Boston training week 6: the one with the shoes that have 5167 miles on them

A relatively uneventful week in these parts.

I purchased a pair of new shoes last week (Hoka Clifton 4's, I had 4 pairs of the 3's and I really hope to like the update on the 4's.)
However. I like my first run in new shoes to be out on the road, in the magic of nature. As is typical for Maine, the roads were insanely disgusting this week. My outdoor running days were fairly warm and wet, and flooding, slime, slush and puddles reigned supreme.
I don't want to destroy my pretty new kicks the first time out, so I am still slopping around in a truly ancient pair of Clifton 3's. (exact mileage: 572 miles )

My week was extremely busy. No complaints here, as a self employed human in a good weather driven sport, being busy in February is a huge plus. That being said, I was more or less stuck on the treadmill until the weekend. (dark plus death ice equals doom. so nope)

Tuesday was a recovery run. After such a fast 20 on Sunday I wanted to closely evaluate how things felt in the days after. I was maybe a bit tired, but I was neither sore, nor completely destroyed. Actually, I was quite pleased with how my old bod felt.

(and then, I proceeded to NOT SLEEP for the rest of the week. It was really unpleasant. and that, plus PMS crap, and my old bod felt less good as the week went on.)

On Wednesday we had a pretty solid winter storm, and saw about 9-10 inches of snow fall upon us.

Storm day

I hit the treadmill for 6x1 mile repeats, 3 at 7:30, and 3 at 7:24. This is an impressive uptick from what I was doing prior to Boston last year, and since hitting my speed workouts has been a goal, I felt quite successful.

Also successful at snow removal

Friday had me feeling the consequences of an extremely busy week on very, very little rest. After another impressively long day on the job, I cut my losses and did an easy 4.
(and then, I took a Benadryl and slept for 10 hours straight. doesn't take much to knock me out!)

Oh, I made the banana bread from Run Fast, Eat Slow. We then had French Toast made from the loaf basically every day.
It. Was. Amazing.
Make this now, NOW. Go, do it now. Skedaddle.

Banana bread, French toasted. YES. 

Saturday was a totally decent day for a long run in February. 38 degrees and cloudy is about as good as we can hope for! The roads were very slushy, puddly, and icy in places which did present more of a challenge than would be considered ideal.
Eric and I both felt the effects of some cumulative fatigue during this run, and we both essentially put our heads down and gutted it out. It was not a disaster by any stretch, but it was work.
And coming in at 18 miles, probably *work* even on a good day!

We made it!

We met my Dad and sister at the pub and I proceeded to:

1: go pee
2: drink several glasses of water
3: change into dry clothing, and examine foot blisters from all the puddles
4: drink chalky protein shake, talk, pat Winston the bar dog, eat a slice of pizza
5: drink a delicious 12 ounce Picea on Nitro
6: take selfie to prove we were there
7: consume more water, pee 12 times, return home to eat most of the cheese in the house (or all of it, but who is really reading this.)

Selfie to prove that we were there

Downhill repeats have been a part of my pre Boston plan. I have yet to figure out the magic recipe to run Boston without feeling like a bucket of assholes (well, the year that it was freezing and raining really helped with that goal. Go figure)
I have a lot of problems with Boston. It is almost always one point two million degrees. It is a long fucking day. The course is a bitch of net downhill that ruins your life, and yet every mile has an uphill that punches you in the throat.
And yet, not only do I continue to return, but I really look forward to this mess from the bottom of my heart.
Really though...  At some point, I would like to learn the correct method of training, that will render my legs somewhat more useful at mile 18 and beyond on marathon day.
Anyway, in hopes of someday cracking the code, I headed out on a 33 degree rainy Sunday for some more downhill repeats.
The road was slimy, but I can't complain too much. I haven't had a lot of time to refine my rain/ road freezing technique yet this year, so it was good training (I'm serious, if you are going to run a winter marathon you really need to train in everything.) This was a good workout, I got absolutely drenched in puddle water, and my legs were smoked. Thankfully, I was still wearing the shoes with 4,987 miles on them. They honestly needed to go right in the hopper, totally ruined after this run.

I'm fogging up and look slightly deranged 

Overall, a good week in training despite some fatigue issues at the end of the week. Female issues certainly add to that particular problem, and I cut myself some slack for not feeling at the top of my game.

Miles Run: 46.8

Elevation this week: 1,547

Lowest low temp: 10

Highest temp: 38 = totally fine

Total snowfall: About 10 on Wednesday, and we woke p to 3 on Saturday morning. 

Coldest day that I ran outdoors: 33 on Sunday. Not a hardship. 

