Base building on track

My mileage base building is on track. This past week went well. I achieved my 38-mile target and was able to see most of Central London while doing it.

I got lost in and around the beautiful Regent's Park in London while putting in 8.5 miles on Wed morning. London has beautiful parks and running through them is the one thing to do that doesn't cost any money!

Yesterday's morning's 12-miler was a bit rough. Truth is I have only myself to blame. I was invited over to the neighbor's Friday night and I had a couple beers too many. I think I was dehydrated and my HR was a little higher than norm. I felt like garbage - but I got the mileage in at 7:50 avg pace. Lesson learned (again).

Time to talk 2:59 marathon strategy...

Here is a sneak peak of the first several weeks of my training plan as it stands now. There's no detail on workouts, but you can get a feel for the mileage level.

My plan is an adaptation of the mid-point mileage of Pfitzinger's 55mpw and 7o+mpw, with my own adjustments to accommodate my schedules.

Basically, I'll be running many weeks consistently in the 50-63 mpw range. I will try to get to a single 70-mile week later in the summer - the week of 8/13 - just to say I did one. The other difference is that I will have five 20+ mile runs. Overall, I will be running substantially higher mileage than I did last year when I ran 3:10. I am hopeful this jump will get me to 2:59.

My only concern is the rate of mileage climb. I've never moved up from 30's to 40's so rapidly this early on.

This coming week is the last week of pre-training. I consider "official" training to start 18 weeks out based on Pfitz's plan. I like the 18-week plans. It seems like the right amount of time to truly focus on training.

This week, as you can see from the plan, I will try for about 42 miles, which will include a 10k race on Saturday.

Thanks for all the comments. I have to apologize that I've not been able to comment as much as I would like recently, but the schedule has lightened up and I'll be watching you.

Upcoming Events:

Next Saturday - I will be running the Wheaton 10k. Goal time? I don't know, maybe 41'ish?
June 8-9 - I will be participating in the Great Midwest Relay with Running Jayhawk and a bunch of other running bloggers from Chicago area. We'll be driving a van and running in shifts for 36 hours - running from Madison, WI to Chicago. This ought to be an adventure!
June 24 - I will make my 2nd appearance at the Downer's Grove 10-mile race.

Running Sub-3 For A Cause

The good news is that I miscounted last week how many weeks we have until Chicago. It is now 20 weeks from today, when I initially thought it was 20 from last week. I am proud to report that I achieved my 33-mile goal for this week after arriving back from vacation Monday evening.

Mon 5/14 - 8:00 PM - 4 miles easy - 8:17 pace
Tue 5/15 - 6:30 AM - solid 6 miles with some fartlek - 7:38 pace
Wed 5/16 - Lunchtime - 6 miles EZ/recovery - 8:18 pace
Thu 5/17 - Rest - Recovery from a late night at the White Sox game
Fri 5/18 - 6 miles - 8:06 pace
Sat 5/19 - Rest
Sun 5/20 - 10 miles - 7:37 pace with fast finish - last mile was 6:36

Total for week: 33 miles

My concern this week is around my diet and weight. (Note how I am lamenting after Jen and I just arrived home from a wing/beer fest at Buffalo Wild Wings). OK, I don't have an eating disorder, because I recognize that I am 6'1" and about 175 lbs (read: SLENDER). However, I am a runner concerned about my speed. I weighed about 170 lb before vacation and that crept up to 175 after. I've just got some bad eating/beer habits.

On to good news, I am really pleased with my heart rate on today's 10-miler. Check out my splits below (click on image). Not until I pushed it the last couple of miles did I exceed 150. I found that I can run several miles in the 7:40's and the HR is sub-150. That's pretty good given my current conditioning. I still had some mileage in me, but I decided to hold back since I need to build carefully.

There were mixed responses on my cross-training post from last week in Aruba, especially from Chad, a sub-3-marathoner who basically scoffed at my pool running idea. Then Wayne, who just banged out 3:09 and 3:11 in Austin & Boston respectively (less than 60 days apart) swears by it. Do we really need to cross-train significantly? I guess since I became injured late last year, I was hoping to prevent a repeat occurence.

Juggling the schedule is an ongoing battle. Again, I need to travel to London for work this week.

Mon 5/21 - 8 miles gen aerobic - Take Redeye flight to London
Tue 5/22 - Arrive in London at 8AM - Rest
Wed 5/23 - Early 8-miler in Hyde Park - Will mix in some strides
Thu 5/24- Early 5-miler in Hyde Park
Fri 5/25 - Fly home from London - Recovery 5 miler back home in afternoon
Sat 5/26 - 12 miler
Sun 5/27 - Rest

Goal mileage for the week: 37 miles

Lastly, I am proud to report that I am a committed Charity Runner for the American Cancer Society. You can see my page here. I will train to run my fastest marathon imaginable and will be motivated to help raise funds for a cure.

Next post, I will review my new Nike Vomero+2's and HornetJuice.

Training begins tomorrow - 20 weeks to go

Reporting live from the lobby of the Manchebo Beach Resort in Aruba
May 13th - 9:50 PM Atlantic Standard Time

Our vacation in Aruba is coming to a close. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 8AM. We will arrive back in Chicago at 3:25 PM on Monday afternoon.

It has been a hugely relaxing vacation. We've done, well, very little since we got here. While many visitors rented ATV's, went snorkeling, rode a tour bus, rode Jet Ski's, etc... I've read, slept and laid around more than I think I ever have in my life. It has been WONDERFUL.

Most notably, I did very little running - exactly as planned. The conditions didn't exactly promote any sane person putting in mileage. In fact, yesterday, I had to excuse myself from the hotel happy hour after sucking down a frozen hurricane... so that I could run a measly 3 miles in 85 degree weather. I got two 3-milers in, which got me to 20 for this week, thanks to my early runs before leaving last week.

I've done a lot of thinking about running this week, mostly inspired by a couple of books I brought with me. These books weren't exactly zen-inspired, philosophical takes on running. Instead, I was seeking practical advice as I consider my goal in Chicago on October 7th.

One is the "Runner's World guide to Cross-Training", which has been insightful - and the other, another RW publication, called "Run Faster", which was a smaller version of the same subject matter. Both made me realize I need to get serious about x-training. I never have. I need to start to push it to the sub-3-hour level. My first task? Sign up for the "Y" and learn to pool run.

Most ironic about my thinking about running this week is how I feel right now. We're fresh off our fattest, most satisifying meal of the week. I had a gigantic plate of Carribean jerk stlye ribs that I ate until I couldn't take it any more. I washed this feast down with a handful of Balashi beers, which is the local beer. I've had more Balashis than I care to count this week. I've been chowing down and slugging drinks while laying on the beach all week.

The irony is that I feel the furthest thing from a runner right now, let alone a marathon runner, let alone a marathon runner with the capability to run a 2:59. I feel like sludge. I feel out of shape. My two 3-mile runs (albeit both during hangovers in humid hot island weather) were a pathetic performance.

Right now, I am convinced that my sub-conscious has been influenced by my environment. All of the cues around me are saying "relax man, have a Balashi!" So it's no surprise I don't feel like a runner right now - and I am not behaving like one. I'm not supposed to.

You know what? I'm not worried. I know I will get back home to tomorrow and start cracking away at my goal. I am motivated to work - not just at running, but at my job, which will be spilling all over me when I get home.

Tomorrow, we go home and the work will begin.

20 weeks t0 go - Week #1 Schedule

Mon - 4 miles easy
Tue - 8 miles - beginning speed work on track
Wed - Rest
Thu - 7 miles easy
Fri - 4 miles recovery
Sat - 10 miles gen aerobic
Sun - Rest

Mileage Goal: 33 miles

Tech meltdown! Aruba me, mon!

I'm having a technology week from hell. Basically, I've had not one, not two, but three sets of headphones that I use for my Ipod bite the dust. One pair was thanks to my lovely cat, Bailey, who gnawed at the wire. Second pair, a nice pair of noise canceling JVC's, I haphazardly caught on the coffee stand and ripped out the jack. Lastly, the back-up Sony's simply failed on my Friday run.

THEN... the peak of my week was when my Dell XPS motherboard completely broke down after 14 months of use. And NO it's not under warranty. I'm irate... I can't even load my IPod before we head to Aruba on Tuesday. You don't realize how dependent you are on your PC 'til it's on its death bed. UGH. This is the last Dell I buy... I may even sell my stock.

What's most important is that I met my mileage goal for the week. My favorite run was an excellent 6-miler near my company's office in CT... one of my old paths when I used to live there.

Recap of April 30 week

Mon - 5.3 miles
Tue - 4.7 miles
Wed - Rest
Thur - 6 miles - hills+speed - Silvermine, CT - 7:24 avg pace
Fri - 4 miles recovery
Sat - 7 miles - 7:45 avg pace (incl. one 400m lap at 1:24)
Sun - REST

Total: 27 miles - GOAL REACHED

I'm pretty sure this will be my last post until we get back from Aruba on May 14. Here are my upcoming weeks. In the meantime, I'll be slugging rum cocktails, beers and enjoying the view oceanside...

UPCOMING WEEKS

May 7 week - Goal: 20 miles - Run 8 tomorrow AM - ENJOY ARUBA - will try for three 4-milers on our trip
May 14 week - Arrive home Monday 5PM - Mileage goal: 33 incl a 10-miler on Saturday
May 21 week - Week 1 of modified Pfitz - Mile goal: 37
May 28 week - Mile goal: 43 - 10M race on Memorial Day

Inching toward training - with vacation upcoming

Writing from my hotel room in Norwalk, CT. Cranked out a couple of 5-milers so far this week: the first on Monday during lunch and the second on Tuesday morning.

