Wednesday 5/27/15

Took things a bit easier today. I didn't back off all that much, but every time I felt myself pushing the pace or my heart rate hit 150, I tried to slow things down. The weather was a bit warm at 80 degrees, and the 20 mph wind coming off the Charles wasn't cooling things down all that much. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about going fast today. I settled into 6:20ish which felt pretty relaxed and  just tried to keep the effort easy after that. Overall, things felt good, and I'm hoping this was enough to set me up for some mid-run pick ups on Thursday. 11 miles in 69:36.

Tuesday 5/26/15

Considering the fact that I was coming off a race on Sunday and a 13 miler yesterday, I was feeling really good today. Against my better judgment, I ended up pushing the effort a bit today. I started off just a bit fast and couldn't take my foot off the gas even though I knew it wasn't a great idea. My legs and heel felt fine, but my heart rate was consistently 5 bpm higher than it usually is on these types of runs. The overall pace only ended up being 6:08 which isn't that much faster than my typical training pace right now, but after the run, I felt burnt out. I don't think there was any real damage done, but I'll definitely need an easy day tomorrow. 11 miles in 67:28.

Monday 5/25/15

Since I had the day off for Memorial Day and my legs were feeling really good considering the race yesterday, I decided to get out for a long run. The weather was great, and I spent the morning walking around the Boston Public Garden and Newbury Street with Alie. After that, I headed back to my apartment to relax a bit before heading out for my run. By 3:30, I was ready to roll. It was a bit warm at 80 degrees with the sun beating down. Thankfully, a nice wind helped cool things off slightly, and I didn't feel like I was overheating on the run. The plan was to run 13 miles at a steady but not pressing pace. I backed off my standard 10 mile training pace slightly but not all that much as I settled into 6:15-6:20. I felt good throughout the run, and my heart rate stayed right in the range of 150-155 that I've become accustom to. My only minor issue was some lite cramping in my right foot over the last mile and a half, but this dull pain was much better than some of the sharp pains I felt in my heel a few weeks back. Overall, really good run. 13.1 in 82:00.

Sunday 5/24/15 - Redhook Brewery/Runners Alley 5K

Alie and I headed over to the Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth, NH today for the Runners Alley/Redhook Brewery Memorial 5K. I felt optimistic coming into the race since my heel and legs felt good, and my training has been progressing well. I thought 16:20 was achievable, and the goal was to get as close to 16 minutes as possible while making sure I placed well for the Seacoast Road Race Series standings. Unfortunately, Jim Johnson, who is currently leading the series, has been dealing with the stress reaction in his lower leg, so he wasn't in the hunt today. However, I did see Derek Hamel, currently 3rd in the series, as I warmed up on the first and last mile of the course, so I knew there would be some competition up front. The weather was warm for this earlier in the year at about 75 degrees, but during my warm up, it seemed like the 12-15 mph wind was going to be a slightly cooling cross wind. Great conditions for a face race. 

By the time the gun went off, the wind had shifted to the same pattern I saw here in 2013: tailwind for the first mile and headwind for the last mile. Lucas Pozzetta, who finished 2nd at this race in 2014, went to the front immediately and started to gap the rest of the field. 200 meters into the race, I looked down at my watch which showed 4:30 pace, and up ahead, Lucas was still pulling away. At that point, I realized I would be running for second, and I settled into a more comfortable pace. 

Thanks to my mother, Joan, and sister, Jen, for the great pics!

The first mile is gradually downhill, and with a decent wind at our backs, I could still hear footsteps despite running 4:50 pace. About half a mile into the race, Derek pulled up along side me. We chatted briefly, but after a 100 meters or so, he started to slowly pull away from me. Lucas split the first mile in 4:30 - 4:35, Derek hit it in 4:50, and I was a few strides back at 4:52. For the next half mile, I did everything I could to keep Derek in range. However, I wasn't thinking about trying to catch him. His stride looked so smooth that I thought he might make a move and try to bridge the gap up to Lucas. So, I started focusing on running a solid race and salvaging third. 