Random fact: 20+ years ago I had a green parakeet who I named Billy Joe and loved very much. I let his wings grow and I would let him fly around my parents screened in porch (because I was a kid and still lived at home.) He would land on my shoulder and was really a delightful pet! He had been around for quite a while, but died during the ice storm, basically as a little bird carbon monoxide detector. Luckily, this alerted my family to a problem (it was a very bad storm! Anyone who remembers knows it was a doozy...) Every now and then I think about getting another little bird, but I feel really bad keeping them cooped up in a cage, and I also feel bad letting a bird fly around the house pooping everywhere. So, no bird. 

Boston Training Week 5: The one with the Mid Winter Classic, no photos, and good advice

Somehow, the Mid Winter Classic has already come and gone.
I might be alone with this thought, but I feel like winter is flying by.

My early week running was fairly casual, and on the treadmill due to some more icy weather, some late evenings at work, and the desire to be warm and to watch Dance Mom's.

The only workout of interest was 6x800 @7:04 on Wednesday, which was good. Most likely my last short/fast work until after Hyannis (and possibly Boston, unless you count mile reps as short/fast.)

I made it outdoors on Saturday for a quick, icy, and cool (19 degree) short run.
My shoes have well over 500 miles on them, and need to be replaced! ("they say" shoes should be replaced every 350 miles. "I say" my bank account can not handle that. "I also say" if you like to replace your shoes more often, then you should do that, and not try to be cheap like me!)

Ruined shoes

Sunday's run was certainly the best adventure of the week.

First, I ran 10 miles, from Portland to Cape Elizabeth to log some extra mileage before the Mid Winter Classic 10 miler. So many 10 milers to deal with!
I had a pretty exact plan laid out, as I did not want to get to the race start too early and cool down, becoming a stiff waste of space. I also did not wish to miss the start.
I gave myself about 8 extra minutes to get there, taking into account mishap that might occur (removing/replacing yaktracks, needing to pee (I did not, for the first time ever) getting lost, or simply having a terrible day of running.)
The ONLY mishap that ALMOST happened was just barely missing a Casco Bay drawbridge opening. That certainly would have been exciting! Luckily, it closed up before I arrived. I did have to on and off the yak tracks a couple times, as the footing was complete ice in many areas. Also, the wind was blowing at a good clip. A 25-30 MPH good clip!! As I ran across the bridge, it literally buffeted me to and fro. It was quite remarkable and extreme, to the point that I was laughing out loud at the absurdity of my situation.
Despite the wind and ice, I made it to the race at exactly the appointed hour. Feeling good. 8:35 pace all the way.

I picked up my bib, waved a (very) quick hello to friends, and before my legs even knew they had stopped, I was on my way again.

I'm in the orange vest #proof that I was there!

Generally speaking, it was a quite good day for running. 35 degrees (perfect), overcast (perfect) and really high winds (not perfect, until they are at your back!)

I had a very good run. I was not trying to kill myself with absurdly fast paces, but I was not planning to hold back. The timing of this race is perfect for a pretty big workout prior to Hyannis, so I just let whatever happened happen.

The wind was pretty aggressive for many parts of the race, but it never made me want to cry, or fall down on the street having an adult tantrum.
And you better believe I LOVED the wind when it was at my back for the final mile and a half. It pushed me along to a legit fast finish, a 1:18:15 which is a 7:50 average, which is pretty damn fast, if I say so myself.

Post race, Eric set a HUGE PR

I felt great afterwards, spent some time catching up with friends, and then went out for a delicious late lunch/brunch.

MMMM. Brunch at Silly's is terrific. 

This was a really terrific workout, a good confidence booster, and confirmation that I am considerably more fit than this time (or any time) last Spring.

I feel like this was a great way to wrap up another good week of training!

Back to last week's post for a second. I got a couple comments (which is so rare!!) with some questions about the wisdom of pub runs, aka the wisdom of drinking alcohol after running.
And specifically, if I ever felt that my judgement might be poor after a run, due to being exhausted.

In brief, I can see how a non running person could be shocked that a run of 13-20 miles could leave you anything less than dehydrated, depleted, and possibly delirious! When I was not yet a runner, I could simply not imagine running even a mile without passing out and throwing up.

Now that I have been a runner for many years, my body is pretty used to endurance training. I also care for myself well during my time spent running; hydrating very well, and eating energy boosting (and all natural!) snacks. Also, the pace that I keep during my training runs is causal, and conversational. After a run, if I felt exhausted to the point of not being able to use proper judgement I would most likely go the the Emergency Room, not the pub! I usually feel good after a long run, and ready for a large glass of water (without ice!) a protein filled snack, and then perhaps a small beer, enjoyed with friends, good conversation, and camaraderie.