I flew early this morning and rested today. For Thursday, I will get up at 6 AM ET (5 AM CT) so I can get in at least four or five. This week's goal is to get to 26-27 miles. I am feeling recovered and preparing to start ramping up, keeping in mind I'll be in Aruba May 8-16th (SWEET).

I continue to ponder the magnitude of a sub-3-hour marathon, and I am pretty much settling myself on the goal. I was talking to my friend tonight, Steve, who is coming off a ACL blow-out and trying to run a 2:50 in Chicago. Yeah, the dude can't barely walk and he is setting a 2:50 goal five months from now.

I explained my concern about the fact that we all have day jobs and lives outside of running. I have to travel for work, sometimes overseas, and cannot always control my schedule. Guess we'll just have to deal with these little curveballs as they come and manage the schedule carefully.

For your reading pleasure, below is a text copy of an article written about me for a Global newsletter at my company that will be published next month. For anyone who ever accused me of not committing to a goal, it's out there in writing to my professional world now....

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Nied Competes in Boston Marathon

How does it feel to complete the world’s most prestigious 26.2 mile running race through rain and wind with tens of thousands of spectators cheering? Just ask Ryan Nied, Procurement Director, based in Plainfield, who achieved a personal milestone by running the 111th Boston Marathon on April 16, 2007.

Just hours before this year’s event, meteorologists had predicted the worst conditions in the event’s history with a Nor’easter storm hovering over the Boston area. Despite the wind gusts and harsh rains, Mother Nature wasn’t able to dampen Nied’s spirits.

“I was just so thrilled to be in the race. I was surrounded by some of the best runners in the world – and the best marathon spectators in the world,” said Nied, who completed his eighth marathon in Boston.

Most runners consider participating in the Boston Marathon a major accomplishment because of the strict qualifying times required to gain entry and the heralded tradition of great runners that compete in the event every year. Nied qualified for Boston by running the 2006 Chicago Marathon in a time of 3:10:04.

Nied’s next marathon goal? He will try to break the three-hour barrier. He has set a daunting goal time of 2:59:59 when he returns to run the Chicago Marathon in October. This will require him to run an average of 6:51 per mile for the 26.2-mile distance.

“I’m very intimidated by the level of training need to put up that kind of time, and I really don’t know if I can do it, but a fellow runner just said to me: ‘Remember, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,’ and I took that to heart,” said Nied.

Nied will dedicate his next marathon effort toward raising money for the American Cancer Society. “I’ve been so fortunate in my life. Running has done so much for my health and my confidence as a person. It’s definitely time for me to do something positive with it.”

How I Will Spend My Summer 2007

All of this down time from running has allowed the opportunity to spend a lot of time thinking about how I will train the summer. Perhaps too much time and too much thinking.

I have starting doing research on what kind of training it will take me to post a sub 3-hour performance in Chicago on October 7th. That’s right, a marathon time that starts with the highly intimidating marathon number "2". After all, Robert Cheruiyot’s winning times at Boston and Chicago both start with that same number. Guess it would put me in some rather elite company.

I have reviewed Pfitz’s 55-mpw program, which is what I followed for last year’s BQ. Pfitz has another variant of the same program that is called the "up to 70-mpw" program. The schedule looks really challenging for me. I won’t be ready to jump in 53 miles in week 1, which is to begin on June 14.

So I’ve decided I may do a sort-of "hybrid" or "median" of the two. I’ve started designing my schedule to target the exact mid-point of the weekly mileage goals between the two programs. To put this into context, the lower mileage program averages 44-mpw over the entire 18 weeks, whereas the heavier mileage plan calls for an average of 62 miles/wk (with five long runs of 20 or more). My "median" program as it stands now will put me in at around 52 average per week.

I have grandiose visions of running this ridiculously fast time of 2:59 in Chicago, while also looking for motivation while I run for my to-be-determined charity. I will shatter all of my PR’s along the way: 5k, 10k, 10M, half-mary, 30k - basically any distance I race this year.

I then think about my forthcoming summer: the pain of running 1:20 400m repeats in the early morning sun, the heatstroke risk, the missed BBQ’s, the juggling of my work travel schedule to maximize my running time, the early Friday night’s to bed for Sat long runs, the awkward explanations to neighbors when shunning their weekend social invitations... all to train.

Then the fear creeps in around what if I give my all and don’t make it. There could be worse things, but what a wasted summer to run, say, a 3:04. Big deal, that’s hardly different than the 3:10 and I could have had a more relaxed summer. Besides, I’m already qualified for Boston 2008.

Then again, maybe I shouldn’t doubt myself. I had these same thoughts when I was contemplating a 3:10 and a trip to Boston. I accomplished exactly what I set for last year.

I did manage to do some more recovery running this week. I will carefully raise the mileage back up, a vacation to Aruba on May 8 notwithstanding. I need to be able to run 40 miles per week starting June 4th.

For some great inspiration and laugh, check out this Bob guy’s before and after video at Boston. Don’t know this guy, but I love this video. Note that he ran a 2:59 in Boston. Sweet.

Recap of April 23 week

Mon - Rest

Tue - 4 mi - 8:05/mi

Wed - Rest

Thu - 4 mi - 8:18/mi

Fri - Rest

Sat - 6 mi - Springbrook Prairie - 7:47/mi

Sun - 3 mi recovery - 80 degrees - 8:24/mi

Total: 17 miles

Goal for April 30 week: 27

Recovery continues

Recovery from Boston has been progressing, I suppose, but it's been really difficult for me to tell how quickly. Truth is, I couldn't even hold to the 9-day rest period that I had planned. I was too anxious. I stepped out Sunday for an easy 3-miler and headed out this morning for another 4-miler.

Sundays 3-mile avg pace: 8:31.
Today's 4-mile avg pace: 8:05. (One of the miles was 7:44, which in retrospect was probably not a smart pace at this stage.)

I feel decent, but I know I am not recovered. Before the marathon, we all can do 4 miles in our sleep. After my runs, I have felt a very slight, dull fatigue later in the day after the run. It's not even in the category of "pain", but rather very faint sore/fatigue sensation.

Walking is another strategy for recovery I have read about. I walked last night for 30 minutes. I am going to take a 30 minute walk tomorrow before work. I will then run on Thursday for a easy four.

I am just being ultra-cautious. I believe it was a hard 9-miler the week after Chicago that initiated by IT band syndrome late last year. Don't want that.

I am itching to get back at it. Today's morning was amazing weather. We haven't had weather like this for months. My whole season culminated with a sloppy mess in Boston and now I am supposed to be resting?

Check out my current running schedule . I am curious to get your feedback on my recovery and re-ramp back in to Chicago training. Notice I have an Aruba vacation and a 10-mile race on Memorial Day weekend in late May. The section on the schedule in light blue indicates the 18-week "official training window" for Chicago.

Focusing on the Next Milestone

First, thank you to all of you who made the wonderful comments on my Boston report. Not only have I received a outpouring of congrats from my fellow running bloggers, it was an usually high-profile week at work as well.

Several months ago, I posted a Boston countdown on a whiteboard in front of my cube. As a result, basically everyone in my office knew about my entry into Boston. I received a number of congratulations this week from people all throughout my company. I am also learned that I am going to be profiled in two separate company newsletters for my Boston experience. Then, I was surprised with a special celebratory cake on Thursday at our on-site happy hours (yes, we have on-site happy hours, it's the alcoholic bev business!). It had my name and time on the cake. I received a round of applause. Yes..., it was borderline overkill!

It taught me something. People realize that me getting to Boston truly was an accomplishment. The attention was overblown for me. I did it for myself, not for the attention. I hope I've inspired some people to chase a lofty goal.

Now, for the past few days, I'm have already been turning my mind to the summer running season and the next major milestone: the Chicago Marathon. Unbelievably, the marathon has now sold out already. Thankfully, I was proactive. What's also exciting is that I have SEVEN (maybe 8) races scheduled before the next marathon. Check out the list to the right. I hope to smash a few PR's on my way to crushing my PR again in Chicago.

I am thinking about really going all out for the Chicago Marathon in two ways.

First, everyone can see my goal time to the right there for a 3:05. Wow, that's fast... just saying it scares me (7:03 per mile!?). HOWEVER... Part of me feels like I may be even to raise the bar even higher and chase a sub-3. A 2:59:59 would be amazing (6:52?!?). How much mileage do I need to get there? Can I get there on a peak of 60-65 mpw?

Second, I will be running the Chicago Marathon for a charity this year. It's time for me to give back. I don't know which charity as yet, but I am actively reviewing the options. Details forthcoming.

I have not run a step since Boston on Monday. I feel pretty good and have been enjoying my rest period. I had scheduled to rest until Wednesday. I didn't want to start up too since, since I got hurt last November after Chicago. I may go out for an easy 2-miler tomorrow.

My First Boston Marathon - April 16, 2007

It’s been a hectic couple of days since the finish of the marathon. I decided to take some extra time to reflect on the marathon. Here’s the story…

We bucked the norm and stayed out in the suburbs, which worked out well. I’m naïve and didn’t realize the tradition of the bus system initially. Anyway, we rolled into Hopkinton State Park at around 7:20AM to find ourselves, well, early. BAA does a great job with the shuttles. There were dozens of empty school buses and only a few cars there in the lot.

The rain was steady and the road to the start area was nearly flooded. There was road crew draining Route 82 on our way.

In Hopkinton, Jen and I walked what seemed like a mile to athlete’s village, dodging puddles and cursing mother nature and her fricken’ nor’easter. My feet were sopped before I ran my first step of the day. I wasn’t sure what we would do since I knew the village was for runners only, but Jen walked right in to the tent with her jeans on with me.

