Miles to date: 186
Lets play a little game called catching up:
Saturday, August 21:
Good News: I survived my longest run to date, 15 miles throughout Sandwich. The run went well enough, just under two and a half hours. There was some walking involved and an offer of a ride with a mile to go that was damn near impossible to pass up, but I finished.
Bad News: My body revolted shortly thereafter. I spent the next hour and a half in a bad way. Powerade makes me sick to my stomach and I was having trouble holding down any food as I attempted to replace the carbs I had expended. Not a pleasant experience.
Week of August 23-27:
Good News: I've started logging some serious mileage in the past few weeks and the thought of 26 miles doesn't seem quite as daunting as it once did. Training has been going well and I feel like I am in great shape.
Bad News: The miles are starting to catch up to me, there's been some nagging aches and pains that have been catching up with me. I had to take last Wednesday off (my weekday long run) to recover a little bit. During my 15 mile run my feet were killing me and I was convinced that my shoes had gone flat and it was time to replace them (after only ~200 miles, which is pretty quick).
Good News: My "training staff" was able to help me out in short order last week. Craig at Brine Sporting Goods in Waverly Square, by far the most knowledgeable sports store shoe guy I have ever met, assured me that my shoes still had considerable life in them and that my pain likely stemmed from some metatarsal issues. My physical therapist, Cheryl Maurer of Functional Mechanics was able to modify the over-the-counter shoe inserts I have in just a few short minutes and it has made all the difference in my training since she did. The foot pain has subsided substantially and some of the shin pain I was feeling has gone away as well due to the increased support.
*Sorry for the plug, but these guys are the best, I can't recommend them highly enough.
Good News: I was able to get a number for the Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon! I am very excited to be taking part in this race over Columbus Day weekend. Hoping it will serve as nice tune-up for the Marathon.
Bad News: Staring at 17 miles this weekend. As I'll be on the Cape for the long weekend, I'll be taking this one on by myself (unless anyone has any interest in coming with? Anyone? Bueller?) The fact that Hurricane Earle is steaming for the northeast with an expected hit of Friday doesn't exactly warm the soul either.
All in all, more good news than bad as of late. As always thank you for reading and your continued support. The training is over halfway over and D-Day is less than two months away. Wow.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
You Win Some, You Lose Some
Miles to date: 162
Last week, my training was...sporadic.
I took some time off from work last week and spent a few days down the Cape with Meghan after the Road Race. I have pontificated before about finding ways to train when you're away, sometimes you do, sometimes you don't.
I was able to get in a decent four mile run on Tuesday, noting too big to speak of. Wednesday, I was scheduled for seven miles, however, I made the executive decision to take the day off. Meghan and I headed for Martha's Vineyard for the day. The ferry schedule that we had to adhere to did not really allow for the time to go for a decently long run. So instead, we went to the island and biked around for the day. We did manage to cover almost 25 miles this way, so the day was certainly not wasted.
I went for my longer weekday run on Friday, as Thursday was spent traveling back to Belmont and my first day back at work. I headed out for a seven mile run and felt like it was going really well, I seemed to be ahead of my time and felt great. I logged it in just under 55 minutes and couldnt believe it.
So I double checked the distance, it wasn't seven, hell, it wasn't even six miles. It was 5.6.
Needless to say, my time was explained.
It was a great week off, and training didn't suffer too too much, so I'll chalk it up to a win.
Last week, my training was...sporadic.
I took some time off from work last week and spent a few days down the Cape with Meghan after the Road Race. I have pontificated before about finding ways to train when you're away, sometimes you do, sometimes you don't.
I was able to get in a decent four mile run on Tuesday, noting too big to speak of. Wednesday, I was scheduled for seven miles, however, I made the executive decision to take the day off. Meghan and I headed for Martha's Vineyard for the day. The ferry schedule that we had to adhere to did not really allow for the time to go for a decently long run. So instead, we went to the island and biked around for the day. We did manage to cover almost 25 miles this way, so the day was certainly not wasted.