I would feel badly if someone thought that I was running a terribly hard, and technical long run, followed up with keg stands and body shots to rehydrate! Heavens, that would be a horrible choice! (for me anyway, if you can pull that off then good for you, and yikes!)

In conclusion, I think there are many bloggers out there who live life to an extreme. NO grains, NO dairy, NO sugar, NO beer, NO NO NO!!! I am fortunate not to have any allergies, or intolerances, and I truly enjoy almost everything in moderation. (well, I eat a LOT of veggies.... and I don't smoke ANY crack!!) But, at the end of the day, a little cake, a little beer, a little cookie, a little pizza is part of my well balanced life. I think I am a very accurate, and average example of an non elite athlete, who is honest about their life and training.

(and..... my Doctor agrees. Saying "If I had more patients who lead your lifestyle, I would be out of business!!)

In the long run, please do what you feel is right for you and your life. I know, and respect so many people (runners, and not runners) who have very different diets, lifestyles, and habits and who are all healthy and meeting their goals! Moderation is key, and that is my good advice for the week!

Miles Run: 43.7

Elevation this week: 1,848

Lowest low temp: 11

Highest temp: 36 which is just fine

Total snowfall: A few inches here and there. Plenty of ice. A thaw. And a freeze. 

Coldest day that I ran outdoors: 19 degrees. Not too bad. 

Random fact: I really dislike loud noises, to the point where I  bring earplugs to loud movies, to fireworks, and on planes (and clearly to any live music events!)  BUT, I have trouble sleeping without background noise. WEIRD. 

Boston training week 4: The one with the ice

Welcome to the 4th edition of this year's Boston training log.

What happened last week?

Well, on Monday I did a little recovery/easy/icy adventure run. It was sleeting ever so gently which was both chilling, and slippery. Regrettably, I had not yak-tracked up and therefore was sliding on the slime just a bit.

Sleet, sleeting away. 

Luckily, Tuesday was my planned rest day. First it iced for about 6 hours, and all the trees slowly drooped to the ground (and across the power lines) By the tine I was home from work, we were without power and the roads had turned into a death trap. So, I had wine and cheese, and we turned the generator on so that we could be civilized. All in all, not a terrible "snow" day.
(although, let's be real. I work outside. on days like that I am not too terribly excited. However, I still really like my job and being icy and soaked still beats being in an office! *for me anyway*)

I am lovely and so happy

Wednesday was still an honest to goodness disaster in the road conditions department. I also work until well after dark mid week, and can't see what good would come from running in the dark, on the ice.
Death maybe. And that does not sound like a good thing.
So, I ran my mile repeats on the treadmill. This was ideal, because I actually felt like watching some Dance Moms (really not a good show. but I still love it.)
I did each repeat at 7:30 which I was quite pleased with.

In favor of being honest, I am going to confess to how this speed workout actually played out.
Earlier in the season, Eric was my pace booty for all speed work. He is quite a bit better at speed than I am, but my shame enables me to (try) to keep up with him.
Before I got home, he completed a workout of 6xMile reps at 7:30.

I FELT THE SHAME!!!!!!!

Not wanting to feel bad about myself, I marched downstairs and knocked out a carbon copy of his workout. Having a fast husband is excellent motivation!

The ice is pretty. Pretty DEADLY!!!

Friday was easy run on the ice day. The roads were STILL bad (because it had also been cold. and FYI, ice does not melt when it stays super cold. HASHTAG The more you know.) Anyways, it was bad but not that bad, and my yak tracks needed a workout, so out I went.
The road was basically normal ice, and crispy crunchy death chunks. Every step I took was like CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!!!! Sneaking up on anyone would have been impossible. (I actually thought someone was sneaking up on ME, but it was just the echo of my loud, loud footsteps....)
Luckily, no traffic to contend with. Small town for the win.

Crunch crispy road. Sounds like a cookie recipe or something. 

I had a shorter long run this week. I would like to tell you that is because I have a grand master plan of marathon domination.
In actuality, it is just because I felt like running about 15 miles. 20 seemed too many. 13 too few. Hence, 15 was the perfect number.
It was a quite good run, at a good clip. The weather was solid, upper 30's and overcast. The roads were still mostly crap, so Eric and I yaked it up.

Destination reached. 

We met up with Lee, Kate and Leanne at the Tap House, since we like to change things up every now and then. We had a Bissell, and some Brisket, and then went home and fell asleep at about 7:45.