The tent area looked like a refugee camp, all of us taking cover from the wind and rain. Many of the early birds were spread eagle on the ground stretching and taking naps. The surrounding field that had the port-o-johns was a swampy, soupy mess. All of us were gearing up for what were touted to be the worst Boston Marathon conditions in history.

The anticipation for me was unnerving, especially given the conditions and the uncertainty of what was to come. I just wanted to START. Runners smarter than me had extra shoes and plastic bags wrapping their feet. I wish I was that bright. Next time…

Finally, race time approached and the weather was tame. Sure, there was steady misting, but not the winds and the lower temps that were promised by all the meteorologists.

I told Jen I was planning to run steady 8’s. What difference would 3:20 or 3:30 make? I knew I didn’t have the mileage in to run much more than that. Plus, the weather… and this was about the EXPERIENCE!

Dressing was difficult, but thought I was dressed right for the conditions. I wore running tights. This decision was difficult, but the “RealFeel” was supposed to be in the 20’s around 11AM. Yes, the forecast was that temps would drop throughout the race and the winds would pick up. I wore two layers and an old Addidas running coat that I said I would toss if I warmed. It is perfect to shield the massive downpours I expected.

Finally, at 9:45, I drifted into the 5000 corral with pride. The gun went off and it was a stampede of runners on the narrow Hopkinton streets. What a thrill to know that most runners around me were faster than me, and that I was somehow mixed in with them.



The downhill pushed our pace exactly as I imagined it would. I shed the jacket and put it onto my waist at mile 2.5. I didn’t want to ditch it since I thought it would get colder. I ended up wearing it on my waist ‘til mile 17, when I saw my wife.

Wellesley was without a doubt one of the highlights. At mile 12, I heard a distant ruckus that sounded like a World Series game taking place where a homerun had just been hit. It was the girls of Wellesley instead. I saw signs of “Kiss Me for Luck!” and “You’re Sexy!” and “Take it OFF!” and flirted with all of the chicks as I ran by. I felt like a rock star.

Fast forward to 17, when I started what I thought was an early fatigue for me. But, I was hanging in. I saw and kissed my wife and braced for the beginning of the ascent. I’ll be honest and tell you I didn’t know which hill was Heartbreak. At 19, there was a modest climb, and I couldn’t remember where I was. I thought, is this IT?? I then hit 20, and there it was. I saw many around me stall, but I was able to muster a low 8 pace up the hill.

Once I hit the top, I was pumped. But I still had 10k. It wasn’t until mile 23 that I really saw the crowds thicken. Getting into downtown was incredible. We ran right along side the “T” and I saw spectators waving at us through the windows.

The payoff was rounding the corner in Copley Square and seeing the BOSTON MARATHON banner in the distance, signaling the finish. I was so damn ecstatic. I was doing cheerleader moves with my arms. This finish was like no other. There was a mile of people 5+ deep along each side of the street screaming, waving and cheering.

I was choked up as usual when I got into the chute and immediately began to freeze. I wanted my warm clothes and to find my wife.

1 - 7:30
2 - 7:27
3 - 7:38 – moved jacket to waistline
4 - 7:38
5 - 7:58
6 - 7:43
7 - 7:44
8 - 7:44
9 - 7:44
10 - 7:49
11 - 7:50
12 - 7:38
13 - 7:45 – Wellesley College scream tunnel
HALF – 1:41:03
14 - 7:44
15 - 7:55
16 - 7:42
17 - 8:28 – Ascent begins, Pause to kiss wife and hand off jacket
18 - 8:07
19 - 7:59
20 - 8:11
21 - 8:22 – Fighting off the heartbreak!
22 - 7:43
23 - 8:03
24 - 7:58
25 - 8:14
26+0.2 - 9:42 – Final 1.2
FINISH – 3:26:27

After the debacle of getting my gear off the bus (that was the one foul-up of the event, all else was solid), we were ready to head back to the hotel. We didn’t get back until about 4. I took a shower and was ready for a nap.

I came out of the bathroom to learn the news of the VA Tech Massacre. I was incredulous. I always thought I would remember this day as my first Boston Marathon, but now we all will remember this day in infamy as the worst massacre in US History.

When I heard the news, I remembered the tears of joy I had shed when I crossed the finish line with thousands cheering. I would later shed a different kind of tears on the same day. I thought of the 32 innocent people that were senselessly murdered. I wondered why I have been able to chase my dreams, which include running this incredible race, having a career and a wife and a great life... And why were these kids chosen to be in the path of such tragedy with their whole lives ahead of them? I haven’t figured this out as yet…

Boston bound - I'm on my way... BIB # 5215

First and foremost, for your viewing enjoyment, I can be tracked during the race on baa.org - bib #5215.

The bags are packed and we're ready to go. Flight is 7:30 AM tomorrow from Chicago Midway to Providence. I couldn't fit my canoe and paddle I'll need to float through up to 5 inches of rain from Hopkinton to Boston. If you've looked at the forecast, you know what I mean.

We have a visit planned with my sister-in-law tomorrow and then we'll take a 90-minute drive to Boston on Sunday. We've got a pre-race dinner on Sunday scheduled with the Chicago CARA group at this place. Let me know if you've been there before and your review.

I've got 14 miles in WTD. Will do a short 2-miler on Sunday. I'm feeling a bit sluggish. This taper hasn't been as tough as other marathons since it was shorter, but I do feel I've put on a couple of pounds.

The big news for the race is the growing speculation on the conditions. I've heard 50+mph wind gusts, thirty-something degree temp's with a sleet-rain mixture. Beautiful. I've seen newspaper reports of whether or not the race would be cancelled with the pending Nor'easter. The race has only been cancelled once, in 1918 during WWI, over the past 111 years.

You should see it, I've packed half of the running gear I own. It's ridiculous. How the hell do any of us know what to expect? We need to have plenty of clothing options. And we also need to consider we may have clothes we will want to toss.

I thought I'd share more encouragement from the B.A.A. below. We've got the video and digital cameras packed. Signing off for now until a race report next week. Here's my chance to chase destiny from Hopkintown to downtown Boston. Peace out...


April 13, 2007

Weather Advisory - 2007 Boston Marathon

The Boston Athletic Association's medical team recommends the following precautions and advice for participants in Monday's Boston Marathon:

FORECAST:The most up-to-date weather forecast calls for a predicted Spring storm on Monday, including heavy rains (potentially 3 to 5 inches), with the start temperatures in the mid to upper 30's. Wind will likely be East (in the face of the participants for most of the race) in the 20 to 25 mile per hour range, with gusts to as much as 50 miles per hour. This will produce a wind chill index of 25 to 30-degrees Fahrenheit.

RISKS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RUNNERS PARTICIPATING IN COLD AND WET CONDITIONS:Combined with the rain, we are concerned that predicted weather conditions will increase the runners' risks for a condition called hypothermia. As with any athletic competition, as a runner you are assuming the risks inherent with participation. It is your responsibility to be informed about the risks associated with running in the aforementioned conditions, and the risks of injury or illness will increase with these predicted conditions.
While exercising in cold weather, our bodies attempt to maintain core temperature by shunting blood away from the periphery, thus minimizing heat loss. Hypothermia sets in when the body's temperature drops below normal, starting when the body loses heat faster than heat can be generated. Heat is produced by muscle action and shivering. Very low body temperatures can be life threatening.WARNING SIGNS OF HYPOTHERMIA:
Mild hypothermia is heralded by goose pimples and shivering as our bodies attempt to raise our metabolic rates to increase our core temperature.
Moderate hypothermia will result in muscular fatigue, poor coordination, numbness and disorientation.
Severe hypothermia can result ultimately in cardiovascular failure. Treatment of hypothermia requires prompt recognition and treatment as mild hypothermia can progress to a more severe situation if not addressed early.

WHAT TO DO IF HYPOTHERMIA SETS IN:Runners should be removed from cold, wet, or windy conditions. Wet clothing should be removed, and rewarming commenced with warm blankets and ingestion of warm fluids. If the athlete's condition does not improve, transportation to a medical facility should be arranged. Hypothermia can occur at temperatures at, or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, or even in higher temperatures when the weather is also wet and windy. Cold temperatures, dampness, and wind increase the risk of hypothermia for runners. Sweat cools the body quickly during cold weather running. Wind evaporates it faster.
As with so many other conditions in sports medicine, our best offense (treatment) is a good defense (preparation). Following the guidelines below will help minimize risk for cold related illness and will maximize your enjoyment and performance during the race:

PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR RACE DAY:

