Pandemic Running Week 8

I'm pleased to say that after a week of easy peasey running that my hamstring has settled right down. I have felt no twinges at all in the past few days, which is reassuring! 

Weird week though. After last weekend when we saw temps hit 70, we managed to get an actual snow storm this week, plus a couple of really chilly days. Gross! I'm not sure if I can actually remember real snow this late, but there are no rules at the moment. Pandemic. Murder Hornets. People just doing whatever TF they want. Snow. The usual!

Hello

"Things" are slowly reopening over the next couple weeks. (some things anyway.) I suppose that the time of social isolation did help to slow the virus, and to keep from overwhelming the health care system. Unless we wish for complete economic collapse, things are going to have to begin to move in the direction of "normal." That being said.... It's hardly going to be normal. 

My business will carefully embark on a multi-phase reopening process beginning on the 18th. I am fortunate not to have a "high risk" job, and while I am thankful to be allowed to reopen my feeling of responsibility to my family, and staff, make me feel like I am handling a ticking time bomb. I plan to use all precautions, and can only hope that is enough. 

On the running front. Technically 8 days until Boston 2.0 training begins. Weird, to begin training again for a race that will most likely not happen. Either way though, I'm a good bit more fit than when I began training for Boston 1.0, and why not, right? Just going to train along and try to have a good time doing it. 

For next week I think it is reasonable to get back to get back to the mid 20's. I'll say that my goal is between 25-30 miles (but probably closer to 25.... lazyyyy.) No need to go too hard this far out. 

Boston Training 2020: Week 11: The time when I ran, possibly not well

The good news: Last week I was finally recovering from the death cold. 

On Monday I ran some serious bitch hills. Compared to the previous day, I was feeling a lot better and no longer felt like a bubble head. (My ears were still blocked though, and are actually STILL blocked. Absurd.)

The hill BEFORE bitch hill 

I shuffled around for some easy, late, after work treadmill miles on Tuesday. Boring, and my legs were pretty junky. (not sore, just made from concrete)

Wednesday was my official return to speedwork day, and also marked the first outdoor speed day of 2020. Kind of a big deal! 

I ran 6x1200 in the mid to teen 7's. I was quite happy with this, as I missed my last TWO speed sessions because of poor health. 

Post speedwork tired face

Thursday was another dead legs on the treadmill day. It was pouring buckets of rain, and we also got about 2 inches of slop, so it was GROSS out. 

I took two days off (off running, anyways) so that I could spend some time with my sister. 

We enjoyed a really fantastic lady date which included brunch, shopping for gorgeous handbags that are basically *investment* pieces (read: expensive...) going to soakology, and then having dinner (where I promptly had a colossal anxiety attack- cute! fun! #mylife)

Anywhoo. Fast forward to Sunday. It was windy AF, and chilly (about 24) but the roads were dry, and I was finally reasonably healthy, soon I went. 

After two days off, my legs had forgotten how to run. Luckily, after a few miles the feeling of junk leg began to ease up, and the run was decent, if not spectacular. The cold temps made breathing pretty sucky for the final few, but that's to be expected. 

I met my peeps at the pub (NOT "THE pub" because it closed.... but *another* pub.) We had fries and beer and laughed about the misfortune of having a terrible name (my sister and I have a list of terrible names that we always laugh about. inside joke maybe? who knows)

Pub run!!

Anyway. Clearly a better week than the past couple. The hill workout and the speed workout felt pretty decent. Everything else was mediocre. But, I finished a solid week and that is a win. 

Total miles: 46.7
Long run: 16.3
Coldest Day: It was about 6 on Sunday morning. And in the low 20's over the weekend 

Snow? Yeah, like 2 inches of slop plus an inch of rain on Thursday. Mess. No school 
Random: Kate and I would not name our children Keith, Kyle, Dwayne, or Quentin. No offense to people with those names, we are sure you are truly lovely. But maybe not our first choices. Or Todd. No. 

Boston Training 2020: Week 10: The time when I was STILL SICK

So, yes. I was too sick to run until Thursday. 

I just can't see the sense in even trying when one is basically barely hanging on enough to finish a work day. Nobody gets hero points for running when deathly ill. 

By the time Thursday rolled around I was no longer coughing in the night, so I decided to get back to it with some easy treadmill miles. I stuck with that on Friday, and then ventured out for a few outdoor miles on Saturday. Weirdly, after that short (5 mile!) run, my legs felt as though they had run a half marathon. Very weird. 

Unfortunately, the general malaise stuck around through Sunday. The weather was just incredible on Sunday- sun, mid 40's, just perfect! I headed out to attempt 15 and called it a day at 11. 

My head was so congested that I felt like I was in a bubble. My ears were totally blocked, and it made me feel kind of dizzy and out to lunch. I couldn't think of what good could come from running any farther when things felt so gross, so I did not. 

Kind of a drag of a week. No speed work, no hills, no long run. GROSS!!!!!

I did enjoy the nice Sunday though.... 

My sister is visiting this coming week, and my original plan was to have a light week, and a super short long run. NOT going to happen, after the last two half-price-crap-mileage weeks. If I don't want to scrap this training cycle entirely, I am going to have to pack in some mileage regardless. I plan to front load the week, and hit a decent long on Sunday. Fingers crossed that my body cooperates...

