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.

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.

Bagged Workout

Time: 48:02
Distance: 10.91 km

W/u: 19:39 for 4.18 km
W/o: 3 x 2 mile in 11:20, 11:15, 11:10 (w/ 4 min recovery); 4 x 400 in 80, 79, 78, 77 (w/ 1 min recovery)
C/d: 23:20 for 5.31 km

Tonight's workout with Meagan was going to be a tough one on the Topsfield crushed gravel path. It called fro 3 x 2 miles with some 400s to finish up. We discovered that the trail was in pretty good condition except for a few patches of leftover snow from the most recent snow storms. I made the decision to shorten the workout to 3 x 3k w/ 3 min recovery. The wind would be a factor on the way out and a boost on the second half of each interval.

Meagan seemed to be ready to put things in place for a strong effort, but we soon found out that it wasn't meant to be. She sounded really strained the first 1400m of the first interval and we called off the effort just as we were going to turn around. I had wanted her to hit splits of 3:32-3:33/km on the opening 3k and we can through in 3:34. It wasn't a terrible split considering the wind and softer surface, but Meagan just didn't sound right. I could tell she wasn't really in control and we opted to bag the workout for tomorrow morning.

Split

We cooled down and called it a day. Tomorrow will hopefully be a better representation of her fitness.

Battle Road Long Run

Time: 104:31
Distance: 23.21 km
Pace: 4:29/km
Map

Meagan and I met up with some friends for a St. Paddy's Day long run along Battle Road. We were greeted by Jenn Lutz (formerly Donovan) handing us four leaf clover stickers in the parking lot. The pace was generally pretty easy starting out and never got too out of control. Running around the Great Meadow was the most interesting as two sections were completely washed out and we were forced to sprint across getting the shoes and socks wet. It made for a bit of fun and kept the laughs going. Justin and I added on a little bit around Fiske Hill to extend the overall distance before calling it a day.

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.

Hamilton Woods

Time: 75:14
Distance: 14.17 km
Pace: 5:21/km
Map

I drove up to Hamilton this morning to meet up with the Karhu and Craft GM and his buddy. They have been meeting most Saturday's for runs in the Hamilton Woods and trails. It was my intention to arrive about 30-45 minutes early so that I could get in some distance on the roads beforehand, but I actually was able to sleep until 7:00 this morning. I only had about 15 minutes to log 3-4km before linking up with the guys.

We headed off across the park where Gabe's Run is held and ventured into the trails. It was a little difficult to maintain footing on the icy and snowy trails, but I managed to stay bipedal. The pace was gentle but it didn't seem too slow given the terrain. The conversation was good and covered an array of topics including shows like Portlandia and Homeland, the running biz, local restaurants and skiing. It would be useful coming back more times and learning the trails better for this spring and summer.

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.

Battle Road Long Run

Time: 141:20
Distance: 32.03 km
Pace: 4:25/km
Map

Where to start? How about from today and start working backwards. My hope is to crush out some blog posts that will hopefully get me close to being fully updated. That will take a lot of work. I would probably just run 32k or 20 miles, whatever comes first like I did this morning.

This morning Meagan and I met up with a crew in Lexington's Battle Road. Important stuff happened there in April like a really long time ago. Something about these guys in red coats and rebels. The rebels won which is usually not who you root for, but in this case it was a good thing. The group consisted of Meagan, Emily, Jenn D, Terry Shea who is definitely not Carly Shea and Kevin the Irishman. In similar fashion to my former teammate Eamonn O'Connor, Kevin the Irishman just took off three weeks from running when he returned home to party. So typical.

I felt good and managed to log the run without dragging despite not eating dinner last night. It's a bit of a long story that I won't go into but it involved soda which I never drink, beer which I often drink and Wii. I finished up the final 10k mainly with Emily who is crushing workouts and looking fit in prep for the Toronto Marathon this fall. Maybe it's Ottawa.

soundRunner Group Run

Time: 88:07
Distance: 19.59 km
Pace: 4:30/km
Map

Meagan and I drove to Stratford, CT last night to take over Pat Price's of WritingAboutRunning.com fame's hotel room. It made for just a short drive this morning with the Karhu Airstream to SoundRunner for a day of merriment. We arrived with time to get the Airstream situated in an ideal parking spot across from the store. A group of me, Jesse, Chaz, Meagan and Brian set off for a run that would loop around town. We were told there would be trails but we didn't know it would have been smart to bring a machete. To say the trails were a little overgrown would be an understatement but we all survived. It was a good way to start off the day and get in a run with a fun crew.

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.

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.

Monday Morning Sisu Run

Time: 89:46
Distance: 20.07 km
Pace: 4:28/km
Map

The week got start off running to Marblehead with Meagan. Nothing crazy to report other than getting some solid distance this morning.

Monday Morning Run

Time: 94:05
Distance: 21.29 km
Pace: 4:25/km
Map

The week started off with a solid effort around MHD and Salem. The body is tired. The fitness is coming.