Be prepared prior to the race. Have extra clothing which will enable you to stay dry even before the race begins.
For the race itself, dress in layers of loose, lightweight clothing. The first layer of clothing (closest to the body) should be made of polyester or polypropylene which will "wick" sweat away from the body. Subsequent layers should be loose and breathable-fleece is a good choice. Cotton should be minimized as it can allow sweat buildup. The outer layer should be wind and water resistant, thus protecting from wind, rain, and snow. When in doubt, add the extra layer. You can always remove a layer if you warm up, but you will regret not having it if you start freezing with several miles to go.
Protect your head and extremities. Wearing a hat is essential as up to 50% of body heat can be lost though the head. Gloves are important to prevent exposure to the hands. These, too, can be removed if you get warm, but you'll regret not having them if needed. Mittens are better on colder days as they will keep the hands even warmer. Shield the face with a scarf or high collar. Wear socks that retain heat and wick moisture away.
Runners with exercise-induced bronchospasm should attempt to warm air such as through a scarf or mask. A prolonged warm-up prior to hard running can help minimize symptoms. Carry your inhaler if you use one, and use it should it become necessary.
Stay with your normal hydration regime, remembering not to over drink. Do not drink alcohol the night before the race. Alcohol will make the body lose heat faster.
Run with a partner. It is sometimes difficult to recognize if you are becoming hypothermic. A running partner can help if you get into trouble. Shivering is a sign of hypothermia. The cessation of shivering may indicate more severe hypothermia and the runner should seek evaluation at a shelter.
Consider canceling your run or seek shelter if the weather conditions are too severe or you are too tired. Running on ice or over snow-covered terrain can lead to tripping, falling, or injury.
Medical stations and American Red Cross locations - located every mile along the route - along the course will have buses to handle your medical needs. Rewarming will be difficult given the weather and normal field size, so if you are not feeling well, do not wait to seek medical attention.
Help each other. Be aware of yourself but also make medical team members aware if you see someone on the route who you believe may be starting to suffer from the onset of hypothermia.TREATMENT OF HYPOTHERMIA
Keep the runner dry and cover with blankets.
Shelter the runner from wind and water.
Provide heat to the neck, underarms, and groin. Heat only the trunk initially to avoid core temperature after-drop. After-drop occurs in this manner: Extremities cool faster than the trunk. If you re-warm the extremities, their colder blood will re-enter the circulation and actually worsen hypothermia temporarily.
Keep the runner lying down, but only in a warm dry location.
Administer warm fluids by mouth if the runner is shivering. If the shivering reflex is lost, a bear hugger should be utilized (loss of the shivering reflex signifies significant hypothermia).
Avoid moving/jarring the runner suddenly because this may trigger an abnormal heart rhythm.
If CPR is necessary, resuscitation should not be stopped until the person's body temperature is at least 95°F/35°C (never give up your efforts). All temperatures indicated are rectal measures, which give a closer indication of core temperature. If the victim is cooperative, you may take temperature by other methods.

B.A.A. has issued weather warning

Not good, folks! I dropping my time expectations down to 3:30. Four days to go...

Newsflash from the BAA sent to all entrants

Wednesday, April 11 - As the Boston Athletic Association continues to make preparations for Monday's Boston Marathon, we are monitoring the upcoming weather conditions forecast for this area. Based on the National Weather Service's most recent report and in cooperation with the Executive Office of Public Safety (Commonwealth of Massachusetts) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, together with the eight cities and towns along the 26.2-mile marathon route, we are planning for likely heavy rain and windy conditions on race day. However, all race day plans remain the same. The Boston Athletic Association advises participants in Monday's race to plan accordingly for their run, bringing with them gear and apparel to suit the conditions. The B.A.A. will continue to update its web site as necessary.

Psyching up for Boston - My dream goal will be accomplished

Finally, my two weeks of business traveling is over. I was in our Connecticut office for three days again this week, which includes the proverbial team dinners both nights. These are long days and seriously impacts the running schedule.

Not to mention that I work in the alcoholic beverage industry, so there are always plenty of opportunities to hit the bar. I was able to get in a couple of shorter runs during the week.

All of this is OK, however, since the taper for Boston is in full effect. A few people have asked me if I have a goal time in Boston. All along I have said that I am just happy to be there. But it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have a plan. So here it is…

My recent half was a 1:32, which is a 3:15 on the McMillan predictor chart. Not going for that. Don’t have enough weekly mileage, long runs or any speed work in the bank.

My recent 8k was a 31:53, which is a 3:08 on the predictor chart. Again, NOT going for that for the aforementioned reasons.

I’d be absolutely thrilled with a sub-3:20, which would be my second best marathon time. My PR prior to Chicago '06 was a 3:23:55, which is really what I want to beat. SO, I will run 7:40’s and see how it goes, and see if I can push it 7:30’s for the final 10k to break 3:20.

BUT this is Boston, and I have no idea what to expect. Mark my words, I am thrilled just be to there and that I am injury-free again. That is the real victory for me. I cannot wait to run through Wellesly College with all the local crazies in my face cheering me on!!

Today’s 12-miler went off without a hitch. I ran up at the Prairie Path with CARA group. I’ll do a recovery 4-miler tomorrow to get me to 33 for the week. Worst part of today was that I lost the key to my car on the path and was stranded up in Wheaton. Wife is out of town, so no help there. Thankfully, an overly kind running partner drove me 40 miles roundtrip to get my spare key and bring me back to me car. I definitely need to pay that kindness forward.

Disappointing news: The Soldier Field 10-miler on May 26 is now sold out. I screwed up. I was about to sign up a couple of weeks ago, and hesitated. I went as far as filling out the e-form and not hitting enter. I was like, wait, am I sure I want to do this since I’ll be just getting ready to re-start Chicago training? So after I settled in on doing it, it was too late. Oh well. Guess I’ll be drinking beer all Memorial Day Weekend now.

Last bit of good news...

1. I got a totally unexpected mid-year raise yesterday!! Yippee!!!

2. My Michigan State Spartans are competing for the NCAA Hockey Championship tonight. Go Green - Go White!

Recap of London trip - two weeks to Boston

Hi, I am back from my trip to London. I went to attend the first-ever Global Procurement conference for our company. It was a great experience to meet people in my function who all work in different parts of the world. From Europe, Asia, Africa, China, Australia, India... you name it, the region was represented. It was a fantastic week.

Monday 3/26

I got up at 5AM with great ambition to get in the 18-mile long run I put off due to the Shamrock Shuffle. I also knew there would be little if any running due to my travel schedule. Guess what? I knocked out 18 like it was my job. With a stop at Starbucks, I was at my office before 9AM. I was amazed I pulled this off, and I wasn't even that sore. My pace was fairly easy at around an avg of 8:00 for the 18.

Tue-Thurs

I took the redeye from O'Hare to Heathrow on Monday night, with a little bit of shuteye. I spent Tuesday at the hotel with others on my team and catching up on work. No running before dinner. In fact, there was no time for running at all between Tuesday and Thursday. If it weren't for my jetlag, I may have been able to sneak in 30 minutes, but it didn't happen. That's OK, the conference was great. I was there to network, not to run.

For Wednesday's dinner, our entire team was treated to dine in an amazing setting in English history. We had the great fortune of dining at a hall within Hampton Court Palace, which was one of the royal palaces of King Henry VIII. King Henry was infamous for killing four of his six wives, since the Catholic Church would not allow him to divorce. He eventually was ex-communcated by the Pope of the Catholic Church, which prompted him to launch a religious revolution with the Church of England. That's my history lesson for the week.

Friday 3/30

I stayed over an extra day in London to see the city a little bit. I worked from our office in central London on Friday. After work, I finally laced them up and headed from my hotel toward Hyde Park. I ran all around the perimeter of the park and ventured into it in certain parts. One of the highlights was stopping off to stroll around the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. This was a really simple but beautiful landmark. I did a 5-miler at around 7:47 pace.

Saturday 3/31 -- Flew home from London.

Sunday 4/1 - Final 20-miler before Boston

Since I was on my own for the planned 20-miler, Jen came out to the Morton Aboretum with me to provide moral support. She ran/walked on her own and did a lot of reading while I did the 20. Today's run was a great one. I pasted in my Garmin splits below. Note my final five miles were 7:25'ish for the average. I was ripping up and down the hills. Taper begins... on to Boston!

Mileage recap for the week

Only three runs -- 43 total miles

Shamrock Shuffle Report - I love P.R.'s!

Today's Shamrock Shuffle was another great race for me. For the second consecutive week, I managed to surprise myself. Maybe it's a clue that I need to stop underestimating my ability.

I was fortunate enough to have an "A" corrall assignment as a result of my marathon time last year. Lining up at the front of a 30,000 field was quite an awesome experience. I felt professional.

If you check out yesterday's post, you'll see that I set a goal of a P.R. of 32:25. Had I not run the half so well last week, I wouldn't have dreamed of setting it. Even McMillan's chart said I was in position for 33:02.

I blasted out of the gate with the top runners and quickly realized I was nearly in over my head. I tried to calm myself and get a rhythm. Truthfully, my legs felt a little soft in the first mile. I was really concerned that I wouldn't be able to hold the sub-7 pace I knew I wanted to hold.

At Mile 2, I grabbed a gatorade and pushed ahead. I sighed in relief when I saw 16:30 on my watch, because then I knew I was about half way done. I hit the 5k mark at 20:01 and laughed to myself when I thought about last year I how I wasn't sure I would ever get a sub-20 5k. I just nearly did it in an 8k race.

For the last 1.5 miles, I really couldn't tell how fast I was running. The heat was getting to me and I wasn't sure if I had the endurance to come anywhere close to my first three miles. Like I’ve heard many times before, racing HURTS.

When I rounded the turn and hit mile four with a 6:29 split, I knew I could P.R. I buckled down and braced for some pain. The hill on the final 0.5 really got me panting something fierce.

When I made the final turn to see the finish in the distance, I knew I had a P.R., but, wait, could I actually break 32:00?

The answer was YES!

I am not afraid to admit that the 5k and 8k races seem to take more out of me than the double-digit milers. Maybe it's my imagination, but these 3 and 5 mile races are sprints that rip me up. I needed a nap this afternoon.

I celebrated with a free beer and then lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.
Now, I am getting ready for bed so I can get my long run in this week. Nothing like getting up at 5:00 AM for an 18-miler.

Race stats:

Placed 283rd overall out of 23,685 (top 1.1%)

Placed 49th out of 2,318 in M30-34 group (top 2.1%)

Placed 261st out of 11,007 men overall (top 2.3%)

TOTAL MILEAGE FOR THIS WEEK: 35
GOAL FOR 3/26 WEEK: 45 (incl. a 17-18 miler and a 20 miler)

Gearing up for the Shamrock Shuffle 8k

Recap of week to date

Mon - Rest
Tue - 8 miles - 7:53 avg pace
Wed - 10 miles - 8:04 avg pace
Thu - Rest
Fri - 8 miles - 7:50 avg pace
Sat - 3.2 miles recovery - 8:40 avg pace

I'm getting ready for tomorrow's Chicago Shamrock Shuffle.