Anyway, on to week 11. 

Total miles: 25.4
Long run: Well... 11.3
Coldest Day: A couple cold mornings, close to 0. It was gross and 18 on Tuesday, and raw and snowy and I was sick and hated it so much. 

Snow? Yes, 6" Tuesday 
Random: The worst fillings for an omelette would be:

Lettuce

Spaghetti (like a big, thick layer of plain spaghetti. BARF)

Beets

Pickled herring with onions 

Boston Training 2020: Week 8: The time that the winter intermission ended

It was bound to happen. Fools spring in February is not really a thing, after all. 

Well, this is the upcoming week too. And FYI-it was WAY colder than expected today. Minus 10.

I was lucky on Monday. It was 40 degrees, the roads were bone dry, and since bitch hill was on the schedule these were both good things.

I was still MIGHTY sore from horsepocalypse 2020. I decided to just get out and do what I could, and it payed off. It might not have been the most stylish run, but it was decent and I finished what I planned to do. Low snowbanks allowed for a pretty photo as well. 

Hi Bitch Hill. Or "Hi, FROM bitch hill" is more accurate. 

Tuesday and Wednesday both ended up being my off days for the week. While I usually prefer to break up rest days, there was no choice. I'm working solo 99.9% of the time this winter (which is making for some legit 80 hour work weeks. not complaining, but if anyone happens to be wondering why I'm not available basically EVER, this is why. I'll text you back in May.) 

I also had a really weird finger problem. Since I am still alive, and recovering, it seems that it was not cellulitis, MRSA or flesh eating bacteria like I suspected for a hot minute. Of course, this all came to a head in the middle of a nasty storm (that took out the internet, so I could not even use Dr. Google!) I figured I was headed straight for a snow day amputation. It seems I narrowly missed such a dire ending, as the gross finger seems to be recovering.) 

(short story long... it all began with me picking at a little white bump which I assumed was a splinter. later that night, the finger was so painful it actually woke me up! it then got red and hot and swollen and stupid. my Mom is basically a wound care specialist, so before I decided to hack the thing off, she sent me home with a strict regimen of soaking, bandaging, other stuff, and it does seem a lot better now! Seriously, I live in the sticks and am not gonna head to urgent care when the roads are covered with death!)

Creepy, although you can't really see how bumpy it is from this pic

After a long work day on Wednesday, I headed off for another round with my Chiropractor, which was good. I have had trouble (more in life than in running) for the past year with my left side. From my back, to my hip, to my leg and ankle, it is all left side trouble. We are working through the pieces of what's really out of whack, and what needs to be made stronger. Every week I'm feeling better- which is actually pretty awesome, since I was feeling alright to begin with! For the first time EVER, I headed in for some help BEFORE I was a hot mess. 

I began mile rep work on Thursday with 4x1 @ 7:36. 

I tried out my new Hoka carbon-x shoes, and loved them. 

And honestly. It is 2020. If you don't have a pair of carbon shoes, are you EVEN a runner??

Friday was a pretty gross snow/sleet day. The internet went down. In the most epic display of First World Problem, I had to run 7 miles on the treadmill with no form of entertainment! It wasn't actually too bad- but I can not possibly wish to do this daily. 

Long run Saturday... I expected crap, since crap has been the norm. Plus-it was windy, COLD, and the roads were covered with shit. 

And. It wasn't too bad. A good step better than last week! A gnarly final few miles, as the temp plummeted, my hands and lungs froze, and the sun went down. It legit took me hours to warm up. 

Sunday was a few easy miles. The EASIEST. 

Then, Eric did his long run to a new pub and we met up for a quick beer (before I basically had to go back to work. because this is my life, currently.) (and no, I didn't actually go "to" work, but I went "to" scheduling, accounting, ordering, communicating. I need office staff...) 

As it turned out, it was a better running week. 

For this, I thank:

-Luck

-Skill?

-Random things that I will never be able to recreate 

-Fitness.....???

-Other

Stats:

Total miles: 42.1
Long run: 16
Coldest Day: Sunday morning, -10. Cold long run, started at 22 degrees, finished at 16 degrees. 

Snow? 2.5 inches on Thursday, a whole day of sleet on Friday which made a mess. 
Random: I love it when people assume that since I have no children, that I have infinite time, sleep, money. No cares at all! Living life all foot loose and fancy free. No. As it turns out, I am still an adult and seem to be plenty busy managing things (like dealing with your children btw) I also enjoyed having someone tell me that it must be great not to have to care about the environment since we don't have kids. NO. This is not how it works. Life still continues to be very meaningful, and real, even if you choose not to have children. (surprising, I know!) 

Boston training 2020: Week 7: The time that the thaw continued

Seriously, the January thaw went on and on.

(also, this blog is really late. Really really. I have been SO busy.)

And we got zero snow over the weekend

On Monday it was 40 degrees and I ran up bitch hill. It was a hard run. That's all. 

Wednesday was 5x1200 on the treadmill at a mid 7 pace.  It felt hard too. 

On Thursday I headed out for 7 miles, at what I decided was going to be a "sustainable but working" pace. It's always nice to know what that pace actually is at different points in training. 

Well. Currently that pace is 8:46. Part of me is like, HEY, that's better than a month ago. And part of me is like HEY, BLEH. Pretty standard set of emotions. 

