Battle Road Long Run

Time: 110:04
Distance: 24.01 km
Pace: 4:35/km
Map

Meagan and I met up with Jenn, Justin, Carly, Emily and a few others out at Fiske Hill. We planned to do our long run on the crushed gravel path with a slight detour near the Great Meadow. The last time we were out here the meadow was flooded and we had to sprint through standing water in hopes of not getting our feet wet. Justin found a route that would be the same distance and bring us into Concord. In the summer, I can see us making a longer run by running the Great Meadow Loop and then heading into Concord which would probably be around 30km total.

I never felt great on this run and the legs were a bit banged up from yesterday's track workout. Aerobically I felt good, but the last 5km or so I was wishing to be done.

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.

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.

NYC Manhattan to Brooklyn

Time: 85:37
Distance: 20.02 km
Pace: 4:17/km
Map

I traveled to NYC this morning for a meeting in Brooklyn. It left me free to visit stores the rest of the day in Manhattan and join up with Jay Holder for a run to his massage therapist in Brooklyn. We met on 21st St. and ran down the West Side Highway to the Manhattan Bridge. The pace was solid and caught up on training, racing and the upcoming track meets. Jay's training for the Boston Marathon is going really well and it will be exciting to watch him race in April.

I didn't feel too spectacular at any point of the run due to the early alarm clock and last night's workout. I was more exhausted from a long day than from the workout. I was glad to have company for the run as I would have likely run just a fraction of what we did.

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.

Derby Street Mile

Time: ~51:55
Distance: ~11.02

W/u: 27:01 for 5.25 km
Race: 4:37 for 4th overall
C/d: 15:17 for 2.55 km

And to think I used to consider myself a miler. Tonight was a pitiful showing at the Derby Street Mile. I didn't even come close to running what I wanted. I didn't contend for the win. I didn't defend my home turf. Truly a poor showing.

I had a slight expectation that this race wasn't going to go well, but I tried to put those thoughts away. I felt sluggish and tired on the run this morning and during my warm up. I briefly considered not registering, but then pictured myself sprinting to victory. I wanted to do that.

The contenders on the start line appeared to be a guy from New Balance Boston, a kid with half tights and backwards hat, and a crew of out of towners. The woman of the crew was sporting a Bowerman Athletic Club singlet. She would go on to victory in 5:05.

The race started and I was out just behind the NBB athlete with the backwards hat kid just off my shoulder. I remained in contention for the first 400 meters and then proceeded to get my doors blown off. The NBB guy opened up a gap and cruised to the win nabbing a course record of 4:18 which earned $100. I couldn't close the gap and just felt heavy from the halfway point to the finish. With about 200 meters remaining a guy came up on my shoulder and rolled past me. I responded just briefly but couldn't get back the lost strides. I was fearful that he was a masters runner, but it turns out he's a youthful 38 years old.

Tonight's performance is not indicative of my fitness. I should have been able to run faster than 4:37 as I was hoping to run in the 4:25 range. However, I do recognize my mileage has been quite high for the past 7 days. I have logged in the 120 mile range if you add up the last 7 days of running which brings me close to a career high. Excuses, excuses.

Time on the Feet with Meagan

Time: 82:50
Distance: 18.09 km
Pace: 4:35/km
Map

After last night's sluggish stride session, I would have loved to sleep in this morning. However, I was up and out the door with Meagan dragging me along to Marblehead. The body struggled for much of the run but I made it.

Sluggish Morning Run

Time: 46:03
Distance: 10.27 km
Pace: 4:29/km
Map

I headed out the door looking to get in some distance before tonight's Derby Street Mile. I felt tired the entire run as my legs were heavy and the body just feels run down. I hope I'm able to turn things around later tonight and have a decent showing in a local race. The increased mileage from the past week seems to be taking it's toll a bit.

Solo Double Run

Time: 46:29
Distance: 10.01 km
Pace: 4:39/km
Map

I dragged myself out the door this evening not wanting to run. I managed to put my feet in front of one another and cover the required distance.

Time on the Feet

Time: 69:19
Distance: 16.09 km
Pace: 4:18/km
Map

I got out for some time on the feet this morning. Nothing too crazy to report. The legs are a bit sore and the body is tired.

Slow Run?

Time: 38:08
Distance: 8.04 km
Pace: 4:45/km
Map

I don't really remember this run, but based on the pace I was going really slow. Meagan may have been with me, maybe she wasn't. I'll take it as time on the feet.