I hit the first water stop about 20 to 30 meters behind Derek and started to work my way up the small hill just beyond. It's not really an imposing hill as it's very gradual and only lasts for a few hundred meters. Surprisingly, I found that I was naturally bridging the gap to Derek without increasing my effort. It seemed like he was slowing down a bit, so I started actively trying to make my way back up to him. By the top of the hill, I had caught up and started to pull away. I could hear him breathing heavily, so I put in a small move to try to create some distance. A few hundred meters later, I took a sharp turn as I headed towards the 2nd mile mark, and when I glanced back, I was shocked to see he had fallen back quite a bit. 

I hit the 2 mile mark in 10:10 and started to focus on Lucas up ahead. I knew I'd never be able to make up the 30 seconds or so that lay between us, but I could tell he was slowing down. So, I focused on trying to put a dent in that lead. I also felt like sub 16 minutes was a distinct possibility if I could pick up the pace slightly and hold it together. I felt really good until the last quarter mile of the race. As I came up the last hill into the headwind, I could feel sub 16 slipping away. The wheels fell off for a moment as I tried to regroup, and my finishing kick just wasn't enough. I ended up 2nd in 16:04. Splits were 4:52, 5:18, 5:13. Don't get me wrong though. I was very happy with this race. I beat my goal time of 16:20, got a chance to mix it up mid-race with Derek, and finished first among Seacoast Road Race Series runners.  

4.5 mile cool down on the course afterward at ancient marathoner pace and cheered on Alie who ran a new PR! 

Top 10 Overall Results below. Full results can be found here

Overall winners minus Stephanie Burnham who was the 3rd place female

For my efforts, I got $100 cash and a $50 gift card to the Redhook Brewery. 

Dan Doyon did a nice write up on the race for SeacoastOnline which can be found here

Saturday 5/23/15

We drove back to Boston from CT this morning, and I was able to fit in a run before we headed up to NH. Nothing crazy since I am racing tomorrow. Easy 9 mile loop around the Charles. Kept the pace nice and relaxed at 6:25, and everything felt really good. No issues with my heel or legs. I'm feeling optimistic about Redhook. 9 miles in 57:13.

Friday 5/22/15

Heading down to CT for a wedding today, so I had to get out for an early run. Woke up, ate a Clif Bar, watched TV for 30 minutes, then headed out for an easy out and back 10 along the Charles. Kept the pace nice and relaxed at 6:20, but my legs still felt tired and sluggish. I suspect that was just the result of running in the morning which I haven't done at all yet this year. Apart from that, the run felt pretty good. No major issues with my heel. 10 miles in 63:16.

Thursday 5/21/15

Another standard base building 10.5 mile loop around the Charles. Kept things nice and relaxed today. Starting to think about the upcoming race on Sunday, and I don't want to push too hard right now. Felt pretty good. 10.5 miles in 65:15.

Wednesday 5/20/15

Standard base building run after the hill work out yesterday. 10.5 mile loop around the Charles. Legs and heel felt okay, and the weather was nice. So, overall, pretty solid run. 10.5 in 64:35.

Tuesday 5/19/15

Got a late start today, so instead of running in the dark, I decided to hit the treadmill. Since I wasn't able to run during the winter, I didn't go through the treadmill cycle this year and get bored of it. The treadmill also gave me a chance to work some hills. I had pick-ups in mind for tomorrow, but this allowed me to get in a fairly good semi-workout today. Set the treadmill to 6:12 pace and started rolling. After two miles, I started throwing in a quarter mile "hill" every mile. The first "hill" was 4% grade, and I increased 1% for each repeat. After the 5th repeat (8%), I was spent. Going into it, I wasn't sure how many repeats I was going to do, but with my heart rate north of 175 and failing to drop below 170 in between repeats, I felt like 5 was a good stopping point. After the 8th mile, I slowed down quite a bit and went into cool down mode. My legs felt pretty good throughout, but my heel gave me trouble at times. I did stretching drills/yoga before and after, and I'm hoping that I'll start to see some improvement there if I get more consistent with this. 11 miles in 70:31.