Saturday was long run day, and I was looking forward to having a better run this week. The weather was solid, the roads were bone dry, and I was ready to go. 

And it sucked. The end. 

In my defense, I did have something of an accident on Saturday afternoon. I had a very unpleasant horse encounter (and while I certainly was not grievously injured, I was a bit wounded.) This might have contributed to my terrible feelings of terribleness, but who really knows. At mile 3, I figured I might have to bail. It was one of those awful days. At one point I saw a cop, and hoped he would arrest me and put me in jail so I could stop running. But he did not.....

To add insult to injury, I managed to accidentally pause my watch for a few minutes and lose almost a half mile of my run. Just so irritating!!! 

On Sunday I had planned to do 5 recovery but (due to the horse incident) I felt as though I had been in a minor car accident, or hit by a small bus. I decided to run nothing. In the end, I split the difference and ran a couple. I actually felt better at the end, and since my legs/back were completely uninjured, I knew I wasn't causing any more damage. 

So all in all, kind of a shit bag week. It happens. 

In good news, the World's BEST Chiro moved just two towns away! (making it a 27 minute drive instead of a 70 minute drive!!) And yes, I have had an appointment, and have more planned. This is such good news!!)

Stats:

Total miles: 40.9 (annoying.)
Long run: 17.1, closer to 17.5 IRL
Coldest Day: It never was cold

Snow? NO!
Random: I hate the feeling of needing new shoes. And yes, I need new shoes. 

Boston Training 2020: Week 6: The time of the January thaw

Yep, you heard that right. 

Monday and Tuesday were cold and nasty, and then, BAM. spring came. 

And it. IS. AWESOME. 

Here you have last week, Cold mon/tues and THEN. BETTER.

It has been consistently in the upper 30's and low 40's. This weekend's snow storm was actually in the form of rain. And (most of) the roads are nice and clear. 

So this was week six. I feel like the foundation has been built, and it is time for the real work to commence. Yay?? 

I had a fine, but totally unexciting treadmill 6 last Tuesday. 

Wednesday was speed day, a day when we said a final goodbye to 800's. (which I think is actually a lie. I'll probably do a couple during taper.) Either way, I did 7 at 7:30-7:36.

On Thursday I scooted (labored) over Bitch hill. The weather was quality, and it seemed wise to use my outdoor time to hit some hills. "Hills" on the treadmill never feel like the real deal to me. 

It was clear that more of this needs to happen- I was like "ughhhhhhhh steeeeeep woooooof."

I had a remarkably blah 16 miler on Saturday. My legs took miles to warm up. I felt like I was running uphill into a massive headwind until mile five, which just seems rude. Of course, during those miles I both had to pee, and was stopped by a random walker to "look at animal tracks, possibly a lynx or a mountain lion!!!" I quickly determined that they were tracks from my own dog. I told her "those are tracks from a WILD VIZSLA!!!!" She was more curious than I bargained for, and I had to curb the conversation as I was racing dusk. 

The run continued in an uninspired manner, especially when I hit over a mile of back road in decidedly poor condition. Despite the warm weather, it was full blown snow, ice and ZERO traction. On a day when one is already feeling like they have flat tires, this was a real smack in the teeth. Anyway. I persevered. 

With about 4 miles to go, I merged onto another, blissfully un-snowy, dirt road. Before long, I realized that I was seeing animal prints to pique my own interest. "Hmmmm" I thought to myself "This was one snazzy dog...." Of course, a short time later, I realized that I was actually tracking a WILD VIZSLA. Sure enough, I came across him soon enough and had to stop for a chat, as he is Ellie's full brother, and the only other Vizsla within 50 miles of us. I actually enjoyed seeing him so much, that the remaining miles of the run were the most pleasant of the day. 

I'm very honest with myself when it comes to stopped time during long runs. With 8+ minutes of stoped time during this one, I was feeling somewhat displeased. However, I know that in the big picture it makes no difference because dawdling is not a habitual thing for me. (I will always stop to pee-and there is just NO way I can manage a long run without 2 plus quick pee stops. But that is nature calling, and will also happen in a race.) 

So the meal of my story. Stop all you want. Do whatever. But be honest with yourself about your actual, honest-to-Garmin moving time. 

On Sunday I ran the easiest 5 miles that ever existed, and then the week was over. 

I'm being proactive for the first time ever. I have been remembering to stretch, foam roll and get ahead of the hip/back problems (those actually hinge more on snow than running- but shoveling is bound to happen....) 

Stats:
Total miles: 42.0
Long run: 16
Coldest Day: Tuesday was a high of 19 which was not pleasant. 

*we should just note, that Wednesday was the start of a lengthy January thaw*Snow NONE just rain this week
Random: I take note of all the road trash while I run. Bud light cans. One orange glove. A long, long screwdriver. One cashew. I see it all. 

Boston Training 2020: Week 5. The time when winter came, and it got cold

This was another perfectly fine week of work. Despite some cold and snowy weather, I continued along right on schedule.

On Monday, I headed out for  6 miler which ended up taking place in an unexpected storm. Things were just fine when I headed out, but drastically changed at the point when I was as far away as could be. It was instant ice- a HUGE mess, and I'm thankful that I met zero traffic on my return trip.

