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.