Monday 5/18/15

12 mile out and back along the Charles today. Conditions were ideal for running: mid 50s, sunny, and mild wind. I also didn't feel an lingering issues from the workout yesterday. This resulted in me getting after it a bit. I felt relaxed during the first half of the run at 6:0X pace with a heart rate average of 145. I had to pick up the effort a bit during the second half to keep the pace at 6:0X, but I only bumped up to a hr of 150. The downside was that my heel acted up in the middle of the run, and afterward, I could feel my legs tightening up. I really need to get back into the habit of stretching/doing yoga. I've been letting it slip, and I think it is a contributing factor to why I've been having issues over the last week. Still a fairly good run though. 12 miles in 73:07.

Sunday 5/17/15 - 4 x 800m

With no race again this weekend, I headed over to the Charlestown High School track for a workout. Weather was a bit warm for this early in the year, but conditions were about as good as you can hope for: sunny and very little wind. Ran over to the high school as a 3.5 mile warm up at 6:20 pace and got right into the workout. The plan was very similar to last week with repeats at 5:00 pace and rest at 6:00 pace, but instead of 8 x 400m with 200m rest, I did 4 x 800m with 400m rest. The first two 800s and 400s were smooth and right on pace, but I started to struggle on the 800s after that. I had my heart rate monitor on for the work out, and it is very telling. For the first 2 rest periods, my heart rate dropped back down to mid 160s, but for the final 2 rest periods, it never went below 170. As the workout went on, it was more and more difficult to keep the rest at 6:00 pace which in turn made it harder and harder to keep pace on the 800s. As a result, I got slower and slower on the 800s. Similar to last week, I added an extra 200m to make the workout exactly 5,000m. Splits below.

800s: 2:28, 2:31, 2:34, 2:36
400s: 1:28, 1:31, 1:31, 1:31
200: 38
Total for 5000: 16:50

I was a bit disappointed with the workout. I never really felt comfortable and wasn't able to hit the splits I wanted. On the upside, my legs and heel weren't sore at all. I'll take the victories I can get. I need to remind myself that I'm still getting back into the swing of things, and it is going to take time. 4.5 mile cool down at ancient marathoner pace. 11.1 miles on the day.

Saturday 5/16/15

Planned off day. Hoping to give my legs and heel a chance to recover.

Friday 5/15/15

Today was a planned easy day to see if it improved some of the issues I've been having lately. Since I have the new heart rate monitor, I decided to use it to fix a speed limit on today's run. I've had trouble taking easy days in the past and thought that a fixed limit may help. During my last few runs, my heart rate has been right around 150, so I set the limit at 140 (around 70% of my max). The speed felt painstakingly slow in the first half of the run, but I got more accustom to it as the run went on. Unfortunately, my left hamstring still got sore about halfway through my run. I didn't see any improvement at all with the reduced effort, and if anything, my heel felt worse during this run. My legs did recover a bit faster than they have been lately, but I'm still going to need to take an off day to try and shake the cycle I'm stuck in. 8.25 in 55:00.

Thursday 5/14/15

Ran the standard loop around the Charles. The effort felt easy at 6:0X pace, and my heart rate was steady at 150 throughout the run. However, my legs are still getting sore halfway through my runs. Mainly, I am having some issues with tightness in my left hamstring. My heel was feeling a bit better today although still not 100%. It twinged a bit at the beginning of the run but wasn't an issue as the run progressed. Planning on taking an easy day Friday to see if I show any improvement. 10.5 in 64:11.

Wednesday 5/13/15

Almost didn't run today. I was on the verge of not running when I did some light stretching and was surprised by how much better my heel felt afterward. So, I decided to run a similar run to yesterday. I headed over to Charlestown and repeated the same 1 mile loop where I could head back to my apartment easily if something went wrong. Again, my legs felt tight half way through the run, but I pressed on since I wasn't having any heel issues. I kept the run relaxed again today at about 6:20 pace, and I felt much more upbeat after the run. My heel did twinge a bit towards the end of the run, but it was no where near as bad as yesterday. 10.5 in 65:01.