New Home in Salem

Time: 64:35
Distance: 13.42 km
Pace: 4:49/km
Map

Meagan and I spent our first night in Salem and got up to go for a run from our new place. We headed out looking to make a new loop and explore some areas. I wasn't feeling great which makes three runs in a row where I wasn't feeling up to par. We did find a few neighborhoods that might be nice to run through on runs and a trail entrance to Salem Woods. The trail was really overgrown and muddy so we decided to turn around. This run could have been called "school loop" as we went past Salem High School, the middle school and two or three elementary schools.

Loop Around Nahant

Time: 92:49
Distance: ~23.1 km (Garmin has 23.66)
Pace: ~3:58
Map

I ventured out on somewhat tired legs to run around Nahant. I found the wind to be at my back and the effort feeling very easy for the first 8 km. For some reason the Garmin goofed and clocked the opening kilometer at 3 minutes, probably a full 500 meters early. All of the remaining splits were spot on.

I kept trying to relax and let the splits come to me, but found myself clicking off roughly 4:00/km pace with ease. I hope it's a sign of my fitness improving and not the wind at my back. The rolling portion around the little town of Nahant felt comfortable and then I faced the wind for the remainder of the run. I tried not to increase the tempo too much, but just lock into a steady clip which ended up being between 3:50-3:55/km. It was nice to see that I could hit the splits with little effort running into a headwind.

Today was a big day for Karhu supported athletes as Joe Moore clocked 64:43 at the US Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, MN. His performance placed him 12th overall. He apparently rocked matching royal blue Karhu shoes and a shirt at the awards ceremony along with a rad pair of jorts.

Also, Sam Vazquez who is based in Chicago and has duel citizen ship in Puerto Rico ran 3:37.6 for 1500m at the US Miler Series. He needed to run 3:38.00 in order to punch his ticket to the London Olympics. You can check out and support Sam at his website here.

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!

First Freezing Run

Time: 134:09
Distance: 30.58k
Pace: 4:23/k
Map

Today we woke up to the first truly cold day of the year. If yesterday were frigid, today was freezing! When Meagan , John and I left the house it was a balmy 20 degrees with a windchill making it about 10 degrees colder. Oh the joy of running in New England in the winter.

I shouldn't be complaining too much because the sun was at least shining and we have exceptional gear to keep us warm. I broke out some Craft Siberian Gloves that I believe are suitable if you were to ever run an ultra in a Russian winter. Meagan was in charge of leading the crew down the trail and just into Swampscott. I was content to run with Meagan and her father for about an hour, but long runs already take a significant amount of time. I didn't want to prolong the misery of running in cold windy conditions. This often happened when I was in college which I would end up just hammering long runs with whoever wanted to sniff the front. My thought was always to get it over with as quickly as possible, right?

We showed John a significant portion of Marblehead to the point of knowing where the Dunkin' Donuts was located. I parted ways with the Nedlos along the trail and headed out to Salem for the remainder of my run. I picked up the pace gradually into the wind and kept it honest all the way into town. My face was numb, but I tried to remain positive as there will be many tougher runs to come. My Salem route took me to some familiar places that I walked when I dad came to visit and then I wound up at Washington Square.

The square is more like a triangle and is about 700m around. I made 4 or 5 loops before thinking it was time to venture back to Marblehead. My final 9 kilometers were all under 4:00/k as the wind was at my back on sections. I learned from living in Oklahoma that you always plan a route into the wind first. There's nothing more miserable than to be tired, sweaty and having to run back into a stiff breeze.

Once back at the house I was able to do some light stretching and mull over the bag of donuts in my kitchen. John treated everyone to some gluttonous/gluten-ous treats which were consumed under the rule #1 principle.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	2:14:08.5	30.58	4:23
1	5:20.2	1.00	5:20
2	5:02.9	1.00	5:03
3	5:00.0	1.00	5:00
4	4:58.1	1.00	4:58
5	4:58.5	1.00	4:58
6	5:09.7	1.00	5:10
7	4:56.2	1.00	4:56
8	4:53.9	1.00	4:54
9	5:09.6	1.00	5:10
10	4:59.5	1.00	4:59
11	4:57.5	1.00	4:58
12	4:30.2	1.00	4:30
13	4:17.5	1.00	4:18
14	4:18.6	1.00	4:19
15	4:14.5	1.00	4:14
16	4:16.4	1.00	4:16
17	4:09.7	1.00	4:10
18	3:59.9	1.00	4:00
19	4:08.2	1.00	4:08
20	4:04.8	1.00	4:05
21	4:00.8	1.00	4:01
22	3:54.5	1.00	3:55
23	3:57.2	1.00	3:57
24	3:47.8	1.00	3:48
25	3:56.6	1.00	3:57
26	3:53.9	1.00	3:54
27	3:49.6	1.00	3:50
28	3:50.2	1.00	3:50
29	3:39.5	1.00	3:39
30	3:44.4	1.00	3:44
31	2:08.0	0.58	3:40