Aggressive Strech Goal Plan for Shamrock Shuffle 8k - by the mile

Mile 1 - 6:39
Mile 2- 6:34 - 13:13
Mile 3 - 6:30 - 19:43
Mile 4 - 6:29 - 26:12
Final 0.97 - 6:13 - 32:25

GOAL RACE TIME: 32:25 (1 sec faster than my 8k PR - May 2006)

This is a stretch goal, but I figure, hey, what the hell, let's see what I can do tomorrow. I'm going to rip through the miles as best I can.

I had to alter the Boston training schedule quite a bit with races on consecutive Sundays. I'm excited for tomorrow's race, but not so excited to try to squeeze in 17 miles on Monday morning before work. I have to get this longer run in since I've had not had one this week.

I fly to London again for a conference on Monday night, and will have very little time for running during the week. Plan is to get 17 miles early Monday AM, then get to work by 9:30 AM.

I hope to squeeze in a total of 8 miles from Tuesday to Friday. I'm staying Friday night in London, just to check out the city, since I never really have. Fly back to Chicago on Sat AM.

Then, on Sunday April 1st, I will do my final 20 miler before Boston. I will head up to the hills of the Aboretum on my own, since the CARA group runs on Saturday. I'll get it done. Boston, here I come!!

March Madness Half Marathon Report

One of my many favorite things about running is when you have one of those days when you surprise yourself – in a good way, of course. I had one of those days today.

Today, I ran the March Madness Half Marathon in Cary, IL. I came into today’s race with a touch of curious excitement about what kind of race I could run. I honestly did not know.

The winter had been marred with a stretch of injuries to both IT bands, coupled with a lot of brutally cold, windy weather, which required a lot of heavy clothing.

Running friends had warned me that Cary is quite the hilly course. “You won’t run what you ran at C.D.C,” admonished one experienced friend. He was referring to the Chicago Distance Classic, where I set my PR of 1:30:24 last August.

I officially set goal time of 1:34:59, which is exactly the 7:14 pace that I ran for an entire marathon last fall. It seemed like a realistic stretch goal, given the hills I expected and my comparative level of training to last fall’s Chicago run. I had done no speed work while working through injuries, weekly mileage has been lower, and I hadn’t raced since a disappointing showing at the Las Vegas Half Marathon in December.

Conditions were ideal, simply stated. No wind. A crisp 36 degrees at start with a beaming sun overhead.

These guys weren’t kidding. There were some tough hills, but I surprisingly was enjoying them, taking them on like they were my friends. I was up and down through the rolling hillsides, and I kept my heart rate in reasonable check.

I truly got a boost at around mile 8. I don’t know what it was, but I really felt good… like I could be running 7’s or better for the rest of the way.

The last 5 miles had a few monster halls, and I attacked them with a vengeance. The Morton Aboretum has been a great training ground, I thought. Once I hit 10 miles, I knew I could hold for a sub 1:34, way better than I thought. Then I knocked out a couple of sub-7’s on 12 and 13 and realized I could actually get sub-1:33.

I sprinted the last 0.1 to a 1:32:39 on my watch; a 1:32:50 on the gun clock. Like I said, in running, some days you can really surprise yourself. Today was one of those days.

7:11
7:04
7:00
7:19
7:12
7:22
7:23 – 47:11 at the half (6.55)
7:04
6:40
7:02
7:00
6:55
6:51
0:36
1:32:39 – 7:04 per mile

Estimated negative split of 1:43

The McMillan predictor chart says I have the potential to run a 33:02 at next week’s Shamrock Shuffle. I think I’ll set the bar at 32:59.

He also advises that I can run a 3:15:24 in Boston. I’m not worried about trying for this kind of time. I don’t have as many long runs in. Plus, my IT band was really acting up towards the end of last week’s twenty miler. I’ll be fine lining up with the 3:25 group in Boston and enjoying the fanfare of all the crazies, while I celebrate all 26.2 glorious miles.

Recap of the week

Mon – Rest
Tue – 7.5 mi
Wed – 5.25 mi
Thu – Rest
Fri – 8.25 mi
Sat – 3.5 mi easy
Sun – 13.1 race (7:04 avg pace) + 2.4 recovery in afternoon = 15.5 mi total

Total for week: 40 miles even

See more progress on: Run the Boston Marathon

Celebrating a half century with Universal Sole

I hauled out to Lincoln Park today at the crack of dawn for a wonderully organized 20-mile Boston bound run sponsored by Universal Sole. I must say these guys did a great job today.

· First, the weather was awesome. Running along the lakefront path in the stunning picturesque city of Chicago was a treat.
· Second, the technical shirts are really sweet. (yes, sweet technical shirts - no cheap tee's here)
· Third, they had the "right" amount of aid stations with plenty of water, gatorade and gels.
· Fourth, I got a free stretch by a certified (and young, attractive female) PT after, which my IT bands needed (with the wife onlooking carefully).
· Fifth, free vitamin water and Chili after.
· Sixth, this wasn't even a RACE -- It was just a trainng run; and they still pulled out all the stops.
· Seventh, it was only $20!!!!

I am an official fan of this running store, even if it is 40 miles from my house. Only confusion for me was I thought I read about free Goose Island beer afterward, but I am guessing I was dreaming. I'll let it slide. Everything was great.

I knocked out the 20 without much issue, except I did feel the right IT band flare up for the last 3-4 miles. I am sore right now. Of course, said cutie PT urged me to visit her clinic for a free injury screening. See splits (short breaks not timed).

With that little event, I hit the half century. Yup, 50 for the week. Ready to rest and then race the next two weeks.

Come enter the "running miles for beers" contest

Did I ever tell you that I love beer? Do a lot of runners truly love beer? Of course, moderation and good judgment are essential for the runner who loves beer. I am guessing that I put back more beers than the average BQ'er this past fall (ok, not before long runs!). I try to be sensible and balanced, but allow me to indulge into a funny thought I had for a minute...

Let's suppose someone created a constest in which the participants would have to drink a 12 oz beer for every mile he/she ran in a given 7-day period. The rules are:

1. You have to run the same amount of miles as beers you drink in a week - there are no points for running more miles than beers or vice versa.
2. You can put in your miles and beers at any time you want - so long as it falls within the 7-day period.

The winner is the runner who will have completed the most beer-miles.

I am thinking I could run 30 miles and drink 30 beers in a week -- and go to work every day. I'm not endorsing this idea, or supposing that it is a good, healthy thing to do, I am just saying that's what I think I could do if someone put me to the test. And, if I had the week off from work, I bet I could do 40 miles and 40 beers in a week. All right , that may be a bit excessive, but it was kind of funny that I thought of it. (Note: Don't over-drink and run, it's not healthy.)

I altered my schedule this week and today is a rest day. Go figure, that it is the most amazingly beautiful day we've had in months. It's 60 here today with sun -- FINALLY. I ran 5 straight days Mon thru Fri and am at 30 miles WTD.

We will spring ahead tonight one hour. I will be running the Universal Sole Boston 20-miler tomorrow in Lincoln Park at 8 AM, which will feel like 7 AM (free beer after, yeah!). With time needed to eat, stretch, commute to the city and park, I need to get up at 6 AM, which will feel like 5 AM, of course.

After tomorrow's run, I will have completed 50 miles for the week - my most since last October. Given my hectic travel schedule the weeks of 3/26 and 4/2, I am pretty certain this will be my peak week before Boston. I have races the next two weeks and more 20-miler before April 16th. See my upcoming race schedule.

Still on track - 41 days to Boston

One of my dream goals is on its way to becoming reality. I am laboring through training, which is not nearly as intense as it was for the Chicago marathon. I’ve had some run-in with IT band syndrome and have dealt with some horrendous Chicago weather. Nonetheless, I will be running the Boston Marathon in 41 days.

I enjoyed an easy recovery 5-miler yesterday, and rocked out my first speed work in a while today on a 7-miler. I ran 3 miles at sub-6:40, to help prepare for my 8k race later this month.

This post is being posted to my running blog as well. For my running blog readers, check out the site www.43things.com to help set your lifetime goals.

See more progress on: Run the Boston Marathon

Six weeks to Boston

I completed another successful week by coming in right on my mileage target again. The weather again yesterday in Chicago was a bit dicey for an early morning long run, but, thanks to runner camraderie, we got 'er done. Ice, wind, chills, snow, you name it, we had it!

I am paying extra-special attention to my right ITB. I felt a near limp after yesterday's 17+ miler. Classic soreness in the outer knee. I am rolling like crazy and doing my leg lifts for my hip flexors. I think I concentrated so much on my left that now my right side is weak. Damn!

Now I will try to carefully raise my mileage while trying to stay healthy. I'm not focusing on speed work too much here, folks. There's no 3:10 in my future in Boston.

I am signed up for the Universal Sole 20-miler next week downtown (credit to Whitney's blog for giving me awareness).

Recap of 2/26 week

Mon 2/26 - 5 miles easy on treadmill

Tue 2/27 - 5 miles - cut short from 7

Wed 2/28 - Rest

Thu 3/1 - 8 miles

Fri 3/2 - 3 miles easy on treadmill

Sat 3/3 - 17.27 mi - 8:04 avg pace

Sun 3/4 - Rest

Total mileage for week: 38+

Goal for next week: 48. Check out my upcoming weeks below. Goal is to get to Boston with health and reasonable fitness to enjoy my first ever Boston Marathon.