Tuesday 5/12/15

By Tuesday afternoon, my heel was feeling good enough to run, and I decided to give it a go. However, I wasn't convinced that it would hold up for an entire run, so I diverted from my standard route. Instead of doing a loop around the Charles, I headed to Charlestown and repeated a 1 mile loop near the high school which meant I was never more than 2 miles from my apartment. I figured that would allow me to head back if my heel gave me any issues.

I took things easy at about 6:20 pace and didn't have any issues for the first half of the run. Around mile 6 or 7, my legs started to tighten up which was odd because it hadn't happened once since I started running again in March. I felt good enough to continue, so I slowed the pace to 6:30 and carried on. About 9 and a half miles into the run, when I was on my way back to my apartment, my heel finally started to act up. It came on suddenly, and the pain was much sharper than usual. For a few seconds, I thought I would have to walk it in, but I managed to finish up as the pain eased slightly. 10.25 in 64:57. A ton of ice and stretching post run.

After falling down and smashing up my Garmin Forerunner 220, I decided to get a new Forerunner 620 which came in the mail today, and I was able to use it on the run.

It's extremely similar to the Forerunner 220 with the exception that it is touch screen and has a few added features. I also got the Heart Rate Monitor with it, so I will likely be messing around with that for the next few weeks. My heart rate during the run today was consistently around 150 +/- 2. By wearing both watches to test their accuracy/consistency (one on each arm), I also learned that my left arm runs much slower than my right arm haha. I've always known that I chicken wing my left arm a bit, but I was surprised how much it threw off the two watches (about 4 seconds per mile). My guess would be that the Tobin Bridge may have had something to do with this. A portion of the repeated loop was directly underneath the Tobin Bridge, so the watches may have been relying on cadence more than they usually would with a strong GPS signal.

Monday 5/11/15

Fair warning: the below post is more than slightly self loathing. Just one of those days...

Made some poor running decisions today. I ate way too much throughout the day which wouldn't usually be an issue, but as I am trying to shed those pounds I put on during my hiatus, it made me feel like I needed to get out for a decent run and burn some calories. The original plan coming into today was to replace my off day with an easy 6-8 miles since my heel had been feeling so good lately. After eating so much, I upped the mileage to 10. I hadn't felt anything in my heel for about a week, and I was starting to think it was more or less behind me....

Second mistake was switching my training shoes. I figured that I would start phasing out my current training shoes a bit early given my current position with foot problems, and I also decided to move away from the Lunarglide series. I've been training exclusively in the Nike Lunarglide series since 2009 after I fell in love with the original Lunarglide. However, I've been less and less impressed with the series since Nike completely changed the shoe structure from the Lunarglide 3 to the Lunarglide 4. It might as well have been a completely different shoe. I stuck with them though, and it has actually been on the Lunarglide 4 and 5 that I've done the majority of my training since I started racing again in 2012. The pair of Lunarglide 3s I've been training in recently is the last pair I stock piled back in 2012 when I found out they were making the big switch between 3 and 4.

Anyway, enough about my love for the Lunarglide 3s. I decided to switch training shoes. Not a poor decision by itself, but I wasn't very smart about the process. First, I left my current trainers back in New Hampshire before I had even tried a run in the new trainers. I didn't have room in my bag to bring them back and didn't want to carry them. I figured I would just run on the new trainers for 2 weeks and grab the old trainers when I went back to NH for Redhook. Second, I didn't break in the new trainers at all before my run. Not usually a huge deal, but as I am having foot issues, I definitely should have. I also probably should have tested them out on a short run where I would be able to head back to my apartment and change shoes if I need to. Obviously, I wasn't that cautious and just took them out of a 10 miler straight out of the box.