Covered in ice chunks

My mid week runs were all treadmill. At some point I did 6x800 at the infamous 7:36 pace that I seem to gravitate towards.

Saturday long run was done in some COLD (18 degree) weather, and in the aftermath of a decent sized snow storm on Thursday. The challenging footing (either glazed over road, or snow that was similar to beach sand) made things more challenging than one might wish for. However, I got the workout done, I stayed warm, and my legs cooperated.

It has been cold and snowy

Sunday's recovery run was in possibly even grosser conditions. Another good sized storm moved through overnight, and temps rose to about 33 during the day. When I headed out, the roads were covered with a remarkable amount of slush, slime and grossness. Lovely.

I was happy with this week of running and can notice that my legs are coming back. I'll be easing into some slightly higher mileage for February, with the big workouts scheduled for March.

I don't have any "training" races scheduled prior to Boston. I managed to spend all my race cash on Boston, and a fall race for 2020 so I plan to pass on other race options. If Boston doesn't yield a BQ for me, I'll make a plan change and shoot for a smaller, local marathon if I feel that is the correct choice (as in: I fail to BQ due to a shitty day, not a stupid injury or similar.)
The past two years I have run the Mid Winter Classic, and then Hyannis (marathon in '18, half in '19) It's nice to have supported long runs, but I don't mind passing this year to save some cash. I can make the training happen in my own.

Stats:
Total miles: 36.2
Long run: 14
Coldest Day: COLD. A high of 10 with bad wind chills. 
Snow: 9" Thursday, 7" Saturday  
Random: even though I have been running for a while, the thought of running two miles still seems almost unfathomable! Like, I'll drive two miles and my subconscious will say "a person could never run THIS far!!" Weird.

Boston Training 2020: Week 4. The time that running became slightly better

As the title implies, it was a better week on the training front. I feel like I was noticing the (slight) fitness benefits of a few consistent weeks, which was pleasant and helpful.
Strava sent me some helpful stats from last year. I should have tried to estimate the bike mileage I put in prior to MCM, because it would have brought those numbers up a bit.

Another pretty straightforward week. A couple treadmill runs, including 12x400 at 7:30's. Not super fast for 400's but it never makes a huge difference. The thing about speedwork is it all helps in the end- and while it's nice to be hitting wicked fast paces, it's better to just do SOMETHING then avoid it, in terror, over the wicked fast paces.
(quality training advice)

I had a decent enough, VERY warm (over 50) 12-ish miler over the weekend with no ill effects. While I am really not concerned about my summer leg condition returning (since we rarely hike in the winter) it is still good to feel no pain.

There was a full moon. Which meant the dog wanted to wake up in the night and look at it!!

I was contemplating my summer leg/lameness issues the other day. The number of time I rolled my damn ankle last summer was just insane. I ended up with so many issues because of that, and I was congratulating myself on clearly being stronger/more coordinated now.
SADLY, that is not it. All winter long, I wear boots. (I work outdoors) and my boots keep me from constantly straining my ankle. Actually, I can imagine that my ankles are mostly likely at an all time high level of weakness, due to being constantly supported by my boots. So yeah, I'm probably one shitty step away from being a hobbley jackwaggon again!

It would be nice to be able to make time for some strength work and stretching. Ya know, bolster up the weak little stems.
DREAMS, ALL DREAMS. It probably won't happen!

Anyway. Week 4 in the books. With the past two winters containing a February marathon, one part of me feels very behind schedule! However, I know I'm on the right track.


Stats:
Total miles: 33.5
Long run: 12.3
Coldest Day: 20, and it felt damn cold 
Snow: About an inch of rain..... 
Random: In addition to running, my hobbies are hiking (which you all know about) reading (which I love) and puzzles (because I like hobbies that most people find dull) Oh, and drinking beer. 

Boston Training 2020, Week 3: The time when I wrote a post and forgot to hit publish

So yes, delayed. Hitting publish helps.

Of course, I know that nobody waits for this with bated breath (if you do, cool!) Blogging isn't really a thing anymore, but I certainly think this is a handy way to keep a training log.

So, on to that.

It was a fine week (as in, no impending injury, no real issue) but my motivation to run, and my enjoyment of the actual act was at a pretty solid low (not an all time low. but low.) It shall pass.
If not, it's not like I actually need to do this. However, I'm pretty sure this is just a temporary dislike and I'll snap out of it soon.

I managed to get in a couple runs outdoors, despite the increase in snow.

I did a 10+ miler, in some pretty constant rain to the pup (as usual.)

We've had a tough go the last month or so, as one of the owners of our pub had a horrible accident and passed. It was unexpected and extremely jarring. Over the past two years he became a good friend to us. Much more than just a "bartender" but truly someone who we enjoyed seeing, talking to, and sharing a lot in common with. Rarely a week went by when we didn't find ourselves heading that way to share conversation, let our puppies play, and just hang out. We are working our way back to pub runs, and pub time, but it really has not been the same. However, the best way to honor our friend's memory is to continue to support his business, and to let our dog run amok in there the way he always allowed. Hence, pub runs will continue to be celebrated.

I managed 8 400's at mid 7 pace at some point. Had a couple basic runs. That was it.