I went for my longer weekday run on Friday, as Thursday was spent traveling back to Belmont and my first day back at work. I headed out for a seven mile run and felt like it was going really well, I seemed to be ahead of my time and felt great. I logged it in just under 55 minutes and couldnt believe it.
So I double checked the distance, it wasn't seven, hell, it wasn't even six miles. It was 5.6.
Needless to say, my time was explained.
It was a great week off, and training didn't suffer too too much, so I'll chalk it up to a win.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Better Late Than Never
I promised some pictures from the Falmouth Road Race, so for your viewing pleasure...
(please note that all pictures taken by the Captain of the Unlikeliest Team, Meghan)
Steph and Roger pre-race:
The leaders coming into the homestretch:
The first women coming through:
I call this one "Poetry in Motion":
I need the shirt the guy to my left was wearing:
"A Vision in White":
Steph showing superb form:
Meghan was too excited about Roger's backside to get a picture of anything else:
The Unlikeliest Team with special guest stars Drew and Evan:
The Unlikeliest Team on Sandy Neck post-race:
My two biggest supporters and I post-race:
Hope you all enjoy the pictures. It was a great day, an awesome race and an even better weekend.
(please note that all pictures taken by the Captain of the Unlikeliest Team, Meghan)
Steph and Roger pre-race:
The leaders coming into the homestretch:
The first women coming through:
I call this one "Poetry in Motion":
I need the shirt the guy to my left was wearing:
"A Vision in White":
Steph showing superb form:
Meghan was too excited about Roger's backside to get a picture of anything else:
The Unlikeliest Team with special guest stars Drew and Evan:
The Unlikeliest Team on Sandy Neck post-race:
My two biggest supporters and I post-race:
Hope you all enjoy the pictures. It was a great day, an awesome race and an even better weekend.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The first test
Miles to date: 141
The road race has come and gone. This year the race was spectacular, the weather was ideal: mid-70's, slightly overcast, with a strong breeze coming off the water; and the crowd was in top form.
For those of you who haven't run Falmouth before, it has some of the strongest crowd support that I have ever seen. Spectators line the race course for the entirety of the race, sometimes five or six people deep. The crowd can pick you up and carry you when you feel like stopping and push you when you're questioning the wisdom of sprinting up the hill at Falmouth Heights.
Strong showing this year from the entire unlikeliest team. Roger and Steph both came down for the race and we had special guest appearances from Drew and Evan.
I logged a time of 0:58:51 and was thrilled with my time in the race. I managed to beat my previous best time of 1:06:38 (2009) by almost eight full minutes. This was my first real test since I've started training for the marathon and it is nice to see that the hardwork that's been put in is adding up to something. I came into the race hoping to beat an hour but not really expecting to. An easy start in my corral and solid pacing helped a lot in that regard. Due to the sheer number of runners, where you begin in your corral can have a huge impact on your time, if you start too far back or have too many people going slow in front of you, the first mile or two can be spent bobbing and weaving through people, using up precious time and energy. Based off of my 10K split from the New Bedford Half Marathon, I was able to qualify into one of the higher groups, which helped a lot.
Evan just got a number ten days ago and had not been training very much prior to that, despite this, he put in a great effort and ended up running just over an hour for the very hard, difficult to navigate seven mile course.
Drew put in a great time, despite feeling like crap throughout the majority of the race. Him limping up to the meeting point with bags of ice was one of my favorite sights of the race. Drew also had the line of the day when he described my running style as "You ever see a truck moving without wheels? Kinda like that."
Roger and Steph both did great during the race. This is Roger's second engagement at Falmouth and he improved his time substantially from two years ago. Steph out up a really strong time as well.
There will be some pictures to come in the next few days. All of which are very flattering, especially the ones where I'm gasping for air in the last half mile.
The road race has come and gone. This year the race was spectacular, the weather was ideal: mid-70's, slightly overcast, with a strong breeze coming off the water; and the crowd was in top form.
For those of you who haven't run Falmouth before, it has some of the strongest crowd support that I have ever seen. Spectators line the race course for the entirety of the race, sometimes five or six people deep. The crowd can pick you up and carry you when you feel like stopping and push you when you're questioning the wisdom of sprinting up the hill at Falmouth Heights.