On the defensive - 45 days 'til Boston

I am cautiously responding to symtpoms of an ITB now in the RIGHT side (recent issue was on the LEFT). I am foam rolling big-time and doing my hip flexor strengthening exercises. It is not serious yet, but this is similar to how I felt when my left ITB start up back in November. I have completed three runs so far this week:

Monday - 5 miles - I did a relatively easy 5 miler on the treadmill - around 8:12 average pace. For some reason, the pace felt faster. This is when I first felt some minor discomfort in the lower right knee area. I think I was pretty tired from Saturday's 17-miler.

Tuesday 5 miles - 7:51 - I cut this run short due to concerns over my right ITB.

Thursday - 8 miles - 7:50 pace - We had lightening and rain yesterday morning, so I ditched work at 4pm to head for a run. No problems here, but later in the run, I did feel some tenderness on the right side.

Just when you get the left leg 100% healed, the other one starts acting up. Such is life! I am hoping it is my imagination.

WTD: 18

Weekend plan

Friday - Gentle 3 recovery pace
Saturday - 17-18
Sunday - Rest

Goal mileage for the week: 37-38. Was hoping to crank it up to the high 40's next week.

45 days to go to Boston.

Excellent 44-mile week

The winter ice storm struck the Chicago area yesterday evening, but not before I put in my 17-miler as planned with the group at the Morton Aboretum. I was glad to see that there were several of us that agreed to do three of the 4.7 mile loops together. That left only a short solo add-on for me to get to 17. This was my longest run since Marathon training last fall. Overall average pace: 7:49.

Like last week's 15-miler, I was tired after this run (we're supposed to be, right?). Unfortunately, my HR monitor strap was no where to be found yesterday and so I had to go without it, but I am certain that I am improving my fitness level.

Training at the Aboretum is night and day compared to the Prairie Path, where we will train again for Chicago later this year. Prairie Path is dead flat. Aboretum has several up and down rolling hills throughout the two loops, which unfortunately provide limited shield from the whipping Chicago winds. Boy, did my legs feel it at the end yesterday. Another issue may have been that a couple of my fellow runners were pushing pace on me at miles 8 and 9 (7:20 and 7:12 respectively). I wasn't ready for that kind of speed through the hills.

A couple of the women in our CARA group were commenting that the hills we are training on now are even more difficult than what the Boston course offers. I guess that is good if it is true.

In summary, I set a goal this week of 44 miles and I nailed it spot on. I'm very proud of my discipline and commitment, since it's a bit tricky to get 9-milers in during the week.

Below is a snapshot of my YTD mileage (in grey) as well as my planned mileage leading up to Boston on April 16th (in yellow). [note: click to enlarge] I didn't indicate what the workouts will look like, but I plan to work in some speed work at least a few times on upcoming on Tuesdays.

I am signed up for two races in consecutive weeks in March. One is a half mary and the second is an 8k. These will help me with some speed and to measure progress towards Boston. Targeted marathon pace for Boston at this point: 7:40/mile or about 3:21. I'll save my sub-3:10 for later this year in Chicago.

In May, we booked a wonderful vacation to Aruba, then it will be back to Chicago in the second half of may to start training for Chicago.

Running & writing as the Boston quest continues

First, I must apologize for not being the most consistent commenter and poster as of late. I do read many of y0ur posts quickly, but have not been as active is commenting as I would like.

Break out the excuse monkey. One of my 2007 goals was to really explore my interest in writing. I have been spending my extra time with an online writing class.

In addition, I have been reading so I can learn more about how professional authors write (recommending Human Capital by Stephen Amidon). Then throw in work and the usual headaches associated with it, and blogging, as a result, has suffered.

Writing is an intriguingly challenging craft to just up and start pursuing. I am deepening my understanding of the written word and how I can prolifically express with conviction all the wonderous ideas that bounce around inside of my mind. All right, 'nuff about writing, this is my running blog.

Anyway, my quest for Boston is alive and well. I reluctantly am declaring myself fully recovered from the ilitobial band syndrome that I was experiencing in Dec-Jan.

This week is on track to become my biggest week since last year during Chicago training.

I need to give a shout out to new, fellow blogger Serendipitious Runner, who qualified for Boston for the 1st time as a result of a stellar performance in Austin last week. Congrats, bro!

Week to date activity

Monday - 4 - 7:47 pace
Tuesday - 9 - 7:29 pace
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - 9 - 7:46 pace
Friday - 5 recovery - 8:47 pace

27 miles WTD - On track for 44 mile target

Hopefully, we'll be able to avoid the wintry mix, snow mess that is headed to Chicago tomorrow morning. Goal is to get in 17 miles before the weather hits.

Eight weeks til Boston

My business trip across the Atlantic went pretty much as planned. I was able to get in a 6.9 miler near the London Stansted airport. The weather was glorious. I went from -20 windchill to 45 degrees and sunny on Tuesday morning 7AM London time.

I was hoping to get in at least a few miles on Thursday morning in central downtown London, but I was struck with insominia on Wed eve and my schedule was tight. So I skipped the run, went to Starbucks and headed into our world HQ.

Friday noontime, I headed into the gym to avoid the subzero winds again and got my 5'er as planned.

I was unable to run with the CARA die-hards on Sat AM. Unfortunately, Jen's pregnancy did not work out. I had to take her into scheduled surgery for a "D.A.C." on Sat AM at 7:00 AM. This surgery cleans out her female parts after an unsuccessful pregnancy. So I spent my morning in the hospital and everything went well with Jen's procedure.

I then was able to get out by myself on Saturday afternoon for a strong, challenging 15-mile long run at the Aboretum. I tell you the truth in that I was pretty tired at the end of this run. My HR was up higher than normal. I think the hills plus the snowy, slick concrete really did me in. I finished strong with a 7:07 mile.

There are 56 days to the Boston Marathon. With no traveling for now, my plan is to kick it up to 44 miles this upcoming week if I can. I am going to be monitoring my left knee closely. I felt a little tenderness after yesterday's run. If I am not careful, I could relapse on the ITB issue.

Recap of 2/12 week

Mon - Rest
Tue - 6.9 mi - London
Wed - Traveled to Amsterdam
Thu - Meetings in London - flew home
Fri - 5.1 mi - treadmill - 7:55 avg
Sat - 15 mi - by my lonesome - Morton Aboretum - 7:47 avg
Sun - 5 mi recovery run - 8:53 avg

Total: 32 miles - goal met

Plan for 2/19 week - 44 mile target

Mon - 6
Tue - 7
Wed - Rest
Thu - 9
Fri - 5
Sat - 17

Forty the hard way

Mission accomplished... I hit 40 miles total this week, despite extraordinarily cold temperatures for the past several days.

My week was capped off with a 14-mile Saturday comprised of the following:

Two 4.7 mile loops at Morton Aboretum - Est 7:50 pace - Est temp 4 deg with -12 windchill. Chilly!
Everyone in the running group quit after 9.4 mi, so I headed straight to the gym to knock out 4.6 miles at 8:01 avg pace.

Today, we experienced a heat wave and the temps got up to the mid-20's! Hooray! I crushed eight miles with ease outside around my neighborhood. I know I am getting stronger, but my splits seemed so easy at 7:20-7'30's with a reasonable HR in the 150's.

Week recap:

Tue - 5+6 mi = 11 all on tread
Thu - 7 mi on tread
Sat - 14 mi - split btw outside and the tread
Sun - 8 mi outside on flat pavement - 7:37 pace

Total: 40 miles

For this week...

Will be a stepback week due to overseas travel. Heading momentarily to my 8:05 PM CT flight to London Heathrow. Will be traveling and tied up in supplier meetings most of the week - not to mention jet lagged.

Goal is to do at least one 8-mile run near London Stansted aiport on Tuesday AM before returning home on Thursday night. May have a chance to do a short 4 in London on Thursday morning if things go well.

Tue - 7
Thu - 3
Fri - 5
Sat - 15
Sun - 7

Goal: 32-34 miles total - maybe 37 if I can get in the Thurs AM run

28.2 consecutive miles on a treadmill

OK, not all in one session, of course, but I am proud enough to share this stat. The negative windchills have forced me to adapt my running inside. All of my last 28.2 miles have been on the tread: including 5, 6, 7 and 8 milers.

Big news of the day is Anna Nicole's passing. Not much to say about this.

On Tuesday, I knocked out a daily treadmill double: 6 in the morning, and 5 in the evening. I did this because my flight to NY on Tue night was cancelled due to snow and I pushed it to Wed AM. This meant I wouldn't be able to run on Wed AM. So I travelled to CT and back on Wed for work, which made for a long one-day journey.

Tonight, I rocked out a steady 7 miles on the dread-tread. I did this in 53:50 or 7:41 pace, which was solid. I like to think that treadmill miles count double to regular outside miles, due to the psychological trauma. OK, maybe a bit of stretch.

Next week, I will be off to London and Amsterdam and then back to London for a series of meetings; hence moving around Europe quite a bit. It will be a down week. Goal is to run in the range of 32-34 miles.

WTD: 18 mi -- ON TRACK

Weekend plan:

Fri - Rest
Sat -15 mi - 8:00-8:10 pace
Sun - 7 mi - take red-eye to London

Strong week in the cold

The statement "making the most out of the bitterly cold weather" sums up last week's training.

I ran 36 miles, which is short of my 40 mile goal. However, given the 25-30 below windchills the last few days, I am quite proud of my week. I cranked out 17 of my miles last week on a treadmill - including a solid 8-miler yesterday with no stopping. That is a P.R for treadmill mileage in a week. I am overcoming the psychological barrier of training indoors.

Saturday's run was the ultimate test. It was seriously frigid. Dangerously cold. The diehards were out at the Aboretum, but only a handful could handle more than one single 4.7 mi loop. I managed to stick it out with a couple of others for a second 3.1 mile loop. But that was it. Could barely feel my fingers and the winds were getting worse.