Stats:
Total miles: 26.4
Long run: 10.4
Coldest Day: Not cold enough to care about. 
Snow: 12" The biggest storm of the season
Random: It took me two years, but I wore out a pair or darn tough socks. On principle, I have sent them back to be replaced. However, I do not plan on doing so again, as two years is plenty to expect from socks. 

Boston Training 2020, week 2. The time when December was brown.

Week two was no problem. Basically as unexciting as one could wish for.

I had a couple treadmill runs, which will continue to be a trend as long as I continue to work until well after dark.

In the theme of discontinuing my habit of leaving speedwork until the last moment, I did 6x400 at 7:48 early in the week. Hey, gotta start somewhere!

I did manage to hit the actual road twice, in the first time in a very long time. Luckily, one of the outdoor days was my "long" run, which (at 8 miles) was not terribly long. However, it should be noted that it was my longest run in a training cycle since September 12th (again with the "you have to (re) start somewhere!)
Currently, the snow levels are almost non existent. The roads are in great shape.
(this will come to an end, there is a foot of snow in the forecast. barf.)

Brown December evening

We did a great hike of Webster, Jackson and Pierce on Boxing Day. The weather was just outstanding (30, no wind, just amazing.) We cruised around the loop in exactly 5 hours. The next day, this caused me to feel like I had run a half marathon. (totally counting this as downhill work!! Not really. But I'm sure it counts for something.)

Well this is nice!!!!

Anyway. That's it from week 2. Pretty standard stuff. Low mileage still, low intensity. I plan to add a reasonable number of miles on this week, not that I have had a month or so of consistent running.

Stats:
Total miles: 22.4
(plus 9 hiking miles) Long run: 8
Coldest Day: Not cold enough to mention, or remember. A few days when it was legit 40. 
Snow: Nope
Random: I'm really delighted in the sub-culture of Vizsla owners. We all get "it." If you have ever found your dog on top of your car, or refrigerator, you get it too. Plus, you really never knew how much "help" you DID NOT have, until you have a a little Vizsla helping you with EVERYTHING. I love her. 

Boston Training 2020: Week one. The time I wrote a boring recap.

Week one was uneventful.

I ran 21 total miles, a "long" run of 7, and a few short (400) repeats. Everything was done on the treadmill this week, because I was working until well after dark.

Things, in general, felt fine. My treadmill has been having some technical challenges. The incline has become uncalibrated (I'm not sure if that is what it is called, but you get the idea.) I have not been fretting about it, but I have been amused to find myself running up a quite steep incline when it is set at zero. Oh well, hopefully I'll be able to make it out onto the roads pretty soon.

It has been two years since I have not attempted a mid winter marathon, and hence, the first December where I am not well into training. We will see how fit I feel come April (I certainly imagine that 18 weeks can get the job done.) After the summer fiasco, my first goal is to simply stay healthy. My second goal is to Qualify for 2021.

Stats:
Total miles: 21
Long run: 7
Coldest Day: Cold, one day with a high of 12 which was terrible but short lived
Snow: The first "real" storm of the year, on Tuesday, with about 3-4 inches
Random: I often think back to my early days of running and remember feeling so impressed and proud of myself for hitting milestones- first 5 miler, first 10k, first 13.1!! I kind of miss that, one really looses sight of how impressive just running a few miles is, when one has been doing it for a while.

Beginning the countdown to Boston 2020

I'm about 90% sure that next Monday is the day that we begin the 18 week countdown to Boston. 

For the past 6 weeks since MCM, I have in no way, shape, or form been training hard (or at all.) This is the first time in two years that I do not have plans for a mid winter marathon, and hence, my training has not begun yet. 

Yes, skipping a mid winter race means leaving all my eggs in one basket for a 2021 BQ in Boston. This is not my favorite approach, but after having a fall race I really didn't feel it was wise to begin training again in November. Especially after being legitimately injured for the better part of the summer. 

I have run just a bit in the last few weeks and (other than being remarkably out of shape) things feel good. This last training cycle for MCM was 90% pure crap. Hopefully, this time around is better. Every training cycle tends to have its own challenges, and I'm sure this one will be no different! However, hopefully I don't have/make the same issues/mistakes twice. 

I'm going to be cautious during the first several weeks, and not ramp up my mileage too quickly. It's easy to want to begin training with a "bang" and I'm sure that would be an idiot move after basically sitting around eating cake since October.

While winter training can be tedious because of lack of daylight, snow covered roads, and frigid weather I have historically found it to be more pleasant than summer training. I do NOT miss the heat, humidity, or the need to drink 200 gallons of water just to survive (and then to feel as thought I a going to float away, or barf.) 

An obvious thing that should keep me from having unexpected ailments... We don't hike NEARLY as much in the winter (we will probably hike twice, to be honest.) So, not only are weekends free and open for long runs, but I don't run the risk of smashing my foot and shin to bits while blazing up and down massive mountains. (I suppose this is a blessing. but I miss hiking at the moment so it is also a curse.)

Reflecting back to my Boston training last year, I went into that race very fit and ready to go. I wasn't 100% on board with my physical or mental training prior to Hyannis in February, but developed a strong base and was able to really crank up the training after that. A setback (with my back) a couple weeks before was of no impact, because I had done the important work. 

So, thoughts for the upcoming training cycle. 