I immediately felt like I had tied the right shoe too tight, but I didn't loosen it until I had to stop at a traffic light which didn't happen until about 5 miles into the run. I got in the mentality of "My feet just need to get used to the shoes. I'll keep going", and by the end of the run, the damage was done.

The third mistake was that I pushed the pace. I'm not sure what I was thinking. Maybe my mind was on the new pair of trainers or the fact that I was coming off a slow day and needed to pick up the pace to get a little of confidence back. Either way, I ended up getting after it a bit and splitting 6:0X throughout the run. 10.5 in 63:52.

To summarize: On a day that was supposed to be a slow, short, easy recovery day, I pushed the pace in a pair of new and untested trainers without easing back on the mileage at all. Brilliant. As payment for this ingenious idea, my heel is back to where it was a feel weeks ago.

I realize that I haven't talked about which shoes I decided to switch to. It's the Nike Pegasus 31. I just want to reserve my judgement on the shoes and not blame them for my poor decision making.

Sunday 5/10/15

Tough run today. Got out for my run early to try and avoid the heat and humidity, but it was already 75 degrees by 9:30. My legs were tired from the workout yesterday, but they weren't sore. So, I decided to forge ahead with the planned run. Since I was in Rochester, I headed over to Meaderboro to do the Four Rod Rd to Ten Rod Rd loop. This run has about 450 feet of total elevation gain which might as well be a mountain for me right now. Training on the Charles River has the downside of absolutely zero hills meaning that the only hills I have run this year have been during races. Coming off a tough workout and climbing hills for the first time this year hit my legs very early in the run. On the first little hill just over a mile into the run, I was already slowing down to high 6 minute pace. The rest of the run was more of the same. I'd hit a hill which would slow my pace to high 6s, and it would take me a half mile or so to recover to 6:30ish. I was a bit worried about how slow I was running compared to previous trips on this route, but I tried not to push it. I knew it was going to be a slow run coming into it. The one positive thing is that neither my legs nor my heel hurt at all during the run, 10 miles in 66:29.

Saturday 5/9/15 - 8 x 400m

For the last 3 years, repeat 400s has been my first track workout of the year, and I decided to keep that tradition rolling again this year. However, I decided to change things up a bit. In previous years, the workout had been related to how fast I could run 400 meters not how fast I could run 5,000 meters. As a result, I saw huge leaps in my ability to run 400s as the year went on, but my 5K times improved only slightly. I'm hoping to change that this year.

2012 - 10 x 400m. Average 67 seconds with full recovery

2013 - 10 x 400m. Average 66 seconds with full recovery

2014 - 12 x 400m. Average 68 seconds with full recovery (wind was a factor)

Plan for 2015 - 8 x 400m at 75 with 200m recovery at 6:00 pace. 

Obviously, I am not in as fit as I was in the past 3 years and wouldn't be able to handle 67-68 second 400s right now regardless, but I wanted to reduce the recovery and focus on running the 400s at my current goal 5K pace of 5:00. Going into the workout, I thought it may be a bit aggressive given where I am in my training, but I wanted to give it a try.

The weather was great if not a bit on the warm side at about 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky and maybe a light wind. I started my warm up on the trails in the Pines next to Spaulding High School at 6:30 pace but switched to running in the neighborhood near the school after a mile or so because my legs were feeling a bit tired. 4.5 miles total for the warm up before swinging by my car to change into my Flyknit Lunar 1+ and jogging to the track. I got right into the workout and hit the splits below.

400s: 75,75,76,76,76,75,76,76
200s: 43,41,48,48,47,45,46,47,38
5000: 16:50

After the first couple, I realized that keeping the recovery at 6:00 pace was going to be the hardest part, and I backed off a bit on the rest to ensure that I'd be able to finish the workout. Halfway through the workout, I was really starting to feel the effort, and I struggled to keep myself relaxed. I had to push through the last couple 400s, but I was able to keep the pace fairly close to the goal. I finished off with one last hard 200 (or at least as much as I had left) to make the workout an even 5,000 meters. Overall, it felt like I put a lot of effort in and felt properly drained afterward. I was a bit disappointed with the splits and overall time (I had 16:30 in the back of my head), but I felt pretty good about the workout.