You'll notice no major griping about the IT band. It is getter better. I am focusing on exercises to strengthen the glutes and stretching. I have also worked in some basic leg presses to increase strength in the hammy's and quads.

I took today off to rest the legs and recover from the Super Bowl hangover. The hometown Bears laid an egg.

Recap of 1/29 week

Mon -4 miles outside - 8:20 pace
Tue - 5 miles on treadmill - intense hill workout (up to 6% inclines in .25 mi intervals) 7:55 pace
Wed - Rest
Thu - 7 miles outside - 7:37 avg pace
Fri - 2 miles on tread at gym
Sat - 10 mi total - (7.8 in bitter cold with CARA - 7:37 pace, 2.2 on tread in the evening, 7:32 pace).
Sun- 8 easy on the tread

Total: 36 miles

This week's plan

Mon - Rest
Tue - 6 mi - speed and hill work
Wed - 5 miles easy
Thu - 7 miles - work in 2 miles at lact. threshold
Fri - Rest
Sat - 15 miles - low 8's pace
Sun - 7 miles - MP: 7:40 per

Goal: 40 miles

Countdown: 70 days to Boston

Deep freeze running

The deep freeze is deepening this weekend. I am leary about the planned 14-miler tomorrow. Around 8AM, we should be at a steady -10 with the windchill in Lisle, IL at the Morton Aboretum. I am wondering if my dedicated running partners will show tomorrow morning. Will they arrive? Will they be scared off? Will I have the courage to show?

Then I read about Bob's 11 mile feat inside on the mill, and I felt inspired. Wow.

Did an awesome seven miler yesterday that I am really proud of given the cold, my just coming back to stronger form and the snow/ice on the ground.

Wed - Rest - supposed to do 4, but deep freeze and schedule did not permit
Thur - 7 miles at 7:37 per mile

I was tagged by Arcaner. I'm not big on "tag" games, but I enjoy sharing goals and experiences with other runners, so I decided to play along. I am tagging Bob next, since he is a treadmill rockstar and to fulfill my responsibility to keep the annoying chain going.

1. Describe a memory from your first tri/marathon ever.

Pittsburgh, May 2001 - Hitting the wall with shame and frustration at mile 20.5... walking with my head hung low, then having some 280lb mustached dude with an Iron City beer in his hand, sporting a booming intimidating voice, yell at me with full force... "c'mon number 'whatever' ... LET'S GO!!!" I was so frightened that I fake-ran about 500 feet so as to get out of his view, so I could start walking again. Thought he was going to beat my ass if I walked.

2. Describe a memory from your most recent tri/marathon.

The thought process related to hanging on at mile 23 in Chicago to maintain BQ pace for the final 5k was surreal. I can't remember exactly what I told myself, but it was a feeling of incredible power to be able to fend off the doubts and drive through those last miles.

3. What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri/marathon?

Having to spend 3:00+ in the port-o-can for you-know-what in Va Beach 2004 was embarrassing, but mostly frustrating more than anything else. Other than that, nothing major... guess I am incapable of embarrassment when I am in a state of exhaustion after a marathon.

4. What's the most thrilling thing that's happened to you in a tri/marathon?

Pumping my fists during the last 0.2 in Chicago 2006 and making it in right at 3:10.

5. What is something you discovered about yourself by doing tri/marathons?

With planning, commitment and the right frame of mind, and a little bit of luck, I can accomplish just about anything.

6. What is The Big Goal that you're working towards?

With the BQ under the belt, I need to finally kick this IT Band issue and stay healthy in '07. I want to fun run Boston and take in the experience. My hope is to still hit the 1,750 mile target I set this year and run sub-3:10 in Chicago.

Freezing our arses off

It is currently a "RealFeel" of zero degrees, according to AccuWeather. Tomorrow morning, it will be a -5. This is way to frickin' cold to enjoy running. My resolve to run in the winter is being tested.

It is definitely colder here in the Chicago 'burbs than in CT. Current temps prove it. It's a wimpy 27 degree RealFeel in my former residence of Norwalk, CT right now. What was I thinking with this move?

Yesterday, it was a mere 7 degrees RealFeel, so I knocked out my planned four without incident. I had the full shebang of wardrobe: skin tight running pants, overpants, hat, headband, thick gloves, running coat, underlayer in Polyester, two pairs of sox. Name it, brother!

4 miles - Avg pace: 8:10

Today, I said "no way" to going outside and headed to my local gym early morn. I rocked out 5 miles on the 'dreadmill (quite an accomplishment for me), and managed to incorporate at least four or five steady intervals of 6% grade for 0.15-0.25 miles. My research tells me I need to run hills for Boston.

5 miles - avg pace: 7:51 - HILLS!
Don't know what I will do tomorrow. Driving to the gym at 6:15 AM is a pain in the arse. I'm supposed to 4 mile easy.

WTD: 9 miles

Steady does it

With today's treadmill workout at the gym, I successfully completed a 33 mile week. This total surpassed my goal this week of 32 miles.

Yesterday's run of 12.6 miles at the Morton Aboretum with the CARA group went very well. I did not experience any pain at all, and I felt like I glided through the workout with relative ease.

Bear in mind that the MA course loops (both east and west side of the park) are somewhat hilly. Not quite as hilly as the towns of Ridgefield and New Canaan, Connecticut (where I used to run this time last year before moving), but hilly by Chicago area standards. This run even included a 4.7 mile loop completed in 35:00 (7:22 pace), during which I felt comfortable and strong.

Mon - 3.1 mi. - local neighborhoods
Tue - 4.6 mi. - local neighborhoods
Wed - 3.4 mi. - local neighborhoods
Thu - 5 mi. with 2 at LT pace - local neighborhoods
Fri - Rest
Sat - 12.6 mi. - Morton Aboretum - total average pace of 7:48
Sun - 4.4 mi. - treadmill - with some hill work (incline up to 5.5% for 30 sec intervals)

Total: 33 mi.

I will continue on with Hal's Boston Bound Plan, with the minor adjustments as usual. This coming week will be extremely cold. The forecast has the "Realfeel" in the range of -5 to 10 over the coming days.

On the positive side, today's treadmill run wasn't as horrible as usual. Usually, I am mentally challenged to endure the monotony. I think I learned to condition my mind to think about other things. This is good progress, since I will likely be inside a few days this week.

I am regaining confidence on the stability of my left leg. I am continuing to strengthen my glutes.

This week's mileage goal: 40 miles

There are 7 weeks until the March Madness half marathon, which will be my first race in months. I am one of the fortunate 1,000 participants in this sold out event.

Mid-week update

First, I admit I am struggling to blog to my fullest potential. Truth is, I embarked upon another passion recently: Writing. I am taking an online writing class and, on top of work and running, it is taking up some spare time. I do love it so far, though. I feel really inspired.

I am on track here with Hal's Boston Bound program - Week #1 of 12. Well, almost, except for one minor detail within yesterday's workout. I'm supposed to do hill repeats every other Tuesday.

Folks, I live in the FLATTEST place in the world. My subdivision is 4 years old and was built on top of endless miles of corn fields out here the Chicago suburban sprawl.

The nearest respectable hill that I know of must be at least a 10 mile drive. I can't pull that off before work. SO... I ran flat and a little bit faster than usual yesterday.

Good news is that the ITB seems to be coming around. I'm feeling better. My PT was right on, the more I read. My damn gluteus medius were way too weak for my running level. How in the hell did it take this long to feel the pain?

The program is fairly, shall we say, novice here in the beginning - in terms of total mileage. Honestly, however, it works for me right now. I cannot do the 50 mile weeks right now until we heal the ITB entirely. Until then, I am enjoying the shorter runs mid-week.

This weekend's 10-12 miler on Saturday will be the test.

WTD

Mon - 3.15 mi -7:57 avg
Tue - 4.61 mi - 7:25 avg - Mile 2 at 6:33! All felt good.
Wed - 3.41 mi - 7:42 avg

PLANNED

Thu - 5 miles tempo (just slower than 10k pace for 2-3 miles, around 6:40 for now)
Fri - Rest
Sat - 10-12 miles 3/1 run (target 1:20-1:35 running time)
Sun - 6 miles pace

Life will be changing

I didn't rest the entire time that I had planned. I made it about 10 days without running a step and then decided to get outside and run a few on Thursday.

On Thursday, my first mile after 10 days of rest was a 7:32. I took it easy after that and finished 3.6 at about 7:50 per mile pace total.

I wanted to do a full 4 miles but (a) it was freezing cold, and I wasn't dressed right, and (b) the knee was slightly annoyed and I didn't want to push it.

I can't tell as yet if my hiatus helped my cause. Who knows. I cannot afford to wait any longer.

Yesterday, I ran outside here with the hope of doing at least 8 miles. It was 20 degrees and very sunny. I felt strong enough to do 9 miles. The knee felt OK, but the fact is I can still feel the ITB issue. I will continue to do my exercises.

On to the big news: my wife is pregnant! Her due date is in September. It's still early, so I am cautiously optimistic. If all goes as planned, here comes the life of baby joggers and sleep deprivation for my runs!

Recap of 1/15/07 week

Monday - Speed walk - 3 miles
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - Rest - travel to Norwalk
Thursday - 3.6 miles - First run in 10 days - Norwalk, CT - felt the knee
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 9 miler - 7:55 avg pace - all went reasonably well
Sunday - Gym: Stretches/strengthening - leg presses - 2.4 miles on tread - 8:20 avg pace

Total mileage (incl. speed walk): 18 miles

I will be starting up Hal's Boston Bound Program, which is a 12 week plan.