-Keep a closer eye on my back/hip pain that tends to flare up in snow shoveling season

-Stick with what has worked for Boston in the past. (which, in a nutshell is basically "work.") But to be specific, the combo of speedwork/downhill repeats/and long runs at slight up-tempo have worked. I tend to keep my long run pace juuuust under 9:00 miles. My race pace is like, 8:15 I believe, so I easily could set off on a long run closer to 9:30's. However, I have found that upping the pace just a touch allows me to run fewer miles each week. 

That's where I'm at at the moment. I'll report back in next week at the start of week one. 

Mt Tecumseh: 2nd 4k footer of 2019, May 5th 2019

It is Spring, and thus, WE HIKE.

We had a decent weather day on Sunday so we took advantage and scooted off (or drove 2 hours) to Waterville Valley to take a crack at Tecumseh.

Knowing that the Spring weather would have brought many hikers out the previous day, we waited to read the trail report before selecting this as our final pick. With the report saying that there was a stable monorail, doable stream crossings, and no major blowdowns we set off with confidence.

So basically, you drive to Waterville Valley Ski Resort (the sign promises you a "Vacation Of A Lifetime" which I am skeptical of. But I suppose it is a very subjective topic.) You drive to lot 1 at the actual ski area, park, walk across the access road and the trailhead is RIGHT there (my GPS was very accurate.)

On this particular day, there was a fairly significant brook gushing along, about 6 steps into the journey. Ellie had never seen such a thing, and was moderately horrified. We carried her across easily (there were 2 legit stream crossings, and a couple smaller ones such as this. If you have a small dog, and good balance, or a brave dog, there would be no issues.)

The beginning of the trail (the first .83 miles, to be exact) was in excellent condition. It basically looked like Fall, as the beach leaves have not yet rotted. The going was pleasant, an it was a really fine day (it was in the mid 60's at the base, dry, no bugs. Basically a miracle!)

Just prepare to see a lot of dog hiking pics this year.

Right at that .83 mile mark, we stopped to put on micro spikes. The trail turned into snow pretty quickly and was quite hard packed and icy in places. We have the gear, so there is no reason to struggle.
And at that point, we saw other hikers on the way down who were certainly struggling. Even in the most promising summer conditions, I question hiking in casual shoes. And THIS was not the time to try those shoes out. To each his or her own, and if you can climb a mountain in keds- good for you! But just don't.

Mile .83

Mostly, the trail was (as reported) in pretty good condition. Solid monorail, and only a couple times that it turned into a tightrope.

We did see a few postholes, and if you took so much as ONE step off the trail, IN you went (we did not, but we witnessed a crotch deep sinking by another hiker.)

Also, the occasional on-trail death trap

Tecumseh is listed in many places as being one of the best, and easiest hikes for first time 4k foot hikers. I agree with this because it is a short hike (5 miles.) It is also well marked, below treeline, and clearly heavily travelled. HOWEVER. It is not flat. There is most definitely a stretch that is unrelentingly uphill. While one might expect this, I feel that someone who is inspired to try their first big mountain would want to have a few good uphill climbs under their belt before attempting.

It is steeper than it looks. 

Also, if the thought of a remote hike seems daunting, and intimidating than this is the hike for you! You basically hike up next to a ski mountain. There certainly is a feeling of security, knowing that you're so close to civilization.

Random black diamond trail

And more good news! Before you really get tired of hiking uphill you pop up JUST high enough to get a nice view, from a summit with little to no fanfare. (but a summit is a summit!!!)

The miracle? That we actually have a view!!!!

We scooted down in basically no time, taking advantage of the relentless hill to more or less slide down (not really, but Ellie is a fast downhill dog. Which we don't actually care for!)

Ellie leads the way (she is there, I promise)

Anywhoo. We made it down in plenty of time to beat sunset, we had some parking lot snacks and a beer. Ellie chased beech leaves and we were all happy. We forgot to take photos.

So, my thoughts. (Keeping in mind that we dealt with a considerable amount of snow/winter.)
Yes: This is one of the shorter, and therefore easier than some of the higher, or longer mileage peaks. (Jefferson and Bond come to mind here, one for challenge, one for pure distance.) There were absolutely no technical or fiddly sections of trail. Very well marked and clearly heavily travelled. All below treeline, so no real worries about dealing with horrible weather. Even in Spring, all stream crossings were manageable.

But: Quite steep in some sections. If you have a few hikes under your belt, where you have spent several hours on your feet, and have managed some decent elevation gain, you'll be fine.

Stats (I can't remember how I worked this out last year. So this is the 2019 stat edition)

Total elevation: 4003 (you're a squeaker, aren't you??)

Strava data: (we take this with a grain of salt) 
-elevation climbed: 2,131
-miles covered: 4.77 (book has it at 5+)
-elapsed time: 3:08 (this includes all stopped time.) Book time varies between 3:30 and 4:00

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate. Easy due to length, well marked trail, lack of above treeline danger. Moderate die to quite a decent stretch of incline, plus 2 stream crossings that could daunt a beginner hiker in wet or icy conditions.

Views: Limited, but fairly good at the low fanfare summit.

Bugs: None

Dog friendly trail? Absolutely, but don't let your dog crap on the trail. Come on....

Boston Marathon Training 2019: Game OVER (but not like, in a bad way.)

Yep, it's that time. Every year, just like Christmas. This is when I say "game over."