After the workout, I jogged back to my car to switch back into my trainers and meandered along for 3 miles at ancient marathoner pace. Legs were toast. Heel felt fine though!!! 11 miles on the day.  

Friday 5/8/15

Hoping to fit in a track workout on Saturday, I took things easy today. Weather was favorable for running as it was overcast in the low 60s with only mild wind. Standard 10.5 mile loop around the Charles at 6:10-6:15 pace. Felt relaxed with no heel issues. 10.5 in 64:59.

Thursday 5/7/15

Another great day for a run. High 70s, Sunny, and only mild wind. I started my run from Alie's apartment in Beacon Hill today, so I got to do a portion of my run on sections of the Charles that I don't typically run on. As a result, I ended up running a bit further than I have typically been running lately. I also nearly ended up running an impromptu race. I went passed Charles River Canoe & Kayak just as the gun went off for the first race in the 2015 Boston 5K Summer Series. I was literally running on the grass 30 meters away and parallel to the start when the gun went off. If I had been a minute or two earlier, I think I would have jumped in for fun. It was probably good that I didn't though. I was close to my planned turn around point of the Northeastern Boathouse and running the race would have put me at about 14 -15 miles for the run. So, I reluctantly veered off down a different path and cheered the runners on as we passed each once they looped back around. After that, I continued on to the boathouse which was only a quarter mile away, turned around, and finished the run without incident. Overall, it was a  really good run. Kept the pace between 6:10-6:15, felt pretty relaxed, and had a nice change of scenery. 12 miles in 73:55.

Wednesday 5/6/15

Really good run today. Great running weather at 70 degrees with a light cooling breeze, and I felt strong throughout the run. The plan was a 10 miler with pick ups, but instead of doing my normal 30 sec on/30 sec off or 1 min on/1 min off early in the run, I switched things up a bit. When I do pick ups 2 or 3 miles into the run, the 4 or so miles after the pick ups always turn into garbage miles. So, I decided to save to pick ups until mile 7. This meant I only had a mile and a half or so left in the run once the workout was done. It would also help me work on picking up the pace when my legs are tired.

The first 6 miles felt nice and relaxed at 6:20 pace. As I finished the 6th mile, I started right in on 4 x 2 minutes on / 1 minute off with goal paces of 5:10/6:10. I really wanted to shorten my rest period and try to make sure I didn't take it too easy on the rests which I tend to do. The first two pick ups felt amazing, and I didn't have any trouble hanging around 5:00 pace which surprised me. I could really feel the effort on the 3rd and 4th pick ups especially trying to keep the off pace at 6:10. I focused on trying to stay relaxed at speed, and I was able to get through it without any issues. Split 5:22 and 5:21 for those two miles. Although there wasn't much volume, I felt really good about these pick ups afterward. Didn't have any problems finishing off the run at training pace. Feeling very upbeat after this run since it went so much better than the pick ups I did 2 weeks ago. 10.5 in 64:32.

Tuesday 5/5/15

Off Day. No running. Alie came over though, and we did some stretching, yoga, and light circuit training.

Monday 5/5/15

Whoa, Boston what happened to the 60s? It went straight from low to mid 50s to high 70s! When I was getting ready for my run at 6PM, it was still 79 degrees out with 20 mph winds, so I figured it was going to be a slow day. I don't do well in the heat especially when there is no build up to it. When mid summer comes around, I'm sure I'll be ecstatic about 79 degrees. I just wasn't ready for it so fast. My legs were also feeling pretty tired from the 11 miler and yoga/circuit session yesterday. It was the good sort of soreness though. The type that is spread out all over and lets you know you're putting in some good work.