Strong showing this year from the entire unlikeliest team. Roger and Steph both came down for the race and we had special guest appearances from Drew and Evan.
I logged a time of 0:58:51 and was thrilled with my time in the race. I managed to beat my previous best time of 1:06:38 (2009) by almost eight full minutes. This was my first real test since I've started training for the marathon and it is nice to see that the hardwork that's been put in is adding up to something. I came into the race hoping to beat an hour but not really expecting to. An easy start in my corral and solid pacing helped a lot in that regard. Due to the sheer number of runners, where you begin in your corral can have a huge impact on your time, if you start too far back or have too many people going slow in front of you, the first mile or two can be spent bobbing and weaving through people, using up precious time and energy. Based off of my 10K split from the New Bedford Half Marathon, I was able to qualify into one of the higher groups, which helped a lot.
Evan just got a number ten days ago and had not been training very much prior to that, despite this, he put in a great effort and ended up running just over an hour for the very hard, difficult to navigate seven mile course.
Drew put in a great time, despite feeling like crap throughout the majority of the race. Him limping up to the meeting point with bags of ice was one of my favorite sights of the race. Drew also had the line of the day when he described my running style as "You ever see a truck moving without wheels? Kinda like that."
Roger and Steph both did great during the race. This is Roger's second engagement at Falmouth and he improved his time substantially from two years ago. Steph out up a really strong time as well.
There will be some pictures to come in the next few days. All of which are very flattering, especially the ones where I'm gasping for air in the last half mile.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
It's the most wonderful time of the year....
It's time for the Falmouth Road Race. This Sunday marks the race's 38th running. Falmouth will play host to over 10,000 runners this weekend. I. Love. This. Race.
This will be my sixth (seventh? I don't really know, they kind of blend together) time running this race. It's a seven mile course that follows the coast from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights. The first three miles are rolling hills, followed by a flat run along Falmouth Harbor and ending with a tough climb of a hill leading into the Heights.
This is also a particularly exciting race weekend because this will be the second time that the unlikeliest team has all run a race together. Roger and Steph are coming down to partake and it looks to be a beautiful weekend.
Get excited.
This will be my sixth (seventh? I don't really know, they kind of blend together) time running this race. It's a seven mile course that follows the coast from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights. The first three miles are rolling hills, followed by a flat run along Falmouth Harbor and ending with a tough climb of a hill leading into the Heights.
This is also a particularly exciting race weekend because this will be the second time that the unlikeliest team has all run a race together. Roger and Steph are coming down to partake and it looks to be a beautiful weekend.
Get excited.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Miles to go before I sleep
Well, that was something.
No matter how you break it down, 14 miles is a LONG way. The depressing thing is that the runs only get longer from here.
However, yesterdays run went well. The Unlikeliest Team tackled our run just before six o'clock. Our run took us throughout a lot of various Boston neighborhoods, including but not limited to Beacon Hill, the North End, the Harbor Walk, the Seaport, Southie, Fort Point, Financial District, the Common, Back Bay, the Esplenade and Cambridge.
The run went a little slower than intended, because as Steph would like to point out "Diabetes Sucks" but the distance was covered and it was a great run along a pretty sweet course.
Note to self: next time, use the body glide before you run, underarms and...ahem...other areas will be more than grateful.
No matter how you break it down, 14 miles is a LONG way. The depressing thing is that the runs only get longer from here.
However, yesterdays run went well. The Unlikeliest Team tackled our run just before six o'clock. Our run took us throughout a lot of various Boston neighborhoods, including but not limited to Beacon Hill, the North End, the Harbor Walk, the Seaport, Southie, Fort Point, Financial District, the Common, Back Bay, the Esplenade and Cambridge.
The run went a little slower than intended, because as Steph would like to point out "Diabetes Sucks" but the distance was covered and it was a great run along a pretty sweet course.
Note to self: next time, use the body glide before you run, underarms and...ahem...other areas will be more than grateful.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Ugh
Pardon the time between posts. Life gets in the way.