GAME OVER

Because there is only ONE week to go! So basically, no matter what has happened in the past few weeks, Or in ALL the weeks since November, there's nothing that can be done now! So sit back, chill tf out, do yo' damn laundry, and enjoy.

Thankfully, I was more of less back to normal last week. (physically, anyway. haha) After my Saturday massage I began to feel better. I was extremely thankful for this, as my back issue was drastically impacting my work day (and yes, running as well. but I was somewhat more concerned with how I was half assing my actual job.)

I had a short 4 mile run on Monday which felt ok- and not much more than that. My back was about 85% better (than it had been- even on a good day this winter it was still a little sketch) but my legs felt pretty dead, and my calves felt as thought they were working about 75% harder than normal. Weird.

Right, and it was also not really Spring for most of the week. In the end, we had a couple nice days. But not Tuesday morning.

Cold

On Wednesday I had a Chiro appointment which was pretty major. There were quite a few adjustments needed throughout my whole body, but there certainly seemed to be some rather significant problems in my pelvis. Gross. Once I headed out, I felt better than I had in weeks and was able to have a very normal feeling 5 miler. Good news. I have another Chiropractic visit next week to make sure that the improvements stuck, and then I'm on my own until after race day.

I hoofed it over bitch hill on Thursday, to find a smaller snowbank.

I can see over the snowbank!

Saturday brought about the final long run (I think I did a few easy miles on Friday- but who can remember?) 11 miles, on a pleasant day (about 53 degrees) at around an 8:20 pace.
Ummmm, but ALSO, there was a little garbage snow in the morning.

Gross

Luckily, it warmed up well, and was a really nice day! And the workout: Basically a carbon copy of the final long-ish run from last year. Hopefully, a good omen. I also saw a fox hunting a turkey, so that was cool. And random.

Looks almost like Spring!

No workout on Sunday, but a 90 minute massage/trigger point session that sucked (but not as badly as last week.)

My feelings

Since it was national beer day, we then took Ellie to the pub and she fell asleep. Lame!

Perfect

So, during the great back crisis of 2019, I missed approximately 212 workouts.
Or, 3, to be more accurate.
I missed my biggest bitch hill workout.
I missed my final chance at downhill reps (which were already lacking...)
And, I missed my final long-long run which was expected to be about 16-17 miles.

UGH. I must assume though, that 3 workouts won't have made or broken me. There was nothing I could have done about it anyway, so I'm not going to ruminate.

The weather is looking alright for race day. No complaints from me!

Terrible photo

So this week will be all about fluffing around as per the taper usual. I'll run a couple little 800's or something mid week, and then put the legs up and on ice.

And that, my friends, is that.
March was a super month of running- I finally felt that things were really solidifying. I am going to take that confidence to the start line and run the shit out of this race.

Stats:
Mileage: 30.5
Crisis bodywork appointments: 2
Actual sobbing meltdowns: ZEERO
Times I ran 0.04 miles and stopped: ALSO ZERO, SO A HUGE WIN
Times I was so pissed: ZEROOOOOOOOOO

Boston Marathon Training 2019: Week 12

And here we are, just 3 weeks away from race day (umm, that came up quick.)
(edited to add: I had this post ready to go yesterday and when I hit publish I discovered that blogger was malfunctioning. I lost half my post and all the pics. So I'm going to cobble this back together, but I am annoyed.)

I am once again in Wave 3, corral 1. I can't help but think that I am the slowest person in that particular corral. Oh well, I can start in the back (or knowing me, just basically miss the start, and start when/wherever.)

The past week was a good week, and a big week. A warm (er) week, and a cold week! An up week, and a down week (like, literally, not like feelings wise or anything.) A fast week and a slow week (but mostly fast, woof.)

Monday was a nice, slow day. 5-ish recovery miles, a few done with my crazy ass puppy, and a few (far less exciting ones) without her.

*AND THEN THE WORK BEGAN*

Wednesday was evening speedwork day, with 6x1 mile reps on the agenda. This workout went really well, and I managed to complete every repeat in the low 7's (like, the fastest one was a 7:08. Jesus Christ, I have basically become Shalane Flanagan!!! orrrr not.)
Oh, and winter is still going strong. It warmed up to right around 40, but it was a freezing morning.

Cold. Why?

Thursday was big bad bitch hill day. Luckily, unlike last week, I was able to do this a full 24 hours after speed work instead of 11.
Since this was a peak week, I added in an extra lap up the bitchiest part of the hill.
And the snowbanks are still stupid, STUPID BIG.

12' snowbanks

I also took Ellie for a short hike on Thursday evening, to let her work on her own running skills!

RUN!!

On Friday the weather was just disgusting. 3 inches of snow, a bunch of rain, wind, SHIT.
I hate to do downhill reps on the treadmill, because it is impossible to make them as aggressive as I would like to (the treadmill's best decline is 3%, and then your pace is limited to 8MPH.) So, I did what I could, but the workout just does not feel as legit done this way.
*Sigh* Either way. It beat certain death on the roads. And I did 3x1.5 miles downhill, so it was still ok.

Saturday was "rest" day this weekend, and I actually made a concerted effort to limit the time spent on my feet. Evidently, this is the best I can do (and it really is- this was the bare minimum of steps taken on a "light work" Saturday...)