All of that considered, the run went fairly well. Fought the wind for the first half of the run, but I tried to keep things relaxed. Even with the wind at my back, I started to gradually slow down towards the end of the run. I didn't push things though. Chalked it up as an easy day. 10.5 in 66:59.

Sunday 5/3/15

Perfect day for running today. 65 degrees, sunny, and almost no wind. I actually even got a bit of a sunburn! The plan was an easy 10 miles which turned into an easy 11 miles as I turned onto the Cambridge side of the Charles River and had to loop back because of a walkathon that was going on. There were way too many people on the path to attempt weaving through them, so I crossed the bridge back to the Storrow side. Not really a big deal. Didn't really impact the ran. My legs felt really good throughout the entire run, and I was able to keep things nice and relaxed at 6:15 pace. 11 miles in 68:44.

Afterwards, I headed over to Alie's, and we did some stretching, yoga, and light circuit training which focused on leg and core strength.

Children's Museum 5K - Saturday 5/2/15

The Seacoast Road Race Series has begun! Alie and I drove up to my parents house in Rochester, NH on Friday night then headed over to Dover just before 8 the next morning for the Children's Museum 5K. After grabbing our numbers, we headed back to the car to put on our numbers and get ready for the race. By the time everything was said and done, I was running a bit late again, and I didn't have time for a long warm up. At this point in my fitness level, I doubt running more than a mile warm up matters all that much, but I did feel a bit rushed. I know the course fairly well since I ran this race back in 2013, but I incorporated the start and finish of the course into my warm up as a refresher. On my way back to the starting line, I stopped briefly to talk with Jen, my brother-in-law Eric, and my niece and nephew before doing a few strides.

During my warm up, I saw Derrick Hamel jogging around and figured I would be racing for third. Derrick and I haven't raced since Apple Harvest Day in 2013 where I had a big lead early, and he was nearly able to reel me in. More recently, he finished second to Jim Johnson at the Chief Maloney 10K last week, and I assumed he'd be second to Jim again here at Children's. There was no doubt in my mind that Jim was going to crush the course and take the win. He's been running really well lately with 15:30 5Ks and sub 32:00 10Ks. He tries to downplay it every time I talk to him "the course was short" "the course was pancake flat", but I'm on to you Jim. The only thing that may have been able to stop him is if Nate Jenkins, who was hanging out by the start line, had taken off the warm ups and toed the line. Thankfully for those of us hoping to place well, he was just there spectating.

As expected, Jim jumped out in front right out of the gate, but surprisingly, Derrick didn't go with him. Jim started to gap the field immediately, and I didn't try to go with him as I settled into second place at 5:20 pace. Going into the race, I figured I would be able to manage around 16:45 maybe 16:30 if things went well, so the goal pace was 5:20. For me, the point of this race was to judge my fitness on a course I've raced before and make sure I place well enough to keep myself in the running for the overall Seacoast Road Race Series victory. A quarter mile into the race, the field was starting to take shape. Jim was slowly pulling away, and I could hear multiple sets of footfalls behind me which I assumed included Derrick. At that point, I actually got a bit excited because I thought I'd have company during the race to keep my pace honest. It didn't end up panning out that way though. I held my pace even at 5:20 as we went up the hills that cover the first half of this race, and eventually, I couldn't hear any footsteps behind me. First mile split was exactly 5:20. About a mile and a half into the race, the course takes a quick loop through a neighborhood, and the tight turns give you a good chance to glance to the side to see how far back the next group is. When I looked back, I was surprised to see that I had maybe 15 seconds on Derrick, and I still felt strong. That boosted my confidence a bit and carried me through the rolling hills of the second mile. I split the 2nd mile in another 5:20 as I started flailing down the steepest hill on the course. This hill is just a bit too steep for me to really feel comfortable on, and that's before taking into account the fact that I don't want to mess up my heel by leaning back on the downhill and pounding it. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I leaned forward and flailed my way down nearly out of control. This is actually my normal tactic for this type of hill, but I tried to hold back a bit without falling back on my heels.