Old Erie Canal & Green Lakes

Time: 69:55
Distance: 16.02 km
Pace: 4:22/km
Map

After running in Albany, we jumped back on I-90 and headed out to Syracuse. This morning we met up with Justin Wager who is the footwear buyer at Fleet Feet and a member of Stotan Racing until he leaves to head back to school at the end of the month. We met up at one of the parking lots along the Old Erie Canal which runs from Buffalo (Lake Erie) to Albany. The crushed gravel path is perfectly flat and wide enough to fit a fair sized group of runners. We headed out with a couple other members of Stotan Racing for about 10 minutes before we turned off for a loop around Green Lakes. It was Meagan's first time here and I always enjoy getting back to these sites.

Long Run on Battle Road

Time: 152:52
Distance: 32.33 km
Pace: 4:44/km
Map

Meagan and I drove out to Lexington, MA this morning to meet up with some runners from the BAA. The group was going varying distances but Brett Ely was going to log 20 miles along the widely shaded dirt trail where the revolutionary war was fought. I really should stop to read some of the signs where the Americans and British waged war, but that would take away from the training. It's a cool trail with lots of history as there are battle fields where significant things happened. There are also signs that say "British soldiers buried here" which is where I choose to go to the bathroom (only kidding).

Our group ran out Battle Road, around the Great Meadows and back to get water. Some members called it a day there while a few of us returned back to the trail. Brett and I ended up logging over 2 hours and 30 minutes of running which is much more than I usually do. The pace was never that fast and I felt really good the entire time. It got me to thinking about running an ultra and if that would be fun. I wondered how competitive I would be at 50 km to 50 miles and what pace I could hold. I could have definitely run another hour at a faster pace with little issue. I think this means I'm starting to get back in top form.

Running to Fantasy Land

Time: 59:58
Distance: 13.15 km
Pace: 4:34/km
Map

Meagan and I are settling in to our new town of Salem quite nicely, but that doesn't mean we can't get in some quality time back in Marblehead. Today we took a spin from our house in downtown back to the trail of Marblehead to reminisce on the trail. Despite the two towns being only a few miles apart, they couldn't be more different.. Salem is real world while Marblehead is fantasy land. I like them both but definitely know Salem is a better fit for us in terms of where we are in our lives. Maybe at a later time I'll provide pictures detailing the differences between the two towns, but not today.

Rainy Week Starter

Time: 64:44
Distance: 14.25 km
Pace: 4:33/km
Map


I was out the door this morning for maybe 15 minutes when it started to rain. Meagan had told me that it was supposed to rain later in the day but I figured that was early afternoon. The rain came down hard for the final 45 minutes of my run. Fortunately, the weather was warm enough and the rain felt somewhat nice. Unfortunately, I felt terrible as my legs and body just weren't right. I felt sluggish the entire way and the rain only made me feel heavier.

MHD LSD

Time: 96:10
Distance: 22:04 km
Pace: 4:22/km
Map

Meagan and I started this one together on a loop that is quite familiar to us. We ran around the Neck using the MHD trail. Once we hit Seaview Ave, she turned right and I turned left. I added on a bit extra to get over the 20 km mark and bring my weekly distance to something I thought I needed. I still don't add up during the week so it's usually a surprise when I sit down and tally my weekly total.

ST Crushes a K

Time: 55:52
Distance: 12.14 km
Pace: 4:36/km
Map

The Marblehead bromance between ST and me continued this afternoon after I returned from the long run in Lincoln Woods. Most probably don't know but Meagan and I recently purchased a condo in neighboring Salem, MA. The house closed officially on Friday and I now have keys in hand. During the two week period that we had to move out of our seasonal rental at Fort Sewall and taking possession in Salem, we've been staying with a coworker. More specifically I have been staying with ST as Meagan decided to take a 10 days journey to the Midwest and leave the two of us to our own vices... BBQ and beer. We have consumed more pork and beers than you could imagine during the last week and a half.

You see ST is originally from Korea but has lived in Finland for the last seven years with his wife and two daughters. He's the flatland BMX champion of both Korea and Finland. However, he now spends more time staying up to late hours in the morning working on Karhu and Craft web development. (Check out some of his videos). I think due to his Korean and Finnish roots he refuses to cook with gas (no sisu) so we went out and bough a charcoal grill from Lowe's. We have put it to good use no less than 4 times in less than a week. I only mention this because we have been living the bachelor life with Meagan gone and ST's family not arriving to MA until August.

Today was no different as we ventured over to the Muffin Shop in Old Town Marblehead. We consumed some ice coffee and a scone while sitting at Crocker Park overlooking the harbor. I told you this was a bromance. We bullshitted for awhile and admired the boats while making fun of others. There was one tiny sail boat that basically looked like a bathtub with a sheet for a mast! Once we were done we came home and he was adamant on running so we laced up the shoes and headed off.

Granted I already put in close to two hours this morning was no concern of his. He's not the fastest dude in the world but he's tough. Much sisu! We ran from his place, to the trail, around the neck and back the way we came. On an easy run he'll average just over 5:00/km but today was wanted to get after it hoping for 4:45-4:50/km. The pace was honest and I wasn't feeling too exhausted after the run this morning until around 10 kilometers ST decided to take a flyer and drop a 3:50 km. He was utterly gassed by the end of it and struggled home the final 5 minutes but he made it in a new personal best average.