The pub run crew for this week!

I hauled ass down some hills on Sunday. Downhill repeats are the shit. So much fun! I NEVER EVER EVER see 6:xx minute miles in my life, unless I am running straight down a huge hill.
So, what I need is a marathon (that is only 1.6 miles) straight downhill, and I will be able to manage a blazing fast pace!

Down the hill I run

Another good week. Legs feel good. Things are fine. No drama, or stupidity which is nice. Well, the ice was a touch dramatic but that is the way ice is, and I accept that.

Miles Run: 44.7

Elevation this week: 1,630

Lowest low temp: I think it was about 6. That sounds correct. 

Highest temp: 49 which was excellent!!!!

Total snowfall: No snow, but a ton of ice and plenty of rain. 

Coldest day that I ran outdoors: 27 degrees. Luxury conditions. 

Random fact: Before I head out for a long run, or hard workout I have half a toasted PB&J with the crappiest purple jelly that I can find, as well as a spoonful of bourbon barrel aged maple syrup. I'm not sure what to think about this, other than it works. 

Boston Training Week 3: the one with the plan change

Last week began with some sore legs from my quad bashing downhill repeats. I was like "Jesus Christ on a cracker" because my legs felt like they had just run a marathon. I feel like it must be a brilliant training strategy, since it makes me sore af. (I'm at the point where my legs are just so damn used to running, that I very rarely get sore. Except after marathoning or downhill repeating like some kind of weirdo!)

I hobby jogged 7 easy treadmill miles on Tuesday. My legs were a lot better by then but my stomach was shit, as I was dealing with female issues. It was crap. My run basically felt like poop. (Let's see how many shit references I can fit in here. You get the idea.)

It snowed mid week and I headed out to prance around in the fluff. It was super fun, but low traction (even with yak tracks) and I felt it in my legs, especially my left calf. Pretty typical for me to get sore there if I am flipping and flopping around in snow.

The next day I did some pretty solid uphill repeats on a rather significant hill. I wore my trail shoes but really missed my yak tracks, and both my speed and my calf tension would have improved if I had worn them. It was a hard call though, it is very annoying to run with them on pavement which I would have been doing about 50% of the time. But when I needed them (like, running up most of the hill) it would have been great to have them!
It was about 24 degrees, which is a very reasonable temperature. The wind was killer though, and I ended up with a freezing cold head which was rather uncomfortable.

Still snowy

Saturday was long run/pub run day which showed an uptick in mileage.
I have more or less decided to toss in an extra 26.2 prior to Boston. I ran a 17 very comfortably last week, and concluded that I am in better shape than I thought and (more importantly) kind of like the idea of a mid winter marathon. With Boston, most likely, showing up as a 90 degree day (as it does) I would prefer to hedge my bets, and get a good, solid race in before fucking summer arrives.
That being said. If I get to mile 13.1 of said race, and things just suck, I'm planning to call it a day. (or mile 6. Or 16. Or whenever.)

So yes. 20 miles done, on the most beautiful day of the year. 45 degrees, sun, dry roads, good friends, and possibly one of my best long training runs ever. There was no mile that felt like garbage, and we kept up a remarkably solid pace, which felt comfortable (like, we were chatting and having fun, watching cars drive by us and deciding who deserved a "full wave" for being courteous, a "half wave" for sort of trying, or "NO WAVE" for basically trying to kill us....)
I did have to stop to pee twice, but that is basically part of my life right now. When you have a fibroid the size of a grapefruit that slams into your bladder when you run, peeing is a necessity.

Evan is BACK!!!

We met Lee at the pub, AND HE BROUGHT PIZZA!!!!! Which we ate in three bites.

I was on my feet all day on Sunday and hadn't really planned a run, since I had an over 40 mile week which is plenty. I hopped on my bike for a few to move the legs around and that was it.

A solid week. A logical plan change. Fun times with pizza and beer.
Marathon training at its finest!

Miles Run: 41.2

Elevation this week: 2,416

Lowest low temp: -1 (lowest high was 15)

Highest temp- 45 which was excellent!!!!

Total snowfall: 5" which was basically nothing 

Coldest day that I ran outdoors: It was 24 degrees on Thursday, which should have felt warmer than it did. 

Random fact: Evan came back to visit! His longest run lately was about 2 miles. But because he is young, and fit, he had no problem doing 8 with us. (I don't know if this is really a random fact, but it is close enough.)  

Boston training week 2: the one with the huge and epic rain deluge

The weather around here is pretty drunk.