About 2 and a half miles into the race, Nathan Huppe was standing on the sidewalk and yelled that Derrick was right behind me. That surprised me a bit since I thought he had fallen back. I chanced a glance back, and sure enough, he was looming. At that point, I started pushing towards the finish. I don't have a finishing sprint right now anyway, so it's better for me to try and spread it out over the last half mile. I still felt pretty good as I went up the last little hill in the course and thought that I would hold on to second place if I was able to hold my pace. I hit the 3rd mile in 5:13, and started my semi-kick into the finish. The last bit of the race is a bit long, but I was still able to finish up in 16:43 for what my watch said was 3.16 miles. I was pretty happy with my time considering where I am in my training. It was a big improvement over both the Run of the Savages and the Rescue Run. I finished up right on target for my estimated time of 16:45, and by my estimation, this course adds 15-20 seconds over faster races due to the length and hills. As an added bonus, I received 6 lobster dinners for my efforts.

Alie crushed it as she improved a ton on her race at the Run of the Savages!

After the race, I cooled down with Jim, Derrick, Darin Brown, and female winner Leslie O'Dell as we ran the course again. The cool down was nice and relaxed as we discussed the upcoming series and running in general. Derrick also mentioned that he hasn't been able to get the miles in lately and was struggling with allergies which explains why he didn't try to run with Jim or myself early in the race.

Full Results can be found here

Monthly Recap: April 2015

Days Run - 20 out of 30
Total Miles Run - 169.25
Average Run Length - 8.46 miles
Average Mile Pace (excluding workouts, tempos, pick ups and races) - 6:18
Track Workouts - 0
Runs with Pick Ups - 1
Tempo Runs - 0
Races - 2
Wins - 1
Most Common Run - 9 mile out and back along the Charles River (6 times)



Mile Pace Chart for June (excluding workouts, tempos, pick ups and races):

Overall, not a bad start to my training, but it stings a bit to compare this to April of 2014 or 2013. Although my average miles per run are up from 2013, all of the other stats are down compared to the previous two years. On the upside, this is the earliest in the year that I have recorded a win since I started racing again in 2012. I also felt a bit better when I realized that, historically, April hasn't been a good month for me. In 2013, I only fit in 24 runs, and in 2014, I had 23. May is a different story though. I went 31 for 31 in both 2013 and 2014. I understand that I won't be able to do it again this year, but I am hoping to start progressing my training in May. 

Thursday 4/30/15

Heel felt really good today, but my legs were still a bit sore from the workout on Tuesday. Just a normal base building out and back along the Charles as I get ready for the Children's Museum 5K on Saturday. I had a good tailwind for the first half of the run and rolled 6:0Xs easily. Coming back into the headwind, I slowed to 6:20ish, but the effort felt even. I'm starting to feel like I know what my body can take which should hopefully start to allow me to progress in May. 9.5 miles in 58:58

Wednesday 4/29/15

Feeling pretty good today, so I did a 10.5 mile loop around the Charles. Weather was great in the low 50s with no wind which I overdressed for a bit by wearing a fleece pull over. I got a bit hot during the run, but it wasn't a major issue. Pretty standard run. 6:10 - 6:15 pace and felt relax. I did roll one quick mile around mile 5 though. I had been up in the air about whether or not I wanted to do pick ups today and decided to make it a mid run decision as my legs were feeling a bit sore from the workout yesterday. I was surprised how sore squats and lunges made me, but I guess I should have been expecting it after having no hill work, no speed work, and no leg strength exercises for 10 months. Any way, I was leaning towards a no for the pick ups when a guy wearing a pair of Nike Frees blew past me running on his toes. I'm not sure why I did it, but I decided to follow him for a bit. He looked like he didn't have much longer on his run, so I tagged along. I ended up following about 20 meters behind him for a good mile before we took different paths. 5:47 split for that mile. After that, I slowed back down to normal training pace and finished up the run on pleasantly sore hamies. 10.5 miles in 64:38.