Basically, I slept all day

And this brings us to Sunday. Long run day. It was warm enough! (48!) Less wind than the previous day, when it was a hurricane. And enough sun so that shorts and a tee shirt were in order.

SUMMER!! or, 48 degrees

Despite the run getting off to an iffy start (nothing major- just a sloshy stomach for whatever reason) it ended up being solid. A couple minutes of stopped time (like, 4 minutes total) for a quick outfit change, to say hello to Eric and Ellie as they drove past me, and a couple pee breaks. As much as I'd like to eliminate all stops, I also don't care to pee myself.

A little bit of hip soreness starting at mile 17 reminded me of the need for some focus on that area for the next few weeks. 3 weeks isn't long, but it's enough time for me to make a little headway in that area,.

Anyways, I arrived at the pub on schedule.
And met my friends!

Ellie is embaressed by us 

And Ellie met hers.

Winston stole her bone

So, I'm feeling good. More fit than a month ago! Time for me to begin to predict the start of Summer on April 15th (hey- I'm not being gloomy, I'm just being historically accurate!) I feel physically good, and mentally significantly better than pre-Hyannis. But if it is 67 (or like, 60) there is no way I can be physically ready for that change. Oh well.

 Stats:

Mileage: 51.7
Long run: 20.2
Beer at pub: The typical triple/double, which is called a Pentacream, FYI
Coldest day: It was 9 on Wednesday morning. Gross. And 34 with 35 MPH wind on Saturday, also gross.
Snow days: The 3" snow, plus rain, plus gross made for an early release Friday

Boston Marathon Training 2019: Week 11

So at this point, we're in the thick of things. This week and next are definitely going to be peak weeks of training.

The good news? I'm feeling good. Stronger. The legs are coming around.

And generally speaking, the weather was far better this week. It was the first week in (I believe) the past 5 months that I have been able to avoid the treadmill entirely.
Which is good. While I am thankful to have the treadmill, I have REALLY not been enjoying it this season.

Last Monday I had a normal recovery run. The roads were a soggy, slushy mess after the 4" of Sunday snow, but it was warm (about 42!!) so out I went. I ran about 3 miles with my puppy, and then finished up on my own. Other than having sopping feet at the end of this, all was well.

Tuesday was technically a rest day, but Ellie, Evan and I went for a snowshoe/hike that was a pretty solid workout. The weather was spectacular, and it was a really enjoyable time, so, TOTALLY worth it.

OMG worth it!!!

Even when I have an "easy" day at work, when you throw in a 3.5 mile hike, your rest day looks like this. Not so restful.

Very restful

Wednesday was the beginning of ALL kinds of hard work.
I finally managed to get my speed work done on the road. This made me happy, because getting off the treadmill is always a good thing. This also made me feel afraid, because I am not terribly good at setting a pace. I was able to pace off Eric last year, because he was running a lot, and he is basically a metronome. This year, I seem to be rolling solo (because Eric is riding his bike, not because he has vanished or something terrible.)

I ran 3x2 mile reps, randomly hoping I could manage the arbitrary 7:36 pace that I seem to be sticking with in 2019.

They came in at 7:45, 7:31, 7:29.
While I'm not going to do the math on this, I would say the average is close enough to 7:36 to just call it good!
I finished this workout as the sun was setting....

And then, well before the sun rose the next day, I was running over Bitch Hill.
In an inch of fresh snow, and icy roads, just to make it extra special.

I'm not a huge fan of running at ass o'clock. On this particular day, there was no choice. So I woke up feeling pretty good about the adventure, and just got it done (just as the sun rose....)
(which made for a very, very tired Thursday...)

Yeah. I don't really look fresh as a daisy here.

The one good thing about completing two runs less than 12 hours apart? I basically felt like I had two rest days. So by Saturday, I was like, super fresh!!

And it was a good thing that I was all rested up by the weekend, because I had a 14 mile run planned, 11 of which were to be at marathon pace.
AGAIN, I'm really not the most confident at pace setting, PLUS my watch is kind of a psycho, and therefore is not really a lot of help. So I was like, ok. I'll warm up for a mile. Run kinda fast for 11. Then run less fast for 2. It was a solid plan!
Well, it turned out well, and was one of the better workouts of this training cycle (coming in at a 7:55 overall pace, which is silly. I will not be running 7:43 pace miles at the marathon, which was my pace for the 11 MP miles...)

Straight to the pub

Anyway. Good, done, went to the pub, saw my dog/husband/dad, the end. It was also 40 and windy AS FUCK which was both good (warm) and annoying (wind.)

Yay!

Sunday was downhill repeat day, which was just fine and not worth talking about. It was warm enough (30) windy (typical) and even though I had run fast the day before my legs felt quite good. Go figure.
The roads are clear. The snowbanks are big. And March is only halfway over, so we could still have Winter's second coming.

Currently...

Stats:

Mileage: 44.6 (plus about 5 miles of hiking which I do not count.)
Long run: 14
Beer at pub: The typical triple/double, plus a random pickle gose that we all had a sip of AGAIN! (I hate to think that I am beginning to enjoy pickle beer!!)
Coldest day: Not terribly cold. it was in the mid 20's on Bitch Hill morning, but that is basically summer
Snow days: We had 4" on Sunday, and another inch on Thursday morning. So basically nothing.