace: 4:17/km
Map

Meagan and I ran this morning from the condo to the trail of Marblehead. She wanted to run the Bradlee extension but I suggested making a loop around the Neck. It was a good suggestion as the weather was great and seeing the harbor made for a nice start to the day. My legs are a bit sore from yesterday's long run and I could definitely use a few more hours of sleep to aid the recovery. The pace started easy but was getting rolling by the 3-4 km mark. Meagan was the instigator in this case but I was sure to keep things honest the final 25 minutes of the run. Great run to start the week.

Salem to Fantasy Land

Time: 71:58
Distance: 16.30 km
Pace: 4:25/km
Map

Meagan and I ran this morning from our house to MHD. Nothing too crazy to report. The legs weren't too sore from the harder 5 km of running last night. I am definitely lacking on sleep and recovery this week and need to get some good rest.