Dreams of Boston - Solid 14-miler today

As the training days go by and the miles pile up, I decided I need to make sure I stay focused on the goal.

The one and only time I was in Boston was last September. While living in CT, Jen and I took a weekend road trip and did the tourist thing. What a great American city. Here is a snapshot of me in front of one of the many American icons in Boston: the beloved Fenway.

I plan to return to Beantown this coming April 16, 2007 to see even more of the city in a way I've only dreamed about.

Yesterday (Friday) -- I DID CROSS-TRAINING AT THE GYM! 15 min bike / 10 min ellipitical - crunches - back - leg lunges w/dumb bells (light weight)

Today's run - 14 miles

6:15 AM -- Today, I headed up to Warrenville to run again with the CARA group. I don't want to sound like a running snob, but I'm struggling to find runners in this group that are advanced enough for me to train with.

Warrenvile is the closest training site for me, but there are a few others in the 'burbs a little further from me as well. There is always downtown and Lincoln Park, which I'm sure attracts plenty of high-caliber runners. I've got e-mails out to the site coordinators to get some feedback on the runners in these groups. Commuting 40 miles to downtown for a training run seems a bit crazy, doesn't it?

I ran with a guy today named Scott for 8 miles. He's 37 and training for his 3rd Chicago marathon. He was good to run with. The Polar was on the fritz cutting out on and off, but I gathered we were doing 8:30's for the most part. We finished are 8 together in just under 1:08 (8:30 flat). My avg HR was 142 for these 8 mi.

I was in some mild discomfort for most of these miles due to a threat of a bodily urge to go #2. It was hard for me to hold up the conversation. Thankfully, when we finished our 8, I darted into the "BK Lounge" (a.k.a. Burger King) restroom in time to take care of business.

During my break, I GU'd and gatoraded up, toweled down and turned back out for another 6. Again, I got the stare from the others who ran 5-6 miles and were done for the day.

These last 6 by myself were golden. I picked up the pace to 8:00's. I did feel a little fatigue at mile 11 but I think I needed more carbs. The GU kicked in and I felt a much better. Miles 9 through 12 brought HR's in the 150's, the last two miles were quicker (7:48 and 7:23) and brought HR's of 161-167.

Time: 1:54:22
Est Dist: 14
Est Pace: 8:10
Avg HR: 145 (78% of max)

I'm on track as we close week #3 of 18. I need to decide if I will pull my schedule up a day this week. If I do, I will consider tomorrow's recovery 4-miler optional, since I would not have a rest day on Monday.