Week #1 plan

Mon 1/22 - 3 EZ
Tue 1/23 - 3xhill, 1 down - est 5 miles - where I'm going to find a hill?
Wed 1/24 - 3 EZ
Thu 1/25 - 5 Tempo
Fri 1/26 - Rest
Sat 1/27 - Timed 3/1 run of 1:20 (est 10 miles) - Run w/CARA group
Sun 1/28 - 6 mile pace run (3 or 4 at pace)

Goal mileage: 32

Not running increases thinking about running

I am on my fifth day of non-running. I am coping reasonably well. But it is hard to think about another entire week of not running. I think it would be easy to not run if I wasn't signed up for a fairly big marathon in 13 weeks from now.

I have been doing my stretches every day, which have been interesting for me. I feel like a yoga dude. One of the important exercises that the PT told me to do are leg lifts for my glutues medius. It feels really funny to do them. It's like I am taping a Suzanne Somers exercise video.

One benefit of not running with the CARA group today was that I had extra time to paint my basement. I busted my arse all morning cleaning, organizing and painting. I feel like I accomplished a great task today.

When you are not running, I have found, you think more about what you want to achieve when you are running.I thought about the goal that I set with my New Year's plan to run a 3:05 in Chicago. Wow, that sounds fast. I know I can do it, but I will need to change a lot of things and increase my commitment from last year.

The other goal, one that is brand-new, is to run a 65 or more mile week in 2007. That is a new one. Some of the hardcores that I read about would laugh at that goal. But it is a serious challenge for me. My best ever weeks are in the mid-50's.

The other random thought relative to the fall marathon was about our plans for a family. Jen and I have been trying to conceive. She's away on a vacation right now with her mom (some quality time for the mother-daughter relationship). We're hoping to have good news this week. If she's pregnant, it is quite possible that the due date with coincide with the Chicago Marathon. Wouldn't that be interesting.

For Boston, I will run for fun. The real deal is in the fall. There are 38 weeks to the Chicago Marathon - with a little event called Boston in between. How's that for planning ahead?

The plan is to hold out from running for another entire week at least. We'll see if that holds...

Let the healing begin

Upon reflection, I may have been a bit overzealous about my schedule and running through my injury. Maybe I have been in denial?

I ran on Monday morning. I did 8 out of the 9 miles. There was supposed to be some LT work in there, but, wow, it was tough. It was very cold at 6 AM, the wind was blowing, I had many clothes on, my knee was bothering me, and I was out there thinking "why I am doing this?"

I did 8 miles on Monday AM at 6:10 AM at an average pace of 7:47. Mile 3 was at 7:07 and Mile 4 was at 7:17. I quickly cooled it after that insanity and ran just sub-8's.

My P.T. eval was Monday night. My therapist, Stacey, quickly pointed out a very glaring weakness in my gluteus medius (side ass muscle). This connects to the ITB and she claims this could have contributed to my knee pain. There is no hard evidence, but I am going to trust her that I need to rest, stretch and strengthen.

She didn't tell me to stop running (although it was clear that was what her advice was without saying it), since she knew that wasn't an idea that would be well-received. So, she cautiously advised me to rest as much as I can.

I reflected since Monday night as I went into my first "real" session with Stacey tonight. "I don't want to keep running like this worrying about this knee" my mind told me. And, "if there's any time to take a minor break, why not mid-January when the winds here in Chicago are wicked and it's freezing cold?".

SO... I have decided I will not run until... (drum roll please) ... Saturday, Jan 20th, and MAYBE Monday, Jan 22nd. This will give me precisely 12 weeks to Boston. There's a great Hal Higdon 12-weeker to Boston that I will likely follow (see his site).

In the interim, I will do stretch and strengthen exercises that Stacey gave me two times per day - along with foam rolling the IT band. This will be 12 solid days of no running with therapy.

To sum it up, this sucks. It is psychologically challenging... But I need to do it. I can't limp along like this all year. I want to run Boston pain-free and rock Chicago in October.

First week of 2007 is a success

Upon reflection, I can see how my last post may have sounded a bit desperate, and thus prompted a few comments with the advice of “take it easy”.

It’s not as bad as I may have implied. Sure, a couple of the runs this week were tough, but that’s going to be the case right now.

Fact is that I am still running. If the ITB were too painful to endure, or I was causing damage to myself, I would take a complete break. But that's not the case. There are good days and bad days. I am hopeful the therapy, which begins tomorrow, will pull me through. I will rest it, as dictated by my PT.

Yesterday was a good day. I went out yesterday to run with the Sat AM CARA group and knocked out a solid 15.3 miles. The Morton Aboretum loops also present some nice rolling hills, which make the workouts reasonably challenging. Running with this group makes a world of difference in my physical and psychological state. GROUP RUNNING IS A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTOR TO SUCCESS!

Average pace was 7:45 over the 15.3 miles, which is very strong all things considered. Heart rate was way up at certain points (mid 180’s) as we blasted up some of the steeper hills.

The run was tough and it was a great workout. I admit that I felt the knee. The point is, after a day of rest, I can run these types of runs and endure what I would classify as discomfort. I stop short of saying “pain”, because I didn’t feel pain. It’s more like a steady soreness.

I finished the rest of my day without much discomfort. The wife and celebrate with a great dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

I have decided that I will not try and make up this week’s missed mileage. I am going to call this week a success at 36 solid miles.

Boston will not be a PR. I don’t even place to chase a PR. How many Boston first-timers even try a PR there anyway? My goal is to go out there, run healthy and take in the experience. I'm thinking 3:30 or so.

I will be ramping up later this year for a PR in Chicago. Goal on October 6 is 3:05. This knee issue, a mild setback as it is, is the bit of adversity that I knee to fuel me to have my best year of running ever.

1/1/07 Week recap

Mon - 5 miles
Tue - Rest
Wed - 10 miles
Thu - 6 miles
Fri - Rest
Sat - 15.3 miles
Sun - Rest

TOTAL: 36.3 miles

Plan for 1/8/07 week - Pfitzinger "13 to go"*

Mon - 9 w/4 at LT
Tue - 5 recovery
Wed - 10 G.A.
Thu - Rest
Fri - 5 recovery
Sat - 17
Sun - Rest

GOAL: 46 miles

*I will closely monitor my ability to run this schedule. If the ITB acts up or my PT advises me against running, I will alter the schedule.

Limping along

I felt I was making great progress by building mileage. However, I had a setback the last couple of days with the left ITB. I have been rolling the crap out of my left IT band on the foam roller, and trying to stretch, but I guess it's not healed.

My 10-miler on Wednesday was downright tough the last few miles. I completed it, but my leg was bothering me somethin' fierce and I felt spent. I think worrying about my leg is mentally taxing. This is causing me to fatigue physically.

Yesterday's six-miler was supposed to be 8, but the leg, combined with the wicked winds and my impending GI tract problem forced me home early. The last mile was a near miss from wrecking my shorts.

I am finding that, on rested fresh legs, the first 4-5 miles are really pain-free - and then the IT band starts become aggravated. I then labor through, some times altering my form over the last couple of miles.

On not-so-fresh legs, it takes only a couple of miles to feel the annoying IT band. These runs I can get through.

On the last mile of yesterday's 10'er, a coworker saw me while she was driving into work, and mentioned to me later in the day that I looked like I was limping.

I am at 21 miles WTD. I hope to get in 15 tomorrow morning with the group.

I am excited for my PT Eval on Monday - and follow up appt scheduled for Wednesday. I am hoping I will get a miracle working PT who rehabilitate me to my old running self.

WTD

Mon - 5
Tue - Rest
Wed - 10
Thu - 6 - last two miles were walk/run
Fri - Rest

Planned

Sat - 15
Sun - Rest

Happy 2007 - Ready to rock another running year

And so another year has passed. I would say that 2006 was an outstanding year. We moved from CT to IL, and are enjoying the Chicagoland area. We bought our first "real" house (i.e. not a condo). Career seems be going well enough. And I qualified for the Boston Marathon.

Some 2006 running statistics:

Est number of miles run: 1,628

Number of races completed: 9 -- two marathons, two halfs, one 10M, one 8k, one 10k, one 5M, one 5k - and maybe one that I can't recall

PR's set: Marathon, half-marathon, 8k, 5k, 1M (personal time trial)

States run in: CT, NJ, IL, FL, CO, UT, NV, PA, OH (missed opportunities: CA, MI)

Foreign nations run in: UK, Mexico (missed opportunities: Germany, Switzerland)

Number of pairs of running shoes purchased: At least 6 - all Asics GT-211x or Gel-Kayano

Estimated amount of money spent on race registration: At least $420

Estimated number of GU's consumed: 100+?

Saturday's run 12/30/06

I was able to get out in the cold rain and knock out 13 solid miles in solitude. I was unable to get up on time to make it the CARA run, so I flew it solo. All went well with the knee.

13 miles - 1:42:15 - 7:51 pace - Avg HR: 151

BAPP kindly pointed out on my last post that I didn't complain about my knee. The IT band is doing better. I purchased a foam roller and have been stretching before all runs. The issue is still there, but it is tolerable at this point. I am going to beat it.

Recap of 12/25 week

Mon - 5
Tue - 6
Wed - Rest
Thu - 7 with fast finish
Fri - 5 recovery
Sat - 13
Sun - REST - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Total: 36 miles

Starting this week, I will hop onto the Pfitzinger training plan. I am little groggy from last night's new year's celebration in Wrigleyville, so I need to decide if I will do the 8 later today or swap it with tomorrow's recovery 5-miler.

Mon - 8 General aerobic w/10x100m strides
Tue - 5 recovery
Wed - 10 G.A.
Thu - Rest
Fri - 4 recovery
Sat - 15 med-long

Mileage goal: 42

Hope all of your new year running plans are coming together. Here is to a wildly successful 2007!