The week started out as one would expect for January, Monday was decent enough coming in at 15 degrees or so. Later in the week, the temps spiked to 50 and the world turned to slime!

On Monday, I was looking for an easy run, and since easy runs are boring I decided to go on a run/hike/snow leap adventure. This was a really good choice (and was still easy.) I ran to hawk mountain and broke a trail to the top, sometimes in knee deep snow which required some bounding. I saw a lot of tracks, but zero animals. On the way back down the hill I ran super fast, leaping into the deep snow and pretending that I was skiing or something. It was the kind of fun that you just can't have unless you commit to a properly good mountain adventure!
I do need some gaiters though. I collected quite a bit of snow!

We had some really good weather mid week. As mentioned, the temps got up to 50 at one point, which had all of us in short sleeves and sunglasses!

Unfortunately, on the day I had a workout planned it was really dark by the time I finished up work, so to the treadmill I went. I completed 6x800 @6:59. I can't remember the last time I did repeats on the treadmill at a sub 7 pace. Oh don't worry, it was not an easy jog by any means! But, I completed the workout with no issues and felt good about it.
I don't always mind running in the dark, in fact, it is a fairly regular part of my fall running. I tend to think that when there is a ton of snow it isn't the greatest idea, and it is especially hard to run decent speed work when trying to avoid ice and death in the dark.
The good news, we have gained close to 20 minutes of evening daylight. YAY!

I took an extra rest day on Friday. I wasn't feeling my best, which is unusual for me, but since I was really dragging I decided that catching up on household chores after work was a better use of my time (it ended up being PMS a couple days early- I'm not really a big "PMS" person (#soblessed) so when it sneaks up on me I rarely know what I am dealing with. (and yes, I am lucky.)
Also, on Friday it was pouring BUCKETS AND BUCKETS AND BUCKETS OF RAIN. Yeah, we got well over 2 inches, most of the snow melted, things flooded (nothing here thank heavens) and it was just a terrific mess!

Raining. Snow melting. 

Saturday was long run/pub run day, and I was doubly lucky. It was a WHOPPING 26 degrees, which was a god damned Christmas miracle. AND Eric continued the streak of pub runs, and came along for the ride.
We ran a great route which showed off all the out of control streams and rivers. The huge rain and snowmelt had tuned the typically babbling brooks into raging rivers of death! I was extremely excited about this, as one should be, and stopped to take a picture.

Normally a little babbling brook

We had a good run, although there was an occasional fierce headwind. We had a few miles of dirt road that were basically ice, and since we had left the yak tracks at home (for the first time in at least 2 weeks) we proceeded with caution. Eric ended up with 15 miles, and I ran a couple extra and ended up at 17 and change. It was a solid workout with no bullshit.
We celebrated with beers and my dad, and cheese and the pub dog Winston, and it was a delightful time (as always, pub runs should be on everyones agenda.)

The pub run people 

The only annoying thing about this run was that I needed to stop and pee TWICE. That's what happens though, when you have an 11cm Big Fun Fibroid! (especially when I have sneaky PMS I have to pee a LOT, and there is no choice about it! Today ladytime showed up a couple days early and explained my crappy Friday feeling, and my out of control Saturday peeing. So fun.) At this point, I still choose excessive peeing over medium major abdominal surgery.

Sunday was downhill repeat day, outdoors in completely decent 14 degree weather, on mostly dry roads (there was one patch of death ice- where a stream had run over the road and frozen into hideous tundra. It was very exciting!) The dry roads are AMAZING after a couple weeks of yak trak running, on really icy snowy roads.

I really enjoy my downhill repeats when done outdoors because the hill is enormous and I pretend I am riding my bike down it, blazing along at 40 MPH. I am hoping this workout helps me to feel less like an asshole at Boston. (Boston, historically, makes me feel like an undertrained noob.)
However, if this particular workout ends up helping me not at all, it is ok because it is really fun.

So there we are, week two done and done.

Stats:
Miles Run: 39.8 which is kind of annoyingly close to 40

Elevation this week: 2,108

Lowest low temp: -6 (lowest high was close to 15)

Highest temp- 50 which was a miracle

Total snowfall: None, but a shit ton of rain

Coldest day that I ran outdoors: It was somewhere between 12-15 when I ran on Monday.

Random fact: While running, Eric and I have some good conversations, and our finances/financial goals come up fairly often. Almost any time we decide we are "doing ok" and make a plan to toss some extra cash at the mortgage, it is a guarantee that the next day our fridge will die, a dog will get sick, or out heating system will have mysterious and costly issues. We plan to eliminate financial planning from our running conversations!!!