Heading out in a few to embark on a 14 mile run with Roger and Steph. I am officially dubbing us "The Unlikeliest Running Team."
This will officially mark the farthest I have ever run, to say I am not looking forward to this is an understatement.
Our route is as follows: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/ma/boston/629128093440169682
Knowing this course well only makes it worse, as I'll always have an accurate idea of what's left.
To borrow a line from the "300": This will not be over quickly, you will not enjoy it.
Heading out in a few to embark on a 14 mile run with Roger and Steph. I am officially dubbing us "The Unlikeliest Running Team."
This will officially mark the farthest I have ever run, to say I am not looking forward to this is an understatement.
Our route is as follows: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/ma/boston/629128093440169682
Knowing this course well only makes it worse, as I'll always have an accurate idea of what's left.
To borrow a line from the "300": This will not be over quickly, you will not enjoy it.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Only the lonely
Miles to date: 89
Big week behind me. Had some great runs, put in a lot of miles.
Running is, by its very nature, a sport of isolation. It lends itself to people who are comfortable spending long amounts of time by themselves. I am not one of these people.
It is for this reason I prefer to run with my previously mentioned running compatriots. However, this being summertime and owing to the fact that I tend to spend my weekends on the Cape, I have not had the opportunity to run with my friends in a long time. This is by no means attributable to them and is solely my fault. This has not been much of an issue, as the runs I've been tackling haven't been too long, or strenuous. That changed this weekend.
Saturday called for about an 11 mile run. The route I mapped out was a little closer to 12. Running 12 miles, under the best of conditions, is a crappy thing. Running 12 miles by yourself is worse. Two hours (give or take) is a long time to spend doing anything.
That being said, Saturday's run was the best run I have had so far in my training. The weather was perfect (with temperatures in the high 60's and no humidity), the scenery was gorgeous - mainly owing to some spectacular views of Cape Cod Bay from the hills on route 130 and Quaker Meetinghouse road, and some beautiful streets throughout Sandwich, and I felt great. I actually felt like a runner again.
/knocks on wood
There is a historical trend that whenever I say I feel like a runner some calamity befalls me. Last time, not thirty seconds after I said that to Roger on a long run, I rolled my ankle and skinned my knee at the absolute furthest point possible from our origination spot. So I don't want to jinx anything.
This week in general the runs felt good. My mid-week long run was a great five miles as well, despite the oppressiveness of the air. Let's hope this is a product of my training and a sign of things to come.
Big week behind me. Had some great runs, put in a lot of miles.
Running is, by its very nature, a sport of isolation. It lends itself to people who are comfortable spending long amounts of time by themselves. I am not one of these people.
It is for this reason I prefer to run with my previously mentioned running compatriots. However, this being summertime and owing to the fact that I tend to spend my weekends on the Cape, I have not had the opportunity to run with my friends in a long time. This is by no means attributable to them and is solely my fault. This has not been much of an issue, as the runs I've been tackling haven't been too long, or strenuous. That changed this weekend.
Saturday called for about an 11 mile run. The route I mapped out was a little closer to 12. Running 12 miles, under the best of conditions, is a crappy thing. Running 12 miles by yourself is worse. Two hours (give or take) is a long time to spend doing anything.
That being said, Saturday's run was the best run I have had so far in my training. The weather was perfect (with temperatures in the high 60's and no humidity), the scenery was gorgeous - mainly owing to some spectacular views of Cape Cod Bay from the hills on route 130 and Quaker Meetinghouse road, and some beautiful streets throughout Sandwich, and I felt great. I actually felt like a runner again.
/knocks on wood
There is a historical trend that whenever I say I feel like a runner some calamity befalls me. Last time, not thirty seconds after I said that to Roger on a long run, I rolled my ankle and skinned my knee at the absolute furthest point possible from our origination spot. So I don't want to jinx anything.
This week in general the runs felt good. My mid-week long run was a great five miles as well, despite the oppressiveness of the air. Let's hope this is a product of my training and a sign